Collage Diva

Discover a Secret Cathedral

I'm having fun playing in Photoshop. I've been yearning for more time immersed in digital play. I'm so grateful for my skills in Photoshop - I don't think much about the tools that I use when I'm creating. It is a great feeling to lose myself in the layers as I uncover and connect different images.

Pictured above is the result of today's play. Be sure to click on the image to see it enlarged.

Deep within the Forest of Wishes there lies a stone wall. Not everyone who visits the forest will find the entrance to a secret cathedral. I'm so happy you found your way here. You are welcome any time you need a quiet respite to rest your weary bones and to soothe your soul.

The collage is simply a composite of three photos. The top layer is this forest.

The second layer is this stone wall.

The bottom most layer is the interior of a cathedral.

I'm looking forward to creating more digital collages and sacred spaces in 2012. Stay tuned!

Kathryn, Collage Diva

Why not?

"Why not wear a jelly fish chapeau?" asked the mermaid goddess.

I haven't created a digital collage in ages. It sure does feel great to play!

Enjoy!

Kathryn, Collage Diva

It's time to clear the clutter!

The Weight of Objects
Clearing a Space for Change

We hold onto material objects because we think they make us feel secure, when in reality they are cluttering our lives.

In life, we tend to have an easier time acquiring possessions than we do getting rid of them. Just as we harbor emotional baggage that is difficult to let go of, our lives can tend to be filled with material objects that we may feel compelled to hold on to. Most people are not conscious of how much they own and how many of their possessions are no longer adding value to their life. They fiercely hold on to material objects because this makes them feel secure or comfortable. While it’s true that the ownership of “stuff” can make you feel good for awhile, it seldom satisfies the deep inner longings that nearly everyone has for fulfillment and satisfaction. It is only when we are ready to let go of our baggage and be vulnerable that it becomes possible to recognize the emotional hold that our possessions can have on us. 

It’s not uncommon to hold on to material objects because we are attached to them or fear the empty spaces that will remain if we get rid of them. Giving away the souvenirs from a beloved voyage may feel like we are erasing the memory of that time in our life. We may also worry that our loved ones will feel hurt if we don’t keep the gifts they’ve given us. It’s easy to convince ourselves that unused possessions might come in handy someday or that parting with them will cause you emotional pain. However, when your personal space is filled with objects, there is no room for anything new to enter and stay in your life. Your collection of belongings may “protect” you from the uncertainties of an unknown future while keeping you stuck in the past. Holding on to unnecessary possessions often goes hand in hand with holding on to pain, anger, and resentment, and letting go of your material possessions may help you release emotional baggage. 

When you make a conscious decision to fill your personal space with only the objects that you need or bring you joy, your energy level will soar. Clearing your personal space can lead to mental clarity and an improved memory. As you learn to have a more practical and temporary relationship to objects, positive changes will happen, and you’ll have space to create the life that you desire.

(This was published by DailyOM.)

I think it is time I go and clean out my "creative cave of chaos" AKA my studio.

{soul hugs}

Kathryn, Collage Diva

Find my art at Jewell & the Beanstalk

I am excited to share some GREAT news! My artwork is now on display at one of my favorite haunts, Jewell and the Beanstalk located at 793 Sommerville Street in Manchester, NH.

As you walk in the door and look to the left, I have some photos from my seaside collection. I love that my "Beacon of Love" is by the window sending out those love signals to the world. The close-up shot of the starfish looks fabulous. My son's favorite is the photo of the purple spider mum. It reminds me of an anenome - doesn't it fit in this collection?

Now look to the right and you'll see my altered angel next to a column and fancy grate.

Here is a closer look.

On another wall I couldn't resist posting my "Serving Love" photo. I purchased the apron here at Jewell & the Beanstalk. You may recognize this photo as it was in Patti Digh's book, "Creative is a Verb."

Two photos of hydrangea pair up nicely with the altered rose photo I call, "La vie en rose."

One of my very favorite altered photos is the one pictured above of rosehips.

Above the door to the bathroom is a new series I call, "Tokyo Sunrise." It is named after the music I was listening to while painting it - Rodrigo y Gabriela's Live in Tokyo recording. Want to listen to it? CLICK HERE.

These are ten of my fifteen new Journey of the Heart tiles.

Each tile is 6x6 and includes a tag tucked into an envelope in the back with an inspirational message.

At the counter you can purchase one of three pin and bookmark designs.

I am so delighted with how my artwork looks in the cafe. A friend of mine asked me a couple of years ago why I didn't have work on display and for sale here. I didn't think I was an artist back then. Look at me now! Yowza!

One night coming up in the next two weeks, Amber the owner of the cafe will have a special dinner night. If you are in the area, I would love for you to join me for dinner and art! I'll post details as soon as I get them.

If you don't already follow me on Facebook, you can friend me at www.facebook.com/collagediva.

Love Your Tree

Do you love your body? For years I compared my body to everyone else's - models, actresses, siblings, friends, strangers. Well, you know the danger that comes from comparing. Growing up, my grandmother would slap my legs and warn me, "You are built like your mother who is built like her mother. Watch yourself or you will be big just like them." I heard it over and over too from my dad. When you hear something long enough, especially in your forming years, you believe it. It has only been in recent months that I've truly felt comfortable in my own skin. More than comfortable actually, I really love it and the more I love my body the better I feel about myself.

I love Facebook. Each day I meet new people and I learn something or I'm inspired. Yesterday, my Facebook adventures introduced me to a lovely woman who shares her own delicious life on her Spirit Moves Dance blog. While visiting her blog, I watched this video that I had to share.

I adore Eve Ensler. Listen to this brief clip. She asks, "Do you love your tree?"

I answer without hesitation, "Yes!"

{soul hugs}

Kathryn, Collage Diva

 

PS - I whipped up the collage this morning. I had fun playing with Photoshop.

PSS - I'd love to connect with you on Facebook. You can find me at www.facebook.com/collagediva

Live, Love, Laugh Texture Meets Ikebana

{click picture to enlarge}

{click picture to enlarge}

My friend Claudia introduced me to Kim Klassen's blog where Kim posts a free texture each Friday. OMG!!! The photo above is using one of my Ikebana flower arrangement shots (click here to see the originals of this series) with Kim's texture that she posted yesterday. This is the first time that I've applied a texture to one of my Ikebana photos. I'm loving this! Do you see the words, "choose carefully" at the center flower? In Ikebana we do select each flower and branch so carefully. I also love how the message, "make the little things count" appears on the right. This too is so important in Ikebana. I feel so alive when I work with the flowers and then later photograph them. I laugh when I'm balancing the materials and they have a mind of their own. Most of all, I love this practice so much. Claudia and I have signed up for Kim's Art of Texture Revealed online class. I've been saying that I'm not going to take any workshops for a while other than the Ikebana classes, but I couldn't resist. I've worked with textures in Photoshop before, but I am excited to have a weekly lesson which will encourage me to play more with digital photography. I know I'll pick up some new ideas and techniques that I haven't explored on my own. Claudia and I work in the same building and we often meet up for a coffee break and show n' tell. I can't wait for our coffee breaks now! It is too bad that Claudia doesn't have a blog {HINT. HINT.} as her photography and Photoshop play is so inspiring. I guess you all will have to swing by for coffee. {I know I tease.}

It's day six in these challenges for November:

AEDM

NaBloPoMo

PS - Please know that I love to receive comments and I read each and every one. Since I will be super busy this month creating art and posting daily, I may not have a chance to respond to each comment. In December I'm planning on making it a month of visiting the bloggers who left comments on my site and each day I'll blog and highlight where my blog travels take me. If you would like to be a part of my blog tour in December, leave a comment on any of my posts throughout November. Of course the thoughtful comments will be the ones that will get my attention first when I head out on my blog tour.

 

AEDM #27 - Kismet

Do you notice signs? Do you make connections? I do - I believe in kismet.

On Wednesday, I took the day off to head 1-1/2 hours to attend my friend's mother's funeral. Before heading up, I stopped by the card shop to get a card and picked up a CD titled, "Tuscany A Romantic Journey." I picked it for the first track, "O Mio Babbino Caro From Gianni Chicchi" by Puccini but little did I know that this CD was picked for me, for the second track. By the time we headed out from the Mass and drove down the street to go to the burial site, the CD had cycled back around. I was at a stop sign ready to take a left turn and follow the long line of cars when I looked up and saw the most incredible site of geese in two v-shaped formations low in the sky and pointing the way. The orchestral version of "Con Te Partiro" by Sartori was playing. At that moment I knew I was exactly where I was suppose to be. Tears filled my eyes and my heart swelled. Now as I write this I am even more amazed for it is only now I realize that "Con Te Partiro" translates as "Time to Say Goodbye." 

Take a moment to close your eyes picture the geese and listen to the following track. (Note scroll down to the music player found in the right column to turn off the French music.)

I selected a variety of images for the digital collage to help me remember this day. 

Canadian Geese - remind us of the Sacred Circle, how life cycles on and about family.  The migration of Canadian Geese marks the passages of the Great Circle of the Year, and reminds us of the sacredness of the cycles of our own life.  We can also learn from the cooperative and communal behavior of these birds, who never abandon a sick or wounded member of the flock, and who know when to lead and when to seek guidance and follow.   The goose is also about traveling to distant places, it is about breaking free from one place to move on in your life in order to survive.  If you are stuck in an old pattern, goose can help you move forward bringing new patterns in.

Orchids - were selected for my friend Antoinette who is also my Ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) teacher. She specializes in orchids. I had taken the photo of these orchids when in Boston last week. I kept the buds to remind us that during this time of loss there is new life yet to live and that all is not lost.

Lace - was added along with the fortune cookie message, "A chance meeting opens new doors to success and friendship" for the unexpected connections I made at the luncheon. One woman who lives close to me is preparing to open a fabric store specializing in Victorian notions (oooh think of the velvet and lace). This woman's sister who also connected with is a member of the same religious order as a dear colleague of mine and who in fact lives in the same house. The intricacy of the lace also illustrates the beautiful web of connections reminding me that we live in a small world where we are all connected.

Compass - is a familiar symbol in my work. It is a central image and design element in my True North Arts endeavor. It is interesting to see that this scan taken over six months ago, points in the direction of where I traveled - Northwest.

Keyholes - and keys are favorite symbols that I work with. This keyhole asks, "What lies ahead?

 

Michelle Ward poses the question, "What's your sign?" in this month's GPP Street Team challenge. Before I made this post, I remembered that Michelle's challenge involved sharing signs but it wasn't until I added her graphic above that it was to share a sign that reminds us of a loved one. OMG! Without planning, I answered her challenge. This all shows me that I am exactly where I am suppose to be.

AEDM #20 - Joy Diet #9 - Connection

This week's topic is "connections" in the "The Next Chapter" blog book group's exploration of "The Joy Diet" by Martha Beck. I found the short chapter to be a bit heavy, tiresome, and simply prescribing more work than I desired. I love the idea of connections and I believe the most important key to connecting with others is to be present. This week I set out to be more present and mindful in my interactions with others.

The start of my week included a fabulous getaway with a dear friend. We were treated like queens during a stay at The Liberty Hotel in Boston. Impressed so much by how I felt by the service at this hotel, my take away is to treat others with this same attention to detail and care. The theme of hospitality was echoed in Wayne Dyer's talk that I attended on Monday night at the Back Bay Event Center. Wayne shared the story of a cab driver who didn't want to be a duck and quack (and complain) like all of the other cabbies. He wanted to set himself apart and soar like an eagle. He took steps and over time transformed the level of care and service he offered from a dirty cab and crabby attitude to a meticulously clean cab with limo quality service. The result was not only a happy and joyful cab driver but guests who became regular, well-paying clientele. The morale of the story is it isn't what you do but how you do it that counts.

Tuesday I had a wonderful day in the city sharing coffee, taking photos, and enjoying chats with my dear friend. We share a friendship where we are really present with one another. We have known each other so long that the history we share adds a layer of comfort -- we know each other and ourselves so well that we can easily BE PRESENT. What a treat!

Returning to the office this week, I found myself bumping into the hall with one co-worker who I really admire and don't see often. As we chatted, I was again 100% present and I left the connection feeling grounded and energized and happy!

Wednesday night I stopped by the opening of a photography exhibit of Gary Sampson, department chair for photography at NH Institute of Art. His photographs are breathtaking. While his landscapes are stunning, I am moved even more by the portraits. Gary has a way of capturing the spirit of a person in his photography. A good friend of mine joined me and we connected with each other as we connected with Gary's photography. Wow!

I tend to be very present with my teenage son but this week, I've been ever more so. I sat back and watched him as he chatted about his day at school. I observed how he is growing up. Savoring the present with a person you love really does bring you closer to them.

I have many more stories from this week of connecting with people and in each case I found that active listening and having an open heart makes the experiences truly transformative.

What connections have you made this week?

The digital collage above was made using various images I photographed while in Boston earlier in the week. The photo was taken at one of our favorite haunts on Charles Street. The name of the cafe when we lived in the back bay was, "il dolce momento." We will always remember this cafe as the place of special moments. Do you see the heart in the photo?

Check out these links for more information and inspiration:

Jamie Ridler's The Next Chapter Blog Book Group: The Joy Diet

Creative Every Day - Art Every Day Month

AEDM #6 - Joy Diet #7 - Play

What a week! This week started the Art Every Day Month challenge and I've been having a blast. The journal page above was created digitally by scanning painted papers, a notebook, and an image. Photoshop is the best tool for layering. Meanwhile, the blog book group hosted by Jamie Ridler is on chapter 7, "Play" by Martha Beck. Once again I found myself unimpressed with the writing style but pulled out key ideas for further exploration. The idea of finding your "real" career by noting your reaction to a major tragedy is not really an indication of where to pursue your career as much as it is an indicator of where your core values lie. Understanding your core values is important as it underscores your happiness. For example, I'm service oriented so my desire to teach is in alignment with this core value. Pursuing a career in say selling products that I think have no value would make me miserable as it doesn't serve my customers well. I offer a great exercise in exploring your core values in my vision journal online workshop. While you may know what your core values are from your reactions to a tragedy, it doesn't tell you which career to pursue. This takes some more work and I share an exercise further down in this post that can help you if you are feeling stuck.

When I read about Beck's attempt at Tai Chi Chu'an I imagined a very awkward nervous, spastic woman trying to go with the flow. Her explanation of the Hungarian- American professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's work was lacking. She doesn't really explain the work and goes off on a tangent. It was a matter of synchronicity when I was blog surfing not 24 hours after reading the chapter when I came upon an article by Owen Waters republished on Teesha Moore's blog about this very topic. As I read the article I kept saying, "Aha! This guy gets it and explains it better than I or Beck can." If you are intrigued by the topic of FLOW, creativity, synchronicity, and the like, I highly recommend reading the following blog post, CLICK HERE. You'll also see how to pronounce Csikszentmihalyi's name.

And while you are on Teesha's blog poke around to her recent posts as she offers some fabulous new videos demonstrating her unique journal style. I'm looking forward to playing some with her techniques this weekend.

I agree whole-heartedly with Beck on making play a priority in our lives. This week I started working through the book, "The Creative Entrepreneur" by Lisa Sonora Beam and you can see my first journal page HERE where I look at what has HEART + MEANING and the second page HERE is where I look at FLOW + PROFITABILITY. 

One exercise that has served me well over the last 20 years is to write down three accomplishments in the last year. Write each one down on a separate piece of paper. These do not have to be work related accomplishments (i.e., buying a house, organizing a bake sale, setting up a new blog, etc.). Select accomplishments where you felt really jazzed. For each accomplishment answer the following:

What did I do?

What skills did I use? (Include hard skills like using Adobe Photoshop and soft skills like organization)

What did I like doing?

What did I dislike doing?

What was I commended on by others?

Now put your papers side-by-side and circle any repeating items. Notice your reaction as you compare and contrast your answers. You'll find some really good clues as to what you enjoy and where you will want to spend more of your time. All the while really notice what brings you joy, that heart beating, internal fireworks feeling.

A fellow Joy Dieter (I'm sorry I can't find the original comment!) left me a great suggestion. Whenever you feel joy, stand up, and spread out your arms and exclaim "Joy!" I loved this idea as it reminds me of my favorite character from the NBC show Heroes. Pictured above is Hiro a character who does just that only he exclaims, "Yata!" Which I believe translates as "I did it." I've been doing this only I haven't been as brave as Hiro, I've restrained myself a bit. I think I'm going to try it this week, be brave that is, in freely expressing myself and feeling the joy throughout my entire body. 

I hope this week brings you many occasions to spread your arms and exclaim!

{soul hugs}

Kathryn Antyr, Collage Diva

Check out these links for more information and inspiration:

Jamie Ridler's The Next Chapter Blog Book Group: The Joy Diet

Creative Every Day

Don't Be Afraid to Fly

I have so much more energy today and took advantage of it to play a little. After scanning a couple of pages from an art journal I played with Adobe photoshop and recombined some of the elements.

What fun! The original pages are from a couple of years ago and I can see that I'm working with the same theme of right livelihood. My bags are still packed and I've been adding so many things to them - I've been taking classes, workshops, and seminars. I've a new body of work that is far more diverse. I feel like I've been preparing for the next epoch in Collage Diva's career. Stay tuned!