 ATCs Monika Seidenbusch (left); Christine Henri (centre); Michelle Casey (right) 2007 I discovered Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) in 2007 when an artist organization I belonged to invited a local ATC artist to speak about the subject. Along with her came three massive albums of cards she’d collected. I lover of small works, I was drawn to these tiny treasures (2.5 x 3.5 inches) which consisted of original art works made by artists and non-artists, who traded their works with each other for FREE (unimaginable!). The thought of trading art works and socializing with artists working in this area really appealed to me. As my eyes devoured the ATC albums, our speaker Christine’s passionate revelations inspired me to join the group. I noticed another woman beside me ogling the cards with equal excitement – we both felt like we had found our very own artist Shangri-La! That person turned out to be my now good friend Olive Jones; within the month, we attended our first ATC meeting together.
A bit leery of joining a new group, our first meeting was a scouting mission to see what types of artists frequented the venue and what was involved in the trading sessions. Held at a local vegan restaurant every last Friday of the month, the evening meeting had a nice social air and great food! Group members, who numbered about 15, varied from a few kids to mostly adults and retired folk – predominantly women. Some brought their kids or grandkids who also contributed to the exchange; I thought it was great to have the different generations involved in art making together. Composed of a mix of amateur artists/crafters and regular folk, they were interested in using and challenging their creative skills as well as learning from each other. Compared to other artists groups, I’ve yet to find a more generous group of people when it comes to sharing ideas and techniques. At the end of the session, our host Christine gave new members a free ATC – a wonderful initiation into the group. Smitten, Olive and I returned the next month with a handful of our own cards to trade!
Throughout our stay in the group I found some members made cards using traditional methods: painting and drawing; while others integrated images, papers, lettering, fabric, fibre, string, photos, embellishments and even origami into collage/mixed media style pieces. There was no end to the creative imaginings of the group! Because we had no particular theme to work with, you never knew what subject matter or medium the ATC you’d be given would be – it was always a surprise! Our hostess Christine had the most fabulous ATCs (ie. beautifully stitched, hand-lettered cards and mini books). Some of my favourite ATCs where made by artist/painter Monika Seidenbusch. It was awesome to receive miniature versions of Monika’s large, beautifully stylized portraits of women. Olive, Monika and I became good friends and also began making submissions to the ATC Quarterly Publication run by artist Ronna in Dunvegan, Ontario, Canada. Later, enticed by Olive, I joined another group of women artists/crafters at the Painted Pony Arts & Crafts Store where we currently trade cards.
ATCs are a great way to help you develop your art skills, make friends and collect art at the same time. Every time I open my ATC album to admire the cards I’ve collected, I feel like I’m holding my very own art museum in my hands! It’s a great feeling! Stayed tuned next week for more information on ATCs and trading a card with me!
 Olive Jones' Vision Board, November 2010, 16 x 20 inches If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear my friend Olive Jones might just be a distant relative of the famed archaeologist/adventurer Indiana Jones! She’s always off gallivanting somewhere across globe digging up amazing facts for her latest research paper! Olive and I discovered each other in 2007 while drooling over a stack of Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) and have been friends ever since. When she registered for my Vision Board Workshop at Dragonfly Dreams, I was delighted but also wondered what on earth I could possibly teach her that her voracious appetite for knowledge hadn’t already?! Well, there was something – here are her thoughts…
 - Olive Jones, Historian/Artist/Adventurer
Olive Jones: Coming into Focus…
For some time now I have been frustrated by my tendency to go shopping for supplies rather than to use them. When Michelle talked about how vision boards can be used to help you identify actions to accomplish your goals I decided to take one of her classes. Good decision. With her guidance through a visioning exercise, her handouts, short discussion on how vision boards can be used, and her wonderful collection of supplies we all set to our boards. At the end of the day it felt good to have a finished board. But then came a period of trying to understand what I had emphasized.
All my life I have been a hunter and gatherer. My work at Parks Canada, researching the history of glass artefacts we had excavated from archaeological sites across Canada, was ideal for me. I could hunt through archaeological, museum and private collections and through archives collecting information and writing up the results of my research for others to use. As a volunteer at Parks Canada I am continuing to do this.
About six years ago I discovered collage and was delighted that I could use supplies gathered for various hobbies I have enjoyed over the years–beadwork, needlework, Tole painting and scrapbooking. Then I started reading about collage and suddenly everything became potential supplies, old books, scraps of paper, photographs, buttons, more beads, acrylic mediums, rubber stamps, ink pads. The list goes on. However, as the supplies accumulated, finished works did not. My vision board emphasizes that my focus needs to shift from hunting and gathering, to doing. Some of the images on my board show supplies– piles of fabric, interesting objects — but the major images are of people in action: dancing, skateboarding, biking, reading, listening to music, all striving to accomplish something. The two cut-out figures are clearly going somewhere, not to the nearest craft or art store. The eye at the center is the all-seeing eye, probably my conscience. So, now I need to live up to my vision.
Olive’s thoughts were music to my ears! I was glad to hear she found the workshop helpful. Initially I was worried when she wondered aloud if the visioning process could help her at all… in the end it did.
Her “all-seeing eye” seductively drew me into her vision board… I love the way she uses this symbol as an entry point into her piece which opens up and gives insight into the areas of her life she feels need nurturing and improving (ie. the arts, health, fitness, organizing her studio, etc.). I like too that she draws on an array of materials to flesh out her board; along with commercial images from magazines, she also uses other materials (paper napkins, labels and travel/family photos and specialty papers) to personalize her vision – one of the flamenco dancers is her niece! Complementing this, are Olive’s skills as a historian/artist which allow her to skilfully arrange a wide variety of images into a series of compelling and sometimes zany stories waiting to unfold – where else could you find the Vitruvian man, skateboarders, Spanish dancers and a flying pig on a platter (top off centre) all residing comfortably on the same visual plane!… ah, but that’s the beauty of collage!
Vowing to continue to create boards as she needs them to focus more specifically on each of her goals, she’s just completed a second vision board (more about that one later). In the midst of planning a trip “across the pond” this April she’s off on yet another exciting journey. I’m grateful to her for taking the time to jot down these thoughts before dashing off to Toronto and the UK. Thanks for sharing your vision board thoughts Olive – so many of us can relate to your quest for focus – best in zeroing in on your goals!
PS Speaking of focus, in December 2010 Olive completed a postcard collage for the Nick Bantock postcard challenge which was subsequently published in a book: Tribute to Nick Bantock – congratulations Miz Jones, another goal bites the dust!
Other Student Vision Boards of Interest:
Maggie Jordan
Susan Ashbrook
Kevin Casey
 "My Traits", Mixed Media Journal Page, January 1 2010. Those of you who’ve been following my blog lately, know what a big fan of Art Coach Jennifer (Jenn) Lee’s I am. Her Right-Brain Business Plan (RBBP) teleconference course a couple of years ago, helped me develop my visual business plan for Collage Your World. Over the last couple of weeks, despite having an annoying cold, it’s been a real treat to set aside “me time” to “attend” her Right-Brainers in Business Video Summit via the Internet. At first it took some getting used to watching a number of mediums addressing me on the screen simultaneously: the participants “chatting” up a storm via text ; Jenn (live) and her video guests as wells as their slide presentations! But in no time I found myself enjoying watching my laptop screen spring to life with the group’s antics and thoughts. A big congratulations in this regard to Jenn’s technician Jeremie Miller for designing such a warm, inviting and efficient virtual space in which we could all connect!
Even though I’ve attended Jenn’s RBBP in the past, there wasn’t a day that went by during the current summit that I felt I hadn’t learned some new things along the way. In fact I felt Jenn had added even more life and excitement to the concepts she had taught before. Taking part in the summit really boosted my spirits and reignited my fervour for continuing to develop my business plans and goals… you know, even when you have a decent plan going you still have off days when you need a lift or feel the need to refresh your ideas – listening to everyone at this summit really jump-started my creative rhythm! So today, I thought I’d share with you a few crazy and wonderful ideas from it that made my artist soul sing!
You may know, my first visual business plan was a small 8.5 x 11 inch collage which I put together in Photoshop and transformed into wallpaper for my PC and Blackberry. The following year, still having over 50 unused inspiring collage fragments left over, I created a new 16 x 20 inch visual business plan with them for my studio. Now thanks to the summit, I’ve discovered many alternative ways to fashion my future visual business project plans…
I really admired Julie Stuart’s method of visual mind mapping to create a business plan. What a fun way to use words and simple images to give shape to one’s dreams… I also loved the idea of using colour-coded stickies to further add different levels and dimensions to a plan (ie. goals, strategies, actions, etc.) … it’s an astoundingly simple technique that’s both an immediate and flexible way of organizing (and re-organizing!) your thoughts and plans! This hands-on approach using stickies seems to work especially well for Jenn who integrates them into her yearly (and quarterly) calendars. As a former secretary, I’m used to having documents saved on my PC, but now I’m realizing the benefits of also having my information open and visibly accessible to me – it’s a great lo-tech option. I’m definitely going to give the mind mapping and sticky approaches a whirl for some of my projects.
In my research on making alternative books, I’d run across some great ideas for transforming children’s books into art, but I certainly never considered putting my visual business plan into one like Violette Clark did! I thought it was an outstanding idea – so much less intimidating then a huge blank page or board… fun from the start because as a substrate/medium, it already evokes a sense of child-like creativity and play. I like that Violette not only added words and imagery that appealed to her but also included tactile items such as a feather and doll to bring out her plan’s spirit… I truly believe we need these kinds of personal talismans to keep alive that vital sense of creativity that keeps our business goals and dreams alive. It got me wondering what kinds of sacred objects I could integrate into my own plan….
Similarly, I was blown away by the way Michelle Ward transformed a plain old cereal box into her “Box O Business Brilliance”: a RBBP file-like box containing card collages that fleshed the various themes related to the running of her business including the things she’s grateful for (something so important to remember as we run our businesses). Michelle’s ingenuity reminded me we don’t have to buy expensive items in which to house our business plans – we can recycle things we find in our homes instead of running down to Staples! (okay, we can still go there for the stickies! :)) Equally zany and brilliant was Tori Deaux’s construction of a character, Emmit the clown (of Circus Serene), as her business plan. I loved learning how Tori used Emmit (her alter ego) to connect with her clients over the internet. I used a similar tactic during my art school days as a kind of “fallen angel” and found it to be a very valuable method in building bridges with audiences as well as overcoming my own shyness with the public. Bravo to Tori for finding a novel way to transform a vulnerability into a something dynamic and successful! Her creative courage inspires me to find novels ways of addressing my own areas/issues of vulnerability.
I could go on and on about the Right-Brainers in Business Video Summit but I feel I’ve given you a mouthful! … it was a fun and memorable experience. I know I’ll be putting aside some “white space” time to further reflect on all the new concepts I’ve learned and wish to carry out in future creative business-related endeavours. As well, dwelling and revelling on the right-brain creative side has also given me more courage in approaching the building of my left-brain plan for when I’m ready to take it to the next level, the bank! Thanks to Jenn and her team for putting together such a great gathering … it’s such a privilege to be part of this wonderful virtual community – as a result, I’m so proud to share in Jenn’s values and ideals for building a successful creative business… there was a time when others scoffed at me for having such ideals… it’s finally nice to find a place with such kindred spirits!
Here are a couple of exciting Collage Your World developments I’m happy to share with you. I’m proud to officially announce that two of my pieces have been recently published…
 Detail, Mixed Media/Collage, Postcard, November 2010 Nick Bantock Postcard Challenge Update:
In February, the Nick Bantock postcard challenge I participated in late last fall resulted in the publication of my postcard collage in a book compiled by artist Socrates. Published by Blurb books, Tribute to Nick Bantock features a compendium of art-related postcards produced by fans inspired by Bantock’s Griffin and Sabine trilogy. A preview which features several pages of the book, including my piece (!), can be found on Blurb’s website along with ordering information. For more on the postcard challenge see Socrates’ A Tribute to Nick Bantock Mail Art blog which features the works of all the participants (including one by my good friend Olive Jones!) and winners of the postcard challenge. A heart felt thanks to “Sox” for all the hard work she put into soliciting, organizing, selecting and publishing our pieces – it’s a wonderful homage to Nick Bantock! I think it’s an amazing thing when an artist like Bantock makes such an impact on his readers that they feel compelled to respond in some concrete way to his call to their imaginations – it completes the circle of reception in a way I feel many artists/authors dream of.
 Jennifer Lee, Author, The Right-Brain Business Plan Right-Brain Business Plan Book Update:
A couple of years ago, I participated in the Right-Brain Business Plan (RBBP) telesummit hosted by Jennifer Lee and Ariane Goodwin. Last year, Jennifer informed me she would be publishing my right-brain visual business plan in her upcoming book: The Right-Brain Business Plan: A Creative Visual Map for Success. This February her book finally hit the shelves! As a participant who successfully utilized her RBBP techniques to grow my own business, I highly recommend her amazingly pain-free method of developing a visual business plan to help direct your business goals. Along with the book launch, she’s also currently hosting a FREE The Right-Brainers in Business Video Summit (February 28 – March 11, 2011) … in a series of 45-minute webinars Jenn highlights helpful tips from her book along with interviewing incredible creative entrepreneurs such as Laura Hollick, Lisa Sonora Beam and Chris Guillebeau to name a few. If you miss the Summit it’s also available for purchase on her Artizen Coaching’s blog. Without Jenn’s help and inspiration Collage Your World would not be alive and kicking today – a big thanks to her for pioneering new methods of transforming the business landscape for artists/entrepreneurs today!
My final bit of exciting news is that my RBBP “accountability buddy”, artist/painter Elaine Coombs (of San Francisco), was Jenn’s special featured business/artist at her book signing in Oakland, California last Thursday! Way to go, Elaine! Woohoo!!! Elaine’s one of 22 artists/entrepreneurs featured in the book!
 Maggie Jordan's Vision Board, November 2010, 16 x 20 inches
I had the pleasure of meeting Maggie Jordan, a participant, in my Vision Board Workshop last November at Dragonfly Dreams Studio. I was a bit nervous for her when she arrived at the workshop unsure of how her vision board would unfold. Once we got to talking however, I realized there was nothing to worry about… Maggie, a thoughtful, long-time artist/collagist was steeped in the wisdom of life experience. Paying close attention to her inner goals and desires, she constructed her board with a silent, knowing ease. I was amazed by the lightening speed with which she skilfully assembled a number of iconic images. Her use of soft colours and a variety of textures immediately drew me into her vision. Once there I sensed a world of wonders … where the beauty of all living things is savoured… where the great and simple pleasures of life are appreciated. Surveying her board I was overcome by feelings of: clarity, peace and harmony. In the top left corner of her board she subtly (barely visible above) placed the word “searching” suggesting to me that this was not a static space where time stood still but also a dynamic one of ongoing questioning. Here are Maggie’s thoughts about the vision board process…
 Maggie Jordan What attracted you to the Vision Board Workshop?
I liked the idea of focusing on a personal theme. My life is demanding in so many ways, job, children, relationships, and hobbies that I wanted to ground myself and hold onto my Vision as a form of strength, confidence and reassurance for myself with regards to decision making.
I also was attracted to the fact that I would have a tangible piece of work to take home to remind myself of my focus in a visual sense.
Did you have a vision/dream in mind for it before you began the workshop? If yes, what was it?
Yes, sort of… I knew I wanted “stability” in my life but I did not know how to represent this visually.
How did you find the visioning process (ie. closing your eyes, imagining your dream, etc.)? Did you find it helpful in clarifying your goals? How did it make you feel?
I found the visioning process to be very helpful in clearing my mind of noise and let a fresh vision appear.
How did you find the process of collaging your vision board? Was visually setting down your ideas helpful to you or revealing?
Again this was an exercise in letting go so the images collectively become a composition. The images took on meaning for the vision as I placed them together on the vision board. I found the form of collage ideal for the “pieces” of my vision to take on a cohesive meaning.
Where is your vision board now? Is it working for you?
My vision board is on a table in my bedroom. I glance at it and ask myself if I am living my vision….am I being authentic with my choices in life. I have been able to draw on it for strength in a couple of situations, so Yes, it is working for me.
The Vision Board tied together the many aspects of “stability” that I am seeking and hoping for in my life (at this time). I think now the ‘stability’ that I seek is emotional stability; a confidence with my decisions. A sureness that I know what is best for me!
For me the process was…..tap into my authentic self….visualize my focus to bring me closer to my authentic self…….seek images………collage…….go on with life…….meet at a cross road in my life……..wonder what to do……a decision to make…..what action to take……go to my Vision Board with my options…..make a decision based on what I already know is there but is unclear until I re-visit my Vision Board…..confirm my decision with my self….take action….go on with life!
I fully expect this cycle to take place for me again and again and again…….For me my Vision Board is a tool for moving forward with my life.
Wow Maggie! Thanks so much for sharing your insights. As your vision board workshop guide, it makes me so happy to hear you’ve found a way to successfully channel your creativity into a useful tool that can give you some guidance and focus. I wish you the very best in realizing your dreams and long-term goals!
Another big thanks to Maggie too for rounding up several of her friends to take a Vision Board Workshop with me in April — I look forward to working with them!
Other Student Spotlights of interest:
Susan Ashbrook
Jacinta Barroso
Andrea Harrison
 Untitled, Collage Journal Page, February 11, 2011 Yesterday, I gave a visual journaling workshop at my friend/artist Wendy Southin’s studio: Dragonfly Dreams. Here’s a fun exercise we tried using recycled bits of material from our daily lives to create journal pages. This method was derived from the work of twentieth century German Dada* artist, painter and collagist: Kurt Schwitters…
1. Over a period of a week, collect/gather daily life ephemera (flyers, ticket stubs, labels from goods, receipts, stamps, envelope pieces, your drawings, your kid’s drawings, fragments from newspapers ie. comics, your horoscope, ads, coupons, etc.) and keep them in a container.
Note: in 2 weeks I gathered 20 pieces of material as well as leftover scraps from my art projects… the following week, I got so good at it I’d collected at least 50 more items!
2. Spend 20 minutes selecting and simultaneously glue sticking pieces of these things onto a 5 x 7 inch journal page. If you feel the need to add other elements of colour here or there (with crayon, colour pencil, marker, or dab of paint), go ahead!
Imposing a 20-minute time limit gives you little time for conscious reflection and puts the onus on action and reaction as well as trusting that your gut feelings will help you conjure up something interesting and revealing about yourself. This time limit is great for people like my friend Wendy who said she never knows when to stop (!) or for those of you who have precious little time to journal.
3. When completed, ask yourself… What kinds of split decisions were made in choosing certain pieces to compose your page? Did the process allow you to see a new side of yourself? Has it opened up a new set of possibilities for creating art? If someone from the future were looking at your page what would it reveal about your life or the type of character you are?
Next time, take your time with the same technique, and also vary the vary size of your journal page and see how that affects your approach and decision making.
I liked the way my page turned out; it was composed of 12 items. I ended up selecting things that had to do with finance, education and religion – factors that are playing an important role in my life at the moment. I’ve never done this exercise before… it was like reading my palm or tea leaves – it revealed so many facets of my life in such an intriguing way. Now that I’ve done it, I think I’d like to incorporate it at least once a week into my journaling practice – it would be so interesting to see a whole month’s worth of this method of journaling.
FYI: Materials I used: patterned inside of an envelope, handmade paper scrap, postcard bits, a postage stamp, theatre ticket stub, bus transfer, advertisement from cell phone bill, price tag, tea bag string with label (thanks to friend Diane Salter… the lemon tea was great!) taped with a piece of packing tape (Oh God Olive, this one will never make it to the National Gallery!) and a restaurant receipt which I scribbled on with a red grease pencil.
So go ahead and give it a whirl… if you’d like to share your pieces with me I’d love to see or hear about them. If you’ve tried this method before, are there any daily ephemera items you really thought were cool to use? … please let me know.
*If you’re interested in learning more about the history of collage, it’s really worth exploring the Dada art movement.
 Untitled, Mixed Media Journal Page, November 27 2009 Here are a few exciting ways to play with text and numbers in your collage and mixed media art:
1. Create text using “chance”: cut out words from newspapers, magazines or books. Place them in a bag and randomly select words in the order they come out for your piece. This technique was popularized in the early twentieth century by Dada poets.
2. Compose an image around a favourite quotation.
3. Use the Stream of Consciousness writing technique: take two minutes and write non-stop about a subject or the first thing that comes into your head without editing anything and use it in your work as cut up segments or slightly hidden under a layer(s) of background paint.
4. Use hand written text from old greeting cards, letters or postcards. If you intend to cover these with wet media, test a small section first to see if it blurs – although sometimes I like the effect of blurred text in a piece.
5. Adding catchy subtitles, phrases from advertising and television shows or song lyrics can make your collages more dynamic.
6. Use another language to add extra layers of visual and cultural intrigue to your art. Here, I think it helps to be conscious of the meaning of the foreign terms you’re using so you don’t offend others or appear ignorant.
7. Add mathematical, scientific, astronomical symbols and musical notation to your work… these can be used in thoughtful, inventive and even humorous ways… scientific and mathematical formulas can take on emotional qualities they don’t normally have when used in a conventional way.
8. Juxtapose (contrast) different styles of lettering ie. handwritten (with non-dominant hand as well); typewritten, stickers, words from magazines or newspapers, words on dynamo tape, stencilled letters, rubber stamps, date stamps, graffiti, etc. to add various flavours and moods to your work.
9. Hand write words in different colours, sizes and shapes to emphasize important words or have writing follow the linear contours of the forms in your piece.
If you’d like to share some ideas on this subject, I’d be happy to hear from you!
 Ancient Wrath, Collage, October 2010, 9x12 inches, by Andrea Harrison Andrea Harrison and I go way back to high school. Every now and again over the years we’d bump into one other and update each other on the paths our lives were taking. I soon discovered that Andrea, a Project Manager who works for a local firm, longed to connect with her creative side… something she felt she got from her Mom, a painter. A great supporter of Collage Your World, she registered for my Basic Collage Workshop the minute she found out I was holding classes. Here are her thoughts regarding her (above) piece “Ancient Wrath”:
When I first had the chance to see Michelle Casey’s “Pieces of Me I” exhibition at the Studio of Conceptual Design, I couldn’t decide which collage I wanted to buy because I loved them all! It was a very tough decision, but I finally selected two collages which are now proudly displayed in my home.
Next, after seeing the show, I wanted to learn the intuitive process behind making a collage so I decided to take her Basic Collage Workshop. I also wanted to learn how to approach questions of layout, focal point, choosing background imagery, as well as how to use complimentary colours and various techniques to add depth and meaning to my art. This was a real challenge for me as I have trouble coordinating my clothes in the morning – and I wear solid colours!!!
My piece “Ancient Wrath” reflects my love of travel and nature. I wanted to create something that would reveal in multiple ways the sense of mythological drama I felt about Ancient Greece. I chose lightening which evokes the visual and auditory senses. I appealed to taste and touch by using imagery such as the pepper and the cacti. I combined the black and white image of a female figure with colour ones for contrast as well as juxtaposed the prickliness of a cactus with the smoothness of a cayenne pepper. The architectural images remind me of Rome and Greece while the cacti and thunderbolts are reminiscent of the natural beauty and inherent dangers of the desert. The woman in the piece is hauntingly beautiful, but beware of her thunderbolts!
I am looking forward to taking another class with Michelle as I have so much more to learn about collage art.
I can’t tell you how pleased I was to see Andrea’s collage. In the workshop she faced many challenges which she later overcame. One such was the agonizing task of tearing and cutting up images she loved – wondering if the final piece would ultimately result in “art” or just one big sorry mess! Unsatisfied with her first piece, she left the class a bit dejected but wasn’t one for giving up. At home she put much time and effort into practicing the techniques I outlined in class. Since then she has produced this as well as two other wonderful collages; she’s experimenting further with the medium; playing with both imagery and text. I personally love the way she included all the senses: sight, sound, touch and taste into her dramatic piece. Knowing she has a high pressure job, makes me applaud Andrea’s efforts to incorporate art into her life even more.
Reflecting upon “Ancient Wrath” it’s hard for me to believe she’s a first-time collagist or really bad at coordinating her outfits! I was glad she found subject matter she could relate to and conjure up with such passion. I was so caught up with her cool contemporary take on this mythical theme, that I Googled it to see if such deities of thunder and lightning truly existed in Greek and Roman mythology… they did! If you’re interested in this subject matter, here’s a link to Greek goddesses Bronte and Astrape and Roman goddess, Fulgora.
Best to you Andrea, this collage reveals the bold, talented and thoughtful artist you are. I truly appreciate your perseverance and dedication to collage and look forward to the day we can share our creative insights again in a class.
Andrea’s challenges have inspired me to take some time to reconsider my Basic Collage Workshop. This year, I’ll be developing a new more experimental course for beginners – stay tuned for updates on my website Workshop and Blog pages. For more on the Basic Collage Workshop also see my student spotlight on Jacinta Barroso.
Today thought I’d share some reflections and photos with you from last week’s Vision Board workshop held at the Crichton Cultural Community Centre (CCCC).
It was an absolutely freezing cold winter day (-32 degrees Celsius! brrrrrr) when five brave students made it out early Sunday morning to take my half-day workshop. I was glad to have a huge, bright, warm classroom for the day! I always carry tons of supplies, with me so my hubby Kevin helped me set up and assemble everything. Going up and down three flights of stairs with boxes is no joke – we got our exercise for the day! As a bonus, one of my students, Monika Seidenbusch and her husband Michael, came early and gave us a hand too. Everyone arrived, eagerly awaiting the class as well as a hot cup of coffee! We had a good time together and learned much from each other. Here are the pics…
 Kevin relaxing after helping me set up. Kevin my dear assistant – relaxing after carting supply boxes, setting up my laptop for various demos/music, running down to the Tim Horton’s for a coffee for me as well as sharing some thoughts about creating his own vision board with students. What a sweetie!
 Monika working on her vision board. Monika Seidenbusch, a talented mixed media painter (do check out her website), tries her hand at collaging a vision board. She had so many images and phrases gathered to form her dream of constructing an ideal studio/gallery/home space, I didn’t know how she was going to pull it all together! But she did – with amazing results… you’ll have to wait a bit to see it though… (!)
 A student's vision board in progress. Another student’s vision board in progress reveals a sense of humour… after some reflection they decided, as well as magazine images; they’d add other precious elements such as greeting cards from friends and photos – great ways to personalize a vision board.
 Olive working on her vision board. Olive Jones knew exactly what she wanted to do with her second vision board; she brought all kinds of extra supplies and tools to personalize it. In a previous class with me her first vision board, composed mainly of images, focused on diverse areas of her life; now she wanted her board to be more project-oriented.
 Olive, always the rebel, mixing things up! Olive’s first vision board was total collage. This time she mixed things up by adding rubber stamping and drawing elements – I love the way she’s expanded the project to include her own favourite techniques.
 Detail of Olive Jones' vision board. A glimpse of Olive’s final vision board with lists of the projects she’d like to focus on. Everything is nicely organized and compartmentalized: that’s her library and research side making its appearance! I’ll be posting more thoughts on her unique “list-related” vision board in the near future.
 Detail of Monika Seidenbusch's vision board. Wow!!! – A tantalizing detail of Monika’s vision board. She’ll be sharing some thoughts with us about creating this one in the near future.
Thanks for stopping by, I hope these little glimpses into our workshop inspires your own vision board dreams. If you’d like to share any of your thoughts or reflections on these boards or your own, please drop me a line.
 Artist/Book Maker Mary Kritz & I exchanging collage tips at the Crichton Cultural Community Centre 2010 Spring "Doors Open" Event As I prepare for another Vision Board Workshop, I’m sitting here thinking how wonderful creating art with a group of passionate creative souls is. Although I enjoy the company of others, for a long time, I preferred to create art alone; it took me a long while to find artists groups I enjoyed being a part of… perhaps you share this same challenge.
As a kid, you could find me sprawled out on my bedroom floor drawing. Lost in my own world; art was a solitary activity. When I was 10, however, I became good friends with several classmates who enjoyed art; often we’d get together and sketch versions of our favourite comic book characters – it was great to share work and learn from others. As art became a serious subject in high school and things like being graded, cliques and competitiveness came into play, the fun in making and sharing art subsided. I retreated to the freedom I found working alone in my bedroom “studio”.
As young adult, my monotonous full-time job as a secretary made me yearn for the days when I unleashed my imagination. Enrolling in weekly night art courses, I re-discovered the pleasure in creating and sharing art with others. I loved that there were so many different kinds of people of all ages and places mixing in one room; here there was even more to learn. Making the transfer from office to school once again, I began full-time visual art studies at university. This brought mixed feelings, as competition and cliques returned to threaten my enjoyment of working within a creative community. Fortunately, this was balanced by the fact that I was still able to draw and share much creative energy with a small community of like-minded students and professors. Making art every day for 4 years made me feel more alive than I ever. This university setting was a life-transforming experience for me. Here I realized what a powerful positive force gathering like-minded, passionate artists within a space could be – it had the potential for releasing such good energy into the world.
University ended and I found myself searching for new spaces to fit in. For a decade I drifted in and out of art organizations and groups; learning much but never feeling like I truly belonged in many of them. Alienated, I spent much time working alone in my home studio; which, on less-inspired days, seemed like a prison. For years my husband suggested I turn to the internet to find a community of like-minded artist souls; after several years, I finally did! My first dip into digital communities proved to be a fruitful one. At the SmARTist teleconference for visual artists based in the United States, I discovered my problem of finding a place of belonging in an art institution/group lay in the fact that I had little or no criteria when selecting one. Instead of taking stock of who I was: my values, needs and goals, I’d been choosing spaces and compromising these things that were so important to me in the hopes of fitting in. As I became more conscious of the type of art community I wanted to be a part of (ie. collage-related, open-minded, inclusive, welcoming nurturing, etc.), it was easier to find a fit. Since then reaching out over the net and within/outside my community to other artists has resulted in many positive and meaningful relationships.
In 2009, I joined daily on-line journaling classes with U.S.-based mixed media artist Kelly Kilmer. Reasonably priced, packed with valuable information as well as plenty of opportunities to make virtual friends across the globe, I felt like I had found my artist “Mecca”. In the real world, for a couple of years now, I’ve been a member of the local Painted Pony ATC (Artist Trading Card) group. Every month we gather to trade themed ATCs as well as sharing ideas, stories and inspirational insights related to our creative lives – I derive so much energy and motivation from this group. These and other spaces have made positive lasting impressions on me. The good things I’ve gleaned from them, I carry on in the classes I teach. If you’re finding yourself feeling isolated creatively, joining a local or on-line visual arts community might really help to deepen your experience of art … there’s so much empowerment to be found in group dynamics!
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