Art Journalling/Journaling Session 16: Walking in another's shoes

For people that know me, they will know I love shoes, and usually with heels, the higher the better ... those tend to be the shoes I walk in (and sometimes totter, too). What brings me to my thoughts this weekend is that I've been reading a book by Charlotte Gambil-Scanlon called In Her Shoes, and I tell you what this lady out does any male preacher I've come across. I saw her in action at the Sistas conference and she is really gifted.

Anyway, I have reflected on some of the things from her book, because as a career counsellor (or even as me in a non-professional context) I have been guilty of doing all those things she says in her book not to do. So today's art journaling is also like my counselling reflective journal where I reflect on my day's clients (usually 9.30 at night my days are long!) and look at a quick snap shot of their context and where to go from there.

So on with the art journaling, just painted a few strokes of acrylics paints and then added images of ... yes shoes ... and also card cut out shoes .... then I just jotted down some of those reflections that had meaning to me.

If you can't read the pages they are here:

1. Listen to people's stories – engage in their world and suspend judgement – or better still don't judge. To truly understand someone you have to take the time to dig deeper and go into their world.
2. Give more of my time to them.
   We think that to win people over we have to impress them, or have all the right answers to the questions they ask. All people want is for someone to stop and care enough to give them the precious commodity of our time.
3. Be committed to love people – don't chastise or judge their lifestyles. Measure my words carefully and speak into their life redemptively.
4. Decide to connect with people.
   Adjust my focus away from my own life, and focus onto others. It means slow down. Don't be so caught up in my own journey, that I fail to engage others on my way.
5. Don't see people as an inconvenience or a nuisance.
   See people as a sea of opportunity and need.
6. Don't make or put assumptions on people.
   Every person has background scenery (their context) and I can't understand it clearly until I walk in their shoes.

My life sometimes has a compassion deficit. I need to build a life – a wise and compassionate life, one that is not too busy to stop and understand people.

Moral rights of integrity attributed to the author: Charlotte Gambil-Scanlon.



"Walk in their Shoes" --- message to self.

Now I no longer own a scrapbook shop I don't like pimping products, but if anyone is interested in that book here it is:

And that IS Charlotte on the cover, 2009,
 If anyone is interested here is her link: Charlotte Gambil-Scanlon.

The Essence of Imagination

I came across this tale and thought I'd like to share it with you, let your imagination go.

"Once Upon a Time there dwelt by the sea a young girl whose habit it was to gather dweedles and squinkies along the shore. Late one autumn evening as she was returning to her cottage, a great and fearsome wave overcame the girl and, rendering her senseless, swept her far away. When she awoke, the girl found herself upon the coast of a strange land, being observed by two tall, birdlike creatures. "Alas," she said, as she picked herself up from the sand and pulled the seaweed from her hair, "where in the world am I, and what am I to do?" She no sooner spoke than the two creatures lifted her high into the sky and carried her inland over the heart of a great dense forest, where they released their hold on her, and she plummeted toward the trees.

The girl feared for her life, but at the last moment landed gently in front of a humble shack in the doorway of which an old crone stood staring at her with a piercing, yet kindly eye. The old woman beckoned with a gnarled finger, "Come inside, my dear, and have some tea. I have much to say and little time." Upon entering the crone's hut, the girl was amazed by all manner of mysterious objects which sat upon shelves and seemed to watch her as she crossed the room to the large chair the old crone offered to her. "Sit, my child, and be not afraid. Your destiny has brought you here that you may fulfill a purpose upon which rests the very Essence of Imagination."

A delicate cup of flavorful brew appeared in the young girl's hand at which she sipped as the old woman spoke of bygone days and ancient lore, of mystical powers and gentle breezes. She told the tales of love fulfilled, of passing time and sleepless nights, and all the while, the young girl sipped her tea and spoke not a word. At last, the crone produced a satchel from which she carefully removed a collection of aged, bound books, and setting these before the girl, laid her withered hands lightly upon them and cast a heavy sigh.

"Child, before you now are the Works of Figments, vessels of expression forged in the absence of gravity and bound by the deities of vision. They contain the verses and memories of all that is, and was, but only by the works of they that put pen to their pages can their secrets be revealed and conveyed for all of time. It is your fate to carry these treasures back to your world and see that they every one be filled with the truths of living. Go you now, and carry out this task."

The crone leaned over and with her finger gently brushed the cheek of the young girl, who then nodded drowsily and felt herself being lifted and transported to familiar shores. When she awoke, she found herself reclining in the shade of her own cottage, the satchel of books at her side, and resolved at once to embark on her destiny."

~ Anonymous ~

Alchemist - word/meaning

Okay, I’m a person that plays with words. I will often explore the subtle meaning of a word, and see if I can contextualise that word and then transport it into another environment (i.e. the context). This is what I did when I rebranded my shop Altered Art Alchemist.

However, I was well aware of the negative connotations of the word alchemy, and had a prick of the conscience to use another word, but ploughed on ahead anyway. Now, I should have listened to my conscience as it appears the word has offended some. And another point to bear in mind, is that when people are unsure of a word, it can create a bit of fear, and they will avoid such things. For this reason I am removing the word Alchemist from the shop name.

The shop isn't about alternative science or anything such, hence the images are of artist palettes, bottles of stuff (but that’s bottles and jars of gels, pastes, and glazes for sale). I did, however, start getting a new customer base of people who thought I should be selling this and that, for it matched the name of the shop, however, that isn't what the shop is about, it is just about paper crafting, altered art and scrapbooking, nothing more.

I was using the word alchemy in the context of ‘transforming an object into something special’. That was the idea behind it, transforming found objects, books, canvasses, photos into altered art pieces that were then special and treasured.

So to keep everyone happy the shop is: Altered Art Scrapbook Shoppe.

Visual Literacy

I had a fantastic weekend spent in Wellington. My DH (for the uninitiated DH stands for Darling Husband) allowed me to indulge myself (once again, he is a real good man letting me indulge in my recreational pursuits). So off I went to see Iain Watt and flew down to Wellington. Iain has a BA (Hons), Cambridge University, UK, PGCEd and MEd, so he is a clued up man.

If anyone has met Iain you can quickly think Billy Connolly. Ah yes, he's Scottish through and through, has this wonderful moustache that twirls up around the edges, and then this long long hair braided down the back. Quite an unusual character – typically the artistic type you might say.

Anyway less of the man, more about what he had to say ... or teach. He was wanting to instill in us, as artists, what visual literacy was. For a start when we talk about illustration, it is the visualisation of a block of text (meaning a novel, poem, editorial etc), and literacy is about reading and communicating a message.

So if we, as artists, can develop within ourselves a visual literacy we are better able to answer our critics eruditely. It's about justifying our art work, and then we can start with a relationship with them. Iain talked about taking the stage further from the therapeutic; from intuitive to intellectual. Finding meaning in the imagery we use, and not just in our own work, but in other people's work, too.

For any one who is interested in finding out more information on visual literacy you can contact Iain on iain.watt@tlc.ac.nz.

Victoriana ephemera collecting

It was my first real day of being back at work. My vocation is as a careers counsellor, but my scrapbooking and altered art, well they are my hobbies in between running the stores.

So I'm almost back at work, but because Tatjana was scheduled to be on today, I decided I would do a spot of retail therapy and check out some of the antique and second hand stores. I came across a delightful shop called Victoria Gilt in Auckland. This shop specialises in vintage lace, beads, curtains, sewing tools, costume jewellery, collectable and wearable clothing. I had a good ole fossick around collecting bits of ephemera, beautiful old fashioned Valentine cards, miniature envelopes from a museum, bits of lace and silk, antique brooches, flower motifs, postcards .... All this collection of stuff, I don't know what I am going to do with it all. I intend to add some of the work to my altered art, but feel I cannot destroy or even alter antique (and expensive) pieces of ephemera, so the best idea is to save it in a box, look at it, and wonder .... I'll do something with it one day. Maybe I'll do an altered art piece used as a prop especially created for the antique.

I also went into another antique store nearby and saw this quirky but quaint folk art diorama. They wanted $1,870.00 for it! Ouch I can't afford that. It was a little too shabby, maybe I'll make my own diorama, among the hundred of projects I've got going or are at least in my head.

The World Needs People ...

Who cannot be bought;
whose word is their bond;
who put character above wealth;
who possess opinions and a will;
who are larger than their vocations;
who do not hesitate to take chances;
who will not lose their individuality in a crowd;
who will be as honest in small things as in great things;
who will make no compromise with wrong;
whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires;
who will not say they do it "because everybody else does it";
who are true to their friends through good report and evil report, in adversity as well as in prosperity;
who do not believe that shrewdness, cunning, and hard-headedness are the best qualities for winning success;
who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is unpopular;
who can say "no" with emphasis, although all the rest of the world says "yes".