Connect with your essence by trying art projects, including collage, journal keeping and painting. Clarify more of what you want in your life and take your connection to spirit to another level. As you have fun interacting with color, your ability to "see" will grow. If you crave more color in your life, don’t let a perceived lack of creative talent or money stop you. There is so much to be gained by just fooling around in the ways I’ve described below.
Creating a collage is a fun project, using easily available materials. This deceptively simple tool yields powerful results. Over and over I find that this process connects me to my essence and turns the concept of dressing for self-expression into a reality. Here are the steps:
1) GATHER MATERIALS
Favorite fashion magazines and catalogs from department stores and specialty companies are the best source for images. If you don’t have subscriptions, here’s a tip; most hair salons get rid of their beauty magazines at the end of every month. Tear out anything that catches your eye and save it in a file.
2) BE INSPIRED
Impulses of all types are reason enough to get started, like a craving for a certain color, or seeking a connection to your body image. The beginnings of Spring and Fall are good times to focus on your relationship to current fashion. Sometimes words leap off the page at you. Add text or other types of images to your file.
3) USE A SHOPPING TRIP AS A FOCUS
Use the images you are collecting to help clarify what you are looking for. The biggest challenge if you don’t often shop is being able to relate to the current fashion in the stores. Looking at what is available helps the eye to adjust and make connections.
4) EDIT
Lay out the pages you have ripped out onto the floor and stand over them. Edit out the less perfect or necessary. Stand back and take a second look. Wield your scissors and get rid of any part of the model or outfit you don’t relate to. Cut the image out to better define the shape.
5) ASSEMBLE
The simplest way to assemble a collage is to use a poster board and a glue stick. If you would like to connect with color even further, try a little "art making". Get a big piece of watercolor paper and layer it with washes of watercolor or acrylic paint. (see painting). You can focus on one family of color (reds, blues, greens, purples, golds) or you can paint a rainbow of expression. Another way to add color and texture is to buy a pack of multi-hued tissue paper. Dilute white glue with water and using an old paint brush, attach it to poster board. Use the sheets of tissue as backgrounds, or try layering the tissue over some of the images, overlapping them for a stained glass effect.
6) LET IT IN
Sometimes just connecting with the image is enough. Your spirit is satisfied whether you own it or not. This is especially supportive when your wants and needs exceed your financial circumstances. You can stay present with your spirit instead of getting caught up in the need to have more.
I am a believer that doing collages brings the clothes magically into your life. Preliminary preparation helps you keep your eyes open for just the right thing. When you find the perfect thing you experience the pleasure of knowing it is right without the doubts.
Keep your collages and watch your progression. How has your spirit evolved since your last collage? What are you craving NOW?
CONNECT WITH YOUR FEELINGS
Keeping a journal is a great way to connect with the adventure of Clothing Your Spirit. You can record your feelings and observations, cut and paste images that have meaning to you, doodle and draw, make lists of items you crave, keep track of what works and what doesn’t. Include thoughts you have about color, your body image, shopping experiences, and keeping a healthy spending balance. We need a way to allow feelings to flow through us as we move forward with this process. When actively shopping, it is easy to get obsessed with buying clothing and creating a wardrobe. Write it all down and keep integrating your experiences into the bigger picture. Expressing your self-image is a process filled with layers of complex choices. Find your own truth about what has genuine meaning for you.
USE COLOR
Using lots of colored markers makes journaling more fun! I recommend Tombo markers. Treat yourself to a wide selection, and leave jars of them around your house for inspiration. Choose a journal with pages that will stand up to a light wash of water, so you are free to express yourself with a variety of art materials.
DREAM AND VISUALIZE
I keep a color dream diary, recording specific colors I dream about. You can also create a journal that is specifically about your interactions with color. Make up some simple visualizations and record how you feel. Envision green, pink, coral, deep red, purple. If you usually see yourself in natural settings, next time visualize fabric; velvet, silk, richly textured woolens, sheer voile. Collect scraps of fabrics, ribbon and trim and glue favorites into your journal . Visit a fabric store for the sensual pleasure of it. Take big bolts to the nearest mirror and imagine the fabric being made into something sumptuous. Unleash your ideas into your notebook.
TAKE PHOTOS
Get outdoors and take photographs to use in your journal or collage. Taking photos with the intention of looking at and experiencing color keeps your eye stimulated.
You can’t go wrong with paint. When you dip your brush into a color, something happens that takes you beyond just looking. It makes no difference if you know nothing about painting. None of us experiment with paint enough, artists included. Remember, there is no way to do it wrong, because a finished product is not a goal. Experience how certain colors and combinations resonate in your being. When you accidentally paint a color yourself, say a warm caramel brown, the next time you see that color in a pair of soft jeans you will own it in a different way.
GATHER MATERIALS
It is worthwhile to experiment with whatever supplies you have access to. Watercolor, oils, pastels, acrylic are all great. A child’s watercolor set is not going to be punchy enough, so if your budget is limited, try tempera. There is tremendous value in painting with your "colors", but if you are uncertain about what your color harmony is, then I would suggest looking at tubes of paint and pick a red, blue, and yellow that appeal to you. You’ll also need brushes, paper and a palette. (A specific list of paints and materials follows at the end of this section.)
EXPERIMENT
WITH WATER
Experiment with mixing the colors both on your palette and your paper. Spray your paper and watch the paint run, drip and bleed. Tip your paper and let the paint run together. When you have enough paint on the paper to satisfy you, put it on the floor and start another one.
GO WILD WITH COLOR
Create a painting that is pure red, all blue, blues and greens, or various shades of purple. Mix all your colors together and see what happens.
CUT AND PASTE
The paper you cover with paint makes a fabulous base for your collages. With your experiments, cut out pieces of painted paper and move them around making them into a collage, or attach them to a piece of brightly colored poster board or pastel paper (which comes in a richer, more interesting array of colors). You can also add your painted color pieces to your magazine collage.
Explore your cravings. See what moves you. I guarantee you won’t be the same.
If you want to experiment further, I’ve listed the specific paints I use in private sessions with my clients. The paints I select are based on the foundation of color analysis.
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