Love That!

I promised to post the collage that I made at the Hip Tranquil Chick yoga retreat and alas, here it is; full of words and images that I think are beautiful. Collage making has proven to be a way for me to get clear on my aspirations so that I can manifest them. Collages serve as a visual prayer or meditation—they are one of my favorite creative keys to success. It’s amazing what you can do with a little glue, some old magazines, scissors, and your creative vision.

What is one of your creative keys to success & why?


Click here to see past collages:

• creative vision 1
• creative vision 2

What's Going On

Over the weekend I joined the delightful Kimberly Wilson and a dozen like-minded women at the Hip Tranquil Chick retreat in Ancramdale, New York. We spent our time together creative visioning, journal writing, meditating, and practicing yoga. This was my second year attending and I was able to observe my growth, as a yogi and a creative, from one year to the next. Several “ah ha” moments surfaced during my stay. Here are a few:

• being perfect is boring
• micro-movements are better than no movement at all
• recognize my talents and delegate the rest
• vinyasa yoga to Marvin Gaye is so amazing

floral wallpaper in bedroom

my bed and the magazine that i love

yoga prep

wandering around the retreat center

more signs of spring

"uniquely me" during silent breakfast

kimberly wilson

cute quilt

development of new collage (I'll post soon)

©Lesley Williams, 2009

New Year's Evolution

A fellow Hip Tranquil Chick sent me this quote. Needless to say, it quickly became my new favorite.

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” -Howard Thurman

Two-thousand and eight was about finding what makes me come alive (and acting on it) and 2009 will be about manifesting it deeper. I am curious to know, what ideas have helped you evolve in the last year?

Wishing you a lively 2009!

Creative Visioning

Here’s a collage that I made in March while attending a fabulous Hip Tranquil Chick three-day retreat:



It amazes me that much of it has started to manifest. There are several tiny changes that are inching me towards my goal of living a creative life. For example, the calendar says “yoga”; I found a yoga studio three blocks from my apartment that I enjoy after this collage was made. Another example is the blue computer keys with happy expressions on them. I knew I wanted to write more, I feel this represents the birth of the Creative Cookie blog and my new computer. These changes in my life excite me. I am making progress!

Here’s an exercise from The Artist’s Way* that will help you build your own collage—I strongly encourage it.

Collage:

1. Collect a stack of at least ten magazines, which you will allow yourself to freely dismember. 
2. Set a twenty-minute time limit for yourself, tear (literally) through the magazines, collecting any images that reflect your life or interests. Think of this collage as a form of pictorial autobiography. Include your past, present, future, and your dreams. It is okay to include images you simply like. Keep pulling until you have a good stack of images (at least twenty). 
3. Now take a sheet of newspaper, a stapler, or some tape or glue, and arrange your images in a way that pleases you.
4. Give your collage a place of honor. Even a secret place of honor is all right—in your closet, in a drawer, anywhere that is yours. You may want to do a new one every few months, or collage more thoroughly a dream you are trying to accomplish.

In closing, here are a few questions to ponder: why do creative visioning exercises, like collage making, work? What are some other modes of creative visioning?

I’d love to hear from experienced and aspiring collage makers and creative visionaries…please share you work. I'd like to post you collages, if you'll allow me to. 

*See the full list of Creative Reads that I recommend below.