The face we show...the face we want to show MASK WORK
I absolutely love mask work. There are so many directions that we can go in. In this particular case, we worked on the idea that sometimes you've got to fake it til' you make it...what is the face you want to show to the world? Let's put it on, see how it feels...it does feel strange until you try it for a while then suddenly, it becomes you. These masks are but one way to use this amazing art process.
You can also add SHIELD WORK to go with your mask to allow for the blocking of all the messages that bombard you and sabotage your moving forward and to show all that you want to say YES to! MASKS AND SHIELDS are very powerful tools indeed!
A snapshot IS worth a million words!
I am fairly new to the world of photography BUT I check my critic at the door and I try the following exercise. This exercise is based on a technique I learned in walking meditation, it is referred to as "the snapshot technique". Here's how it goes: take a walk, focusing on your breath and connecting with all that is around you. Keep your eyes focused on the path in front of you. Occasionally, bring your head up and turn to focus in on something. Take a snapshot. Refocus on your breath and your path. Take another shapshot. What is magnificent about this technique is you get to see where your attention is drawn. There can be tremendous gifts in doing so. Look at what caught my eye during my trip to Napa...so many flowers! So much green! What is the gift in this set of snapshots. You don't need to be a great photographer. You just need to have the desire to connect and see what the world is showing you. Great technique and one that I am slowly incorporating into the studio. Try it!
Sand Tray Worlds!
Sand Trays represent a whole new world for me. This is a sand tray I created while in training in the technique. The idea here is using a prompt or sometimes not, to gather objects that call to you to create a world in sand. It is interesting to see what unfolds. I created three different sand trays over the course of the training and each time was drawn to very different material. It reminded me a lot of entering the dream world as symbols, colors and ideas flowed from my unconscious into this tray. I am still learning from the objects in the tray months later. I am going to offer some sand tray workshops very soon. It is amazing to dialogue with the different pieces and worlds created to see what they have to teach us. It is a spectacular experience!
Work in Clay!
Here's a great example of some of the somatic work we do with clay...follow a prompt, close your eyes and let the wisdom of your hands tell the story. It can be amazing to see what unfolds!
Grafitti Art
This creation came out of a study of grafitti art, especially messages in the city. It is easy to think about grafitti as only an annoyance but grafitti art takes many forms and for the teens that I work with, is highly desireable. I learned that many grafitti artists have a message that they want to get out to the world. We played with this idea as I invited the teens to find their voice and send a message. Many had messages of "Freedom" "Family First" as well as others. This is one message that I connected with. The images are powerful and compelling.
Sculpture and writing
This creation followed a multi sensory and collaborative experience in which the group listened to and moved to the rhythms of djembe drum music. The words written are from the drum artwork and collaborative words generated during that experience. The sculptor incorporated clay pieces from an earlier session with the collaborative poetry created that evening. And finally, added her own elements to create this piece of self-expression.