Those little pots of color are magical to me when my first paint by numbers kit arrives; except I break the rules by blending the colors and painting outside the lines. Back then Mrs. Gentry was the traveling art teacher, going from school to school teaching art. It was pure magic when she came into the room. She inspired me! When I grow up I’m going to be like Mrs. Gentry.
At eight years old I
knew what I wanted. I was the artist in the family. I loved creating. At ten, cutting images out from my mom’s
Lady’s Home Journal and Sears Catalog, I collaged my first book in a simple
spiral notebook titled Who I want to be
when I grow up. Teacher. Wife. Mother.
In high school this new product came out called acrylic
modeling paste. It was 1973. The teacher
said “see what you can make.” I paint a
three dimensional image of the bamboo sticks I see leaning against the wall.
Art is play. That bamboo painting won my first competition. Then I made my art
fit into a job. I became very corporate, did interior design for restaurant and
hotels, starting my own business at age 24. I lost the connection to my artist
within by trying to fit in.
Remember Richard Dreyfuss in Close Encounters? Twenty plus
years later after I’m so corporate and spiritually bankrupt I experience a
series of spiritual openings that knock for me a loop. Dreams lead me to the
path of direct revelation aka shamanism; one of those life changing moments
where you can never go back. It was art as a spiritual experience, with a
higher order. I found the book Soul Retrieval by Sandra Ingerman and
decided that’s what I wanted to do: healing trauma through spiritual means.
“Where have I lost power and how is it effecting me today?”
After my own soul retrieval, my creativity came roaring
back. I went home from the five-day training reborn. A woman on fire, I found
two sawhorses and an old door in the garage that I set up as my art table. The
makeshift studio took over our living room; at the same time gathering up 15
years of unfinished art projects scattered all over our house, in many closets.
Maybe you can relate? I called back my artist within and never looked back.
Art is play. When it doesn’t and feels like a challenge, I
get bored. I don’t spend time growing it into something commercial. If it’s
play and fun I do it. If feels gets heavy I let it go. I dabble. Come back and
play some more. I used to feel a lot of guilt over the inconsistency. Then I
read the book Refuse to Choose by
Barbara Sher; I’m a scanner. A plate spinner scanner meaning I like to do a lot
of things; then I get bored and move on. I may come back. I may not. No shame,
I’d rather live my life from a place of granting myself permission to explore.
What I do come back to again and again is collage.
SoulCollage®.
I love the process developed by Seena Frost and trained as a facilitator in 2007.
I love the process developed by Seena Frost and trained as a facilitator in 2007.
If something is bothering me, I cut and paste. Collage. If I want to manifest something…I cut and
paste. If a client has a problem I ask them to cut and paste. Just ‘throw an
image at it!” Then we talk.
Images speak to me and through me as a shamanic healer,
astrologer and artist.
Today, I teach you how to find the mystery of you, using
paper and glue, through the New Moon and SoulCollage® process.
Bright blessings,
Rev. Michele Grace Lessirard
Artist. Astrologist. Teacher. Healer.
This is Week 36 of 52 Artists in 52 Weeks. Thank you for reading and sharing Michele's post today. You can connect with her using the following links:
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