Catherine Anderson, Photographer & Mixed Media Artist, Tells Her Story

It has been an interesting journey from attorney to photography franchise owner to creativity workshop facilitator and artist. The phrase “Feel the fear and do it anyway” has been my constant mantra. It is always a stretch to move from something you know to living at your creative edge. I believe courage is more important than talent when living a creative life. It takes courage to be a beginner again, to put your work out into the world, and to share your inner self with others. And that is what I believe our art is – a sharing of our soul.

My creative work is constantly evolving, and I love working in different media - photography, collage, mixed media art journaling – as I find that the forms influence and inform each other. Everything I create I do for myself as an attempt to get to know myself better and to make sense of the world. I am constantly in awe of the beauty of the world we live in and try to convey this in the images I make.

This collage was created for the book, Inspirational Quotes Illustrated: Art and Words to Motivate by Lesley Riley. It speaks to me of the hundreds of creative ideas out in the world which are constantly visiting us, and the need to focus on what is right in front of you to bring an idea into reality.

This digital image was made using papers I created for my art journals, together with a photograph of the nautilus shell, a symbol I find very meaningful. Spirals often find their way into my work, and the labyrinth is a pattern that speaks deeply to me. The path of the labyrinth is a metaphor for the journey of life, its twists and turns, feeling lost. However, because there is only one path in to the center of the labyrinth, it is also a symbol for trusting that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

I have inserted my photographs along the path of this classical labyrinth design. I’m drawn to photographing things that remind me of my connection to the earth and to the heavens, images that touch my soul in a symbolic way. Using this image as a finger labyrinth allows me to let the images inform my inner and outer journey.

The door is another symbolic image that resonates with me. I photograph doors everywhere I go and use them in my art journals and on my SoulCollage® cards. I have amassed a large collection of doors from India, Italy, France, Africa, Ireland and many other places. I love adding quotes to the images, as I often find that a quote will deepen the images’ meaning, while at the same time the image deepens the meaning of the quote. Together, the words and image create something more meaningful.

The iPhone camera has opened up a whole new world for all of us. Now we always have a camera with us and can record moments of beauty that appear in unexpected moments. I particularly love using a macro-lens on my iPhone as it opens me up to a new way of seeing, a fresh perspective. This photograph of bubbles in a glass of wine is something we would not usually notice, and yet what beauty we can find when we take the time to see!

My love of photography led me to study the history of photography and I became obsessed with vintage photographs, collecting them wherever I could find them and giving them new life in my paper and sewn collages. There is something magical about collecting these old forgotten moments in time and turning them into new moments of inspiration. This little muse talks about what I love to do most, which is encourage others to find their own creative passions. I really believe in the power of creativity to enhance our life in so many ways – by encouraging mindfulness and giving us a way to sit quietly with oneself and process the confusion of the everyday in a life-affirming way.

May you find a way to express your own unique creativity in our world -- Catherine

This is Week 5 of 52 Artists in 52 Weeks. Thank you for reading and sharing Catherine’s post today.  To connect with her on social media, please use the following links:

Blog: 

www.catherineandersonstudio.blogspot.com

The Creative Photographer Blog:

http://thecreativephotographer.blogspot.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/CatherineAndersonStudioNC/?ref=hl

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/catherineandersonstudio/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/cathystudio

Website:

www.creativepilgrimage.com

Michele Grace Lessirard, Astrologist, Healer & Teacher, Tells Her Story

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.

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:

http://MicheleGrace.com
http://Facebook.com/mlessirard
http://twitter.com/michelegrace
http://pinterest.com/mlessirard
http://instagram.com/mlessirard