Category: Art Every Day Month

AEDM Day 16: The Exploding Box

exploding box

Today’s creation: the “exploding box.”  After seeing my Unfolding Your Life Vision collage books and my collaged dream boxes, a lady launcher made me one of these surprising structures since she knew I would appreciate it.  I love how the box is simple yet complex. And that it unfolds!

I tried to follow a pattern that I found online.  However, I don’t do so well with measurements and instructions, so I ended up just reverse engineering it from the one I already had.

exploding box

I haven’t figured out yet how I want to decorate the inside pages.  I might play with seasons, directions, elements and/or stages of my life.  I’ll save that for another AEDM post!  What fun!

Speaking of fun, I had my friends over for book club this afternoon.  We dined outside in the warm sun and chatted a bit about Jodi Picoult’s page-turner My Sister’s Keeper, but mostly we just gabbed.  I love the excuse to get together and catch up.

P.S. – Some of you have asked for instructions to make an exploding box.  I found another link that looks like it makes more sense than the one I tried to use, so check out these directions.

P.P.S – Here’s a link to my finished Year-in-Review exploding box.

AEDM Day 15: Anger

expressive arts coaching - anger

The night was going along so well.  Made dinner and was having a mellow evening just vegging out with Brian.  Catching up on some TV and actually not working on a weekend.  Next thing I know we get into a tiff over something small that of course snowballs into something big.  (Funny, I think it started off with him reminding me that I have to do my art post for today and me complaining about how I didn’t want to do it!).  Snippy tones are used back and forth.  He leaves the room.  I get livid.

Now, anger is one of those emotions that we tend to stuff down.  Or we put entirely on other people rather than owning our part in it.  You know, “Oh, he made me soooo mad!”  When I’m coaching, I see clients not allow themselves to fully experience their anger.  Instead of the anger going away, it usually builds up until things get so bad they can’t take it anymore.  To practice giving ourselves permission to fully be with the anger and let it pass through us in a healthy way, I’ve screamed at the top of my lungs along with clients, we’ve stomped our feet on the ground together, we’ve punched pillows.  We usually end up laughing when we’re through, surprised at how good it feels to let it all out!

Remembering that, I spy my sneakers on the floor and get the impulse to pick one up and hurl it toward the floor.  Smack!  Ah, that felt good. I picked up the other one and threw it on the ground, too.  Thud! Wham!  I could feel the energy moving out of my body.

And then it dawned on me to express the rest of my lingering anger through art.  I unpeeled the wrapper on my red oil pastel so I could smear the whole thing on a big sheet of paper.  As I press the crayon hard onto the page, it snaps into smaller pieces.  I smear the crimson shards with my palm across the paper, feeling the heat build up from the friction.  I scratch my nails like claws down the page.  It’s a frenzy of color, lines and textures.  I finish it off by crumpling the paper into a ball with a grunt!

After all that, I do feel better.  There is a release and I am able to move on.  So, I should probably go upstairs and not only apologize to Brian but also thank him for reminding me the importance of doing my art!

AEDM Day 14: Bright Blossoms

I had my chiro appointment today with my friend Dr. Liz Dobbins at her beautiful space Shine Chiropractic on Piedmont Avenue.  Whenever I’m in her office, I’m uplifted by her positive energy and zest for life.  With the vivid artwork adorning her walls and array of color coordinated accessories (from purple pens and tables, to yellow clipboards and cute wastebaskets), her space definitely reflects her bright spirit.  I love when people’s expression of themselves extends so clearly into their physical space.  This quick doodle in oil pastels captures the aliveness and peace I feel when I’m there.

AEDM Day 12: Drawing on Body Wisdom

In her book “The Art Therapy Sourcebook“, Art Therapist Cathy Malchiodi has this great exercise for visually journaling what you notice in your body.  I gave a client this template today to play with over the next week and figured I’d do it for Day 12’s AEDM piece.  If you tend to live in your head, this activity helps you tune into your body wisdom.

I’ve actually had a headache since this afternoon.  A dull pain radiating from my head with more pressure right at my temples.  I also noticed a tight jaw and tense shoulders.  And my quads are sore from last night’s yoga class.  My skin is really itchy.  I also notice that in my heart area, I feel very warm and open and that energy spreads outward.

To take the inquiry deeper, I ask my shoulders and head what they need from me.  They want to rest.  To know that they don’t have to do all the heavy lifting all of the time.  When I ask my heart center what it’s like being open, I hear that it feels good and to keep trusting that flow.  As for my itchy skin, it reminds me to drink more water!  Staying hydrated is important, especially for a vata dosha.

I love how expressive arts coaching can help bring awareness, clarity and insight that words alone may not articulate.  I did a similar activity in a Yoga and the Emotions class last year.  Through the use of expressive arts, we can experience and communicate our thoughts and feelings in a new way. It’s not about the final product, but rather the process of exploration and expression.  Now based on my reflection here, I need to drink another glass of water and then hit the hay!

When you tune into your body right now, what do you notice?  Take a few moments to sketch it out.  Use colors and textures to capture the sensations you feel.  What insights do you gain from drawing on your body wisdom?

AEDM Day 11: What I Love About Me

Tonight’s art is inspired by my week four question to Kate and Molly on the sisters’ blog Kiss The Paper.  This week’s prompt is “What do you love most about you?” as a follow up to last week’s prompt “What do you love most about your sister?”  It’s been so cool to witness the amazing creations from this dynamic duo!  Makes me wish I had a sister!

I had fun answering the same question as my Art Every Day challenge for Day 11.  You can click on the image above to see a larger version.

I’d love to hear… What do you love most about YOU?

AEDM Day 7: Orchids

A quick watercolor tonight.  Orchids are one of my favorite flowers.  Simple, elegant and beautiful.

Earlier tonight, Kate and I took a tour of Oakland’s Art Mumur.  Every first Friday of the month several art galleries near downtown Oakland have open studios.  We’d never been before, so it was cool to see such a bustling creative community in the heart of the city.  To top it off, Kate and I dined on some Louisiana style fried chicken and candied yams at a local dive.  Yum!  Definitely a fun night on the town.