Gratitude journal

Creating an advent calendar using bits and pieces collected from my 100 days projects provided a catalyst to spark the imagination for my gratitude journal leading up to Christmas. I wasn't sure what I was going to say each day, but let the composition speak to me and guide my thinking about what I was grateful for. There is so much. This is what I shared on Instagram over the 25 days.

Grateful for the light after dark

and the rain that ends the drought 

for the abundance of choice 

and the spring that chases winter out

Grateful for the rhythm of daily life 

for the connections that bring us together

for the fruits of our labours 

and the fortitude we have for the hardships that we weather 

Grateful for the place that is home

and for the fragrance of the rose

for the wonder of language 

and for the music that life grows 

Grateful for the sound of birdsong at the break of day

and the respite to be found in a cup of tea

for the richness of life and the wisdom of age

for experience to know when to let it be 

Grateful for writers and their wild imaginations

and the beauty of tumbling waves that rush to the shore 

for the thoughtfulness of friends 

and for enough, not needing more 

Grateful for the forests and those who protect them 

for the routines of the everyday 

for the proponents of peace who soldier on 

and for the abundance of love that has come my way 

Especially grateful. For today. It's Christmas. 

It's my Birthday.

Hope you have a peaceful Christmas with the people that you love and that the new year brings you many good things - Claudia x

25 days of gratitude is also on Steller Stories

Bumping into debris: The 2017 100 Days Project

The 2017 100 days project has been my most enjoyable yet. It’s the third one I have completed and was an enlightening trip down a creative path of collage.  This recent project helped me change the way I approached my making. It enabled a bolder creative expression, connecting the written word with the visual and moving my work into the realm of abstract. My drawing style became less deliberate and loose. It was totally liberating.

Experimentation with materials, included dragging an old credit card through smears of inks and acrylics, creating  merged coloured textures and when dry, tearing it up into strips. Old, discarded library index cards provided backgrounds. Words on index cards that caught my attention, provided inspiration. So did current events that at times, triggered an idea for a title or design with the result that behind every collage, lies a story. Nothing was out of bounds and I even repurposed some of my previous 100 days project drawings.

Embracing imprecise lines, words and colour, was a new direction for me. There was no plan, only a response to what lay around and what my eyes fell upon. Akin to a flowing stream, I drifted in the current and let it sweep me along. As I  bumped into debris, another possibility, another combination, emerged. I came to know what being in the moment is. I know that now. I never want to give it up.

The best thing about the 100 days project was the anticipation of creating and the process of making. My favourite moment was when I blended the pieces of the collage and the composition coalesced. There were times that is it didn’t and a preconceived idea wouldn’t gel. It was best to leave it to reveal itself.

The worst thing about the 100 days project was fitting it into the hectic-ness of life and at times, having no time or energy to get things done. But such is life and I didn’t beat myself up about it.

Posting to Instagram daily was such a buzz and I am so grateful for all the likes and kind words of encouragement. It really helped me keep going. So my heart is full of appreciation. Thank you.

I would love to hear from you about any ideas for me to consider next time round. Claudia x