Karen's Wreck This Journal

Playing with Paint

2009-07-31T10:31:00.003-04:00

So here we are, the final week.. as like many of you I'm sure, I still don't find myself finished.. nearly though.

This week was a bit different than my vibrant colors I normally post. This week I played with paper and paint(and a couple packing tape transfers) and I have become obsessed with circles..

I throughly enjoyed making a slightly larger mess this week. But that is all thanks to my brand new craft studio!

Yes - this process and having all of the support of my fellow wreckers, inspired me (along with the sweet assistance and nudging from my boyfriend), to create a space dedicated to my creative self.

It has been a long time since I have felt this creative and open to new ideas and just letting things flow...

I thank you, Fellow Wreck Stars, for your open hearts and wonderful selves.. I wish all of you the best and may your creative journey be filled with surprises and love..

A special thankyou to Jamie for having this awesome online world and bookclub, I look forward to what you have in store for us next..

As to what I have taken away from this experience.. My creative self is starting to awaken like a butterfly emerging from it's cacoon.

I'm ready to fly.

Quick sketch of Italy image. I hope to go there one day.	Made a mess with paint then wiped it up.	Random circles..
Collage of squares of paper..	What reminds me of a mexican theme. Supply list page.	More circles...
More More circles...	Fun Sunshine spiral	Crack the Spine(packing tape transfer)
Handprints page.. finally added more to this page..	Playing with paper and paint..	Creative Spirit guided image, blogged here.

Fear and Creative Spaces: Opportunity

2009-07-28T16:05:00.006-04:00

Yesterday I listened to a wonderful interview over at Dirty Footprints blog that was focus on the fear we as creative people face. This interview was held with Chris Zydel from Creative Juices Arts.

I know a that like me, many of us out there probably have a stack of blank journals, waiting for our creative selves to be places on the pure pages.. yet, we don't seem to value ourselves or our work enough to push past a fear of tarnishing these prestine pages.

This past weekend I actually rearranged an entire room in my home. What does this have to do with anything you ask? Well this room is now entirely dedicated as a creative space. The extra bed that had been set up in that room for nearly a year, never having been used even once, was removed... and in its place is a new(used) dining table to serve as my workspace.

The small closet is packed full of creative notions for me to drag out when I so choose to do so.. one wall has a desk with the computer, scanner, printer set up. I tend to reference things while I work.. I like to look things up..

There is a TV for entertainment purposes if need be as well.

But most importantly.. it is a space I can go in knowing I am free to make a mess(willing I don't destroy the carpet!! lol).. I can pull out my paints, markers, papers, glues and glitters..

This space allows me to let go of some of that fear that was discussed in the eariler mentioned interview. What is it about surrounding yourself with OPPORTUNITY that allows a new door to open?

I used to have a little corner, or would take over the dining room with my crafts.. but I always felt so confined.. I would prohibit myself from bringing out extra supplies because of having to lug everything back to storage..

This little change has made a big difference in the way I have felt the last couple of days.

As far as the fear goes.. I opened a page in my journal last night, (well actually my Wreck This Journal(Keri Smith) because I am trying to fill it), and I just started with whatever felt right at the moment.

I started with glueing down some wooden scraps from another project... flower shapes they formed.. a couple of frames with triangles at the corners.. the page got a splash of teal blue painted on in circles instead of streaks... the flowers got a coat of hot pink and then were outlined in pink as well.. the flowers got white added to them, then yellow... the inside background of the frames called for yellow and orange swirled together... I added a tap transfer I had been saving(for WHAT though??)... then some white dots on the border... some white waves going from corner to corner... mix some teal...add some glitter here.. here.. and here..

DONE.

I followed these directions as they poured out of me and ended up with a piece I was rather content with.. though that wasn't the point. The point was I heard from my inner self.. my creative spirit I felt I had lost..

and I loved it...

Jam Packed Color

2009-07-24T09:18:00.006-04:00

So I really have been tackling all the pages trying to get everything colored. I don't know why everything is rainbow colored.. maybe because I haven't colored in so long... or maybe because I like the pattern of one color after another... either way, these pages are jammed with color this week.

Added more to scribble page.	Our nap experience	Going retro, love rounded blocks
This was just the sun for a long time but it now has morphed into this fun flower.	The back inside cover..	I wanted those negative words gone..
Wrapping paper.	Funky design, it blurred because this is a paintball oil soaked page, but I like it anyways	My airplane with color, looks like a tower under a circus tent
Sewing page. All the black is thread and so are the color spokes of the middle circle.	I love this page, I love the white pop against the bold coloring.	More wreck ideas page.

Feeling Lost

2009-07-23T13:46:00.003-04:00

Today I feel lost. I don't think it's because Wreckie has been left alone for two days. I have been wanting to work with him, but other adventures have been taking up my time afterwork and leaving me exhausted. (Geocaching anyone?)

Today was the first day of my bestfriend's new life. She moved from being 3 hours away to being about 15 hours away. Talk about a serious difference. It went from being possible to have a weekend visit to having to probably schedule accordingly a few days vacation or even a planetrip(which yours truly has never encountered).

While I am throughly happy for her to move on to (hopefully) bigger and better things, I am feeling as though I lost a little part of myself.

I haven't cried; I know she isn't gone forever.

“Though we drifted apart in distance I still think of you as being right here. And although we have many new friends, it is our friendship that means the most to me.”

Remember: I wish the only best for you. I'm always here for you. I'd trade with you any day. You inspire me.

Coloring A lot..

2009-07-21T16:06:00.002-04:00

So the last two days I have been coloring a lot in my journal.. if I see a blank area: I attack it. I'm saving to post the images later though I have been throwing some up on flickr once in a while so I know which ones to cover in my friday The Next Chapter post. I'm trying to get everything colored before I get to the shower with it stage.. I'm not sure if these markers I'm currently using will bleed well when wet, they are new to me. I might have to switch to oldfashion crayola to get some good water effects.

Today was a good day. I hit nearly all green lights to work. I got in on time. My boss wasn't here(I know, shame on me for being thankful for that), so I was able to run out for a second to pick up some breakfast. And the elevator was already on waiting to take me to my level when I got back.. sweet!

So since I had a nice late breakfast, I worked through lunch and will head home an hour eariler than usual!

Thankful for the small things I am.

My want to accomplish this week: take on Connie's "What's your love goddess look like?" challenge. Most likely will dedicate a space in the Wreck for this.

Continue Wreck It

2009-07-17T10:54:00.016-04:00

So I've noticed I'm extremely attached to my journal. I left it at home for a day while I went to work and I was extremely disappointed all day that it wasn't with it. Even if I don't get to work on it, I feel a sense of companionship just by having it by my side. I like having it there for those lil bursts of creative moments, its just better than having to use a napkin to doodle on.

I'm a little sad that I'm almost to the end of the journey, only a few bare pages are left. I wonder what it will feel like once it is complete. Will it feel like a part of me is missing? Or will it feel like a part of me is complete and satisfied? We wait to see.

I flip through the book and see that some of the easier tasks haven't been accomplished yet. I.E. Paper Chain, Colorful Candy, Paper funnel. I wonder why I have tackled the tougher items first, the more destructive items, yet it is hard to get the inspiration to get the smaller tasks completed.

Before I sign out for today. I wanted to shout a big thankyou to DirtyFootPrints (Connie) for choosing me for her "Super Fun" Award. I'm proud to have inspired someone through this process as so many have done for me. Check out her blog entry here .

Thanks everyone and look forward to seeing everyone's work below are a few of my recent pages. The rest are posted in on my flickr thing.

I decided to decorate a Cut Through Several Layers page.. reminds me of a time warp..	I knew I wasn't going to be satisfied with just writing on the page so I did a bold background. It is supposed to say: "An artist can not fail; it is a success to be one." A quote by Charles Horton Cooley.
So long ago I drew on the page with glue, that's what the eye is.. and me and blank pages just don't get along. So color splash and more squirls.	This is me filling in a blank page. Another quote: "Let us dance in the sun, wearing wild flowers in our hair... ~Susan Polis Shutz"
Lookie here, another blank page I filled in. I sense a theme. LOL. And yes, another quote. "If nothing ever changed there would be no butterflies".	working on candy page... ew..
Doodle on a blank page. Ok.. Maybe a BIG doodle. lol

Wreck it More

2009-07-10T16:12:00.005-04:00

So just more wrecking. I am getting much braver now.. I've even painted over pages I've done and am redoing them. My journal is truely becoming mine and I am loving it. I wait for any extra time I can find to make any mark, scratch, dent into the book.

Most recent progress:

Redo of Handprint page

Internal Monologue page

Write Backwards Page

http://www.flickr.com/photos/karenwtj/

Wrecking Update 1

2009-07-06T14:09:00.007-04:00

Once upon a time, I picked up Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith. I worked on the book some with a fellow friend and wrecker. The book got put away due to not having much time or dedication to being creative as I was burnt out. Now I have picked the book back up in the last couple of months after finding a blog group that was dedicating their summer to go through the book. http://tnc-wreckthisjournal.blogspot.com/ There's a handy link to that.

So here I am now.. making my way through the book, even going back through some pages I had done my first go around. Now my book is getting wonderfully worn in and is really starting to take a beating.

I still have several pages to do, but the book is always a work in progress.

So far the most destructive thing I have done was A: shoot the ""Throw something, a pencil, a ball dipped in paint" page with a paintball gun.. This provided way better results than I was expecting. Not only was the "Throw something" page good and ripped up, so was SEVERAL other pages close by. The pages were soaked in the oily paint matter the balls splattered thus leaving the pages a darker hue as if stained with tea. And they no longer like tape.. so all the pages were patched together with some wild stapling!!

The Next destructive thing was having my brother take aim with a 45 handgun.. and much destruction that had indeed!

There are now wonderful vent holes through all the pages front to back..

For more photo fun: www.flickr.com/photos/karenwtj/