Thanks to
Gretchen Miller's Revolutionary Art Journaling process, I am delighted with my New Year's Revolution. I looked through my most recent art journal and decided that the cover should reflect my current interest in fully occupying my own life, mind, heart, and art!
So this is the cover. To create this book I took Gretchen's directions and went one step further. I had a pair of "7 Gypsies" book boards in my art stash which I really wanted to use, so I took a kids board book right apart and cut the pages to match. I love the size and the antique look of the cover. The hand is reaching down with a little card that says "celebrate" which of course is a very good concept.
Here's my first spread with my first revolutionary idea, which is to occupy the year with art or through art making, every day! It's a gift so why not enjoy the gift?
My second spread is about keeping it real. (If it's raining use an umbrella, don't just pretend that there is no rain, lol!) Some of the text is snagged and slightly altered from Gretchen Miller's revolutionary Pinterest page. If you want some revolutionary wisdom and joy do click
here as soon as possible.
So the third spread is about Joy! It's portable so bring it along where ever you go. And a little reminder to do more of what brings us joy! Yes!
This fourth spread is about kindness. It really does improve everything around us if we can remember to be kind as much as possible. This was one of the things that impressed me most about the Occupy folks, they really were practicing kindness under some very difficult situations. I would like to carry this practice into the new year.
My fifth spread is about including more laughter in my life. Sometimes it gets a little studious in my studio. I wish to remember to laugh more often.
The Sixth spread is about wonder and grace. I'm wanting to focus a bit this year on the importance of wonder and curiosity in our lives. I believe it helps in many ways, like keeping us questioning and perhaps staying away from the fossilization that occurs when we believe our assumptions. The right hand page is about those moments of grace that sometimes go unnoticed. I want to stay alert for them in 2012! "What small act of kindness were you once shown that you will never forget?" (This question is from the
Kind Over Matter blog, a real must read right now and often! Thanks to Gretchen who listed this blog as one of her many resources!)
My final spread is back to the Occupy movement, a little collage of my occupy elf on the Wall Street Bull. In 2012 I will be learning to Occupy my life! And here's the back cover. Hope you enjoyed it. The binding was from a workshop with
LK Ludwig but if you want to try altering a kid's board book, just take a look at the easy-peasy directions in
Gretchen's great "Ready for Revolution Art Journaling E-Book !
PS - The new year is just around the corner and I'm opening up the "class rooms" for this last run of the current eCourses. Yes, the
two for one offer is still good.