When I was young man and feeling restless, I found creative relief in creating collages. I didn't have a name for it, as a teenager, but it felt like a form of meditation...
Lately, with a head full of quandaries —especially, morality and mortality on my mind, experiencing personal crises—-I took out a stack of magazines (National Geographic, Smithsonian) and began cutting and pasting away, like the old days :)
Unlike the concentration required for reading or writing, this allowed me to vacate my mind and enter a sort of trance, the way children do when they are playing.
First, I assembled some images (above) that I thought were striking & somehow, captured my imagination. I had no vision, or final outcome in mind as I was collecting these pictures and, in the same manner married these images with arresting text that caught my attention to create this unfolding story... In this way, I proceeded, mindlessly, to assemble the pieces of my art puzzle.
That, I admit, is a big part of the relief and joy of images for me, the non-thinking aspect of it... And, as the saying goes: a picture is a worth a thousand words...
I have Sin & Salvation on my mind, these days -- see the video post I shared, earlier this morning, reading from my new book.
At some point, putting this art project together, I realized that (subconsciously) I was creating a kind of moral or spiritual parable. In my Heaven & Hell portrait, I inserted these expressive Peruvian mummies --which I had the good fortune to see in real life, when I spent three months in Peru-- somehow, they seemed to fit right into my inferno.
The hour or so that it took to create this collage, offered me an opportunity for relaxation and contemplation. Art therapy is real; why don't you give it a try? Take out a pair of scissors, glue, reach for a near by stack of magazines or newspapers and get to work/play :) You might surprise yourself and, what's the worst thing that could happen?
Have a lovely day 🙏
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First time posting in @ecency in a long time — I hope Community likes this post :)