 Title: The Shifting of Time and Place Structure: Exquisite Corpse Triptych Dimensions: 3 x 6 Closed / 6 x 9 Fully Expanded I love it when people tell me they don't have time for art, or that they can't find time to be creative. I want to sit them down, have them take a deep breath, and then make a book with them in under and hour. That's what I did today and the results were great. I remember reading about a collaborative book art project where the contributors created a book-in-an-hour by passing the book around and having each person add to it. I love the community aspect of that idea, but today I didn't have a group of creatives around me for that kind of collective art-making so I went solo.
The Shifting of Time and Place took me about an hour to make. I needed a simple book today so that I could head out on a road trip. The time constraint forced me to think quickly, use what was nearby, and keep it simple. When those three elements come together, I can only create from a place deep inside my soul. This is when creativity is at its purest and this is when I usually love the result the most. So this is another quick and simple book that can be powerful in content because of its interactive qualities, but at the same time could be a wonderful book to make with kids because of how easy it is. Once again I used art from a previous project that allowed me to keep this book simple because I didn't need to start with a blank canvas. The other way to keep a book project simple is to use stickers (or stamps, or handwritten text) as a way to add words as content. 
I've made up a name for this structure because it isn't one that I learned from anyone. The triptych style is a common book form where you have three panels that open. The cutting of the sheets to create the exquisite corpse interactive flaps was just something I thought would look nice in the end. I created that banded look (see image above) on the page opposite the flaps just for contrast and interest. I'm not really sure how I feel about them. As for the content, I used stickers from two different sets and the pre-printed words guided me to create a narrative that I felt good about. If you've been following my journey this year, you'll recall that I recently had a breakthrough (of sorts) after working with Traci Bautista. Since that workshop, I've been paying more attention to how my true passions show up in my work. Allowing myself to be led in the moment and by the materials has become my favorite way to make art, to play, to work. 
The Shifting of Time and Place is just that. It's me being led in the moment by the materials and my mental playfulness. Do you ever do that? Just let yourself be in the moment and enjoy the mental space of imagination and play! Try it! You'll love how it feels. As always, I'm looking forward to what next week brings. Please stay tuned!! If you're watching the videos, I'm honored! If you're making the books, I'm intrigued, so please share here or on the Giving Hands Creative Community site. Also, make sure you visit the new online store for amazing and wonderful inspiration. Until next week...Go out and create something beautiful!!! 
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 Title: Embark Structure: Flag Book Dimensions: 5 x 3 1/2 closed / 5 x I'm beginning to realize that I really like using previous art pieces in my books. As a mixed media artist I am usually working on multiple projects at once so there are always pieces of paper and fabric that don't make it into a project or that get paint and materials on them as I'm creating. I love finding a place for them. So this 38th book is one that allowed me to do that. Again, I used a piece of artwork from my time in Traci Bautista's workshop and repurposed it to make the flags. Then I used another recycled piece for the spine. The outside cover paper is a beautiful piece of mulberry paper that I've used before in another BIAD project.  The nature of this flag book structure allows the book to be read and experienced in at least two ways: as a traditional codex book or as a flag book where you open it from end to end and allow the flags to "fly". The seven center flags are flipped on the reverse side to help them stand out in the process of viewing, so I figured this was the best place to include the text. Again, I used stickers for my text because it really is an easy way to get text into a book without typing, using a printer, or employing a letterpress machine. My first thought was to leave the flags blank and not include any image on them, but when I looked at the structure and extended the the book, I realized that content was warranted.  Tidbits about the process of this book:
If I were going to change one thing about this book, I think I would have distressed the stickers before putting them on the flags. The stark white really does stand out and kinda bugs me. But of course, all in all, I'm loving the book just like I end up loving all of the books. I'm excited about what next week will bring. Please stay tuned! If you're watching the videos, I'm honored! If you're making the books, I'm intrigued, so please share here or on the Giving Hands Creative Community site. Also, make sure you visit the new online store for amazing and wonderful inspiration.   CREATING PERSONAL DEFINITIONS OF SELF CARE About a month ago, someone whose known me a little less than 5 years started a conversation with, “Kiala, I think I know you pretty well…you're the kind of person who...” and I thought – “hmmm, really? Because I’m just getting to know me pretty well after 40 years!!” The conversation went on to ultimately be about self-care and how this person didn't think I was taking good care of myself because I stay up late making books and I'm always working on so many different projects. Again, I thought, “hmmm…we clearly have two different definitions of self-care.” Admittedly, I’m one of those “A” type folks with a tremendous amount of creative juice bubbling at the surface. I have a ridiculously strong work ethic that makes most people cringe and I believe in doing what I love and doing it well, but for the past few months, I’ve been tested tremendously in all of those areas, yet the one thing I have learned to do no matter what is happening around me, is take care of me. And I usually do that with ART!! 
A.R.T. -- it's an acronym I have posted in my art/guest room. It's my creativity and self-care mantra. The one thing I didn't feel compelled to share with my friend of 5 years was that I do take care of myself. Maybe not the way she would do it, but definitely in a way that feels right to me and that makes it possible for me to work on multiple projects at once and to live a life that feels purposeful. My art IS my self care. Each week when I make a book for BIAD, I'm taking care of myself. When I sit down to work on an art journal page or write a poem or a short story, I'm taking care of myself. These are the things I LOVE to do. These are the things that bring me joy. Art is my meditation. My silent moment in a world of constant noise and movement and chaos. When I'm creating, there is nothing else. So I use my A.R.T. mantra as a reminder to do the things I love. I change the "T" depending on what I need to attract into my life at the time. One of my favorites is: Always Remember To surround yourself with creativity Another I use is: Always Remember To breathe deeply and exhale slowly  At 40, it's easy to recall a time when I did a lot of things that I didn't love. I've had more than 30 different jobs (I started working at 15 and I've had a job ever since --sometimes 3 jobs at once) and hated most of them. At one time, my idea of self-care meant something totally different than it does today. But even then, I followed my own definition. That's the point of this post -- managing a creative life is about taking time to care for yourself and caring for yourself starts with defining self-care in your own way. What looks like self-care for one person may be torture for another. For example, 10 years ago I tried meditating on a daily basis and I hated it. I couldn't get my mind to quiet down enough to feel like I'd actually accomplished what I thought meditation was supposed to accomplish. My husband, on the other hand, could sit in meditation for hours if left alone. Today, I love meditating, I couldn't survive without it, but my meditation practice doesn't look anything like his, yet we achieve similar results -- an overall feeling of peace, calm, and increased mental clarity. Meditating is the way we give ourselves time to hush our minds and listen to our hearts. I gave myself permission to define my meditation practice for myself. I've done the same thing with self-care. Here's a short list of a few things I consider self-care:
How do you define self-care? What are some of the things you do to take time for yourself and take care of yourself? GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION. CREATE YOUR OWN DEFINITIONS. then GO. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!! 
 Title: Unleashed: A Poem Structure: Single Sheet Accordion Dimensions: 7 x 5 Video of my process. Well I just had the most amazing and creative weekend I've had in a really long time. It started on Friday morning at 8am with a drive from Oakland, CA to Danville, CA (20 minutes). It's a ride I'd never made before and the beauty of Mt. Diablo reminded me of one of the reasons I fell in love with the Bay Area. I love being out in the first air of the morning, so I rode a part of the way with the windows down so I could enjoy that freshness. I was one of a few cars on the road heading in that direction -- which was a lovely surprise for a Friday morning. A part of me thinks that maybe there were more cars but I blocked them from my memory to make room for all the wonderfulness that followed. I arrived at {studio 323*7} owned by Traci Bautista. It's the cutest studio ever -- her artwork graces the front window and once you're inside, you're surrounded by her soul on canvas, paper, fabric, and glass. I was the first to arrive. She greeted me like we were old friends and I immediately felt comfortable. I found my spot for the workshop and settled in as the others started to arrive. Traci's teaching style was exactly what I needed -- she showed us techniques, gave us time to play and explore, checked in with us periodically, and gave us so many supplies and materials that I felt like I was in mixed media heaven. In other words, she "unleashed" us and gently walked us to a place of creative freedom. I wanted to try it all!! By the end of the first day, I could already feel years of stifled thinking falling away. I was starting to see the world differently. I mean, I'm already someone who sees the world differently than many, but this was another kind of seeing. Everything I saw on my drive home became potential material to use in my art or something that sparked an idea for art. By the end of the weekend, I felt transformed in a way that I can't really put into words other than to quote Traci -- UNLEASHED. I had been set loose to create in a way that was my own. A way that felt free of perfectionism and absolutely unique to me. What's so great about that? Well I thought I was already free, but now, I'm really FREE. I mean, totally and unapologetically FREE. I'm forever thankful to Traci for that.  The book I made this week for BIAD is an original poem inspired by Traci's workshop. Each page features a scanned copy of one of the painted pages I created at the retreat and one movement of the poem. The spine is also a painted page I worked on while in her class. It was a pretty quick book to make considering I made it really late last night after three days of intense art making, but it feels like a really powerful and significant milestone. How often can we pinpoint the moment we realize that our creative shackles have been removed? Here are a few pictures of the pages and the book I created at the color+journal LOVE retreat. Now that I've been freed, I'm looking forward to what next week brings. Stay tuned! If you're watching the videos, I'm honored! If you're making the books, I'm intrigued, so please share here or on the Giving Hands Creative Community site. Also, make sure you visit the new online store for amazing and wonderful inspiration.  Every Thursday I wake thinking about making a book. Today was no different. I woke earlier than usual -- 4AM -- and was wired thinking about today's book. But when I stepped into the studio/guest room, it hit me...MY BOOKS ARE IN A GALLERY. That realization sat me down and forced me to be still for a moment. It was a good long moment. I sipped tea and thought about what that really meant. For me, someone who would not dare call herself an artist for many years, it's rather big. Well, the gallery isn't that big, but the idea of my work being "featured" in a space where other humans will encounter it, pass it, maybe even stop and look at it, that's pretty darn BIG.  Installation of GRITS, Urbanite, and Midnight at the Oasis The other thing that is really BIG for me is that this gallery happens to be in the book art department of my alma mater -- Mills College. Why is this a big deal? Well, the three women in that department (Kathy Walkup, Julie Chen, and Lara Durback) were the ones who got me hooked on making books as an art form and who ushered me into the world of binding and letterpress. After graduation, I worked for Julie at her press for almost a year and learned a TON from her. So when Lara asked me if I'd be willing to show my work in the Pocket Gallery, I was thrilled and honored and proud. Let's face it, I put a full day of work into each of these books and while they are by no means perfect books, they are pieces of me -- each one an artifact of my mood that day, a glimpse into my creative process, and a little bit of my soul in full blown color. And of course I said, YES!  Installation of The Unearthing The young woman who installed the books, Keri, did an AMAZING job. I waited until after I taught my Wednesday afternoon class to visit the gallery. I walked over to the building and slowly entered from the side closest to the gallery. It was quiet. No students, no faculty, no staff, but the gallery door was open and the books invited me in.
The lighting was low and soft and as I made my way to each case, slow and silent tears streamed down my cheeks. It was perfect. Thanks to Keri’s wonderful idea to include QR (quick response) codes for each book, the labels were printed beautifully so that viewers can access the videos as they look at the books. I don’t know if anyone will ever ask me to exhibit my books in a gallery again, but it doesn’t really matter. This show feels important to me and now that I’ve seen what my books look like as works of art, I’m more energized to keep making them each week. If you are in the local area, the books will be available for viewing until the end of the month (and maybe even until mid October). Head on over to the Mills College Book Art Department and have a stroll. |
hello friend...I'm Kiala, a student of life first and foremost. And I'm also a published poet, book binder, fountain pen collector, Life Alchemist & Intuitive Soul Guide. I make things, paint things, and write things. I love teaching & empowering women to live with intention. Please, grab a cup of your favorite warm drink, a fountain pen, and your favorite journal. Let's connect!  My Articles for the StencilGirl® Blog
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