Every Child is an Artist & Altered Art

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.

~Pablo Picasso

What is it about growing up that tends to make us lose our creativity? Is it the harsh judgments we hear from others? Is it the perfectionism that we incorporate into our being as we try to live up to others' expectations? The old "don't color outside of the lines" routine? I know for myself I continue to replay the old song of "you didn't do that good enough" in my head, whether it was making up the bed, trimming the strawberries, baking biscuits on the WRONG pan, for goodness sakes!, get off that roof - nice girls don't climb up on roofs!, and on and on it goes!

When I go into my tiny studio with the goal of making art, it is difficult to "turn down the noise", so to speak, and let my spirit be free enough to create. Ohhhh, I see so many talented artists out there, and then I start to compare......and I am never quite good enough.

You know, I think, for me that is the appeal of "altered art" and "altered books" - there is no right or wrong.  It just "is". For me it is a time to explore, to create, to test out new techniques, to find beauty in things that are not inherently beautiful.  To create! I can just start playing and let the pieces fall where they may - literally. I love to arrange and rearrange till the piece looks good to my eye. And the great thing about altered art is if you don't like it, you can always paint, tape, paste, and cover it up and do it over. It can be so forgiving. And if you come back to it later and decide it needs something else - you can just add it. Wha la! there it is- a new piece - different, fresh and sometimes - BETTER. Makes me smile when that happens.

And so I offer a few more of my pages for you to look at and hopefully to inspire you to go make ART. Just do it!

Leaves and Juliette's Farewell

Hearth and Home

Know Life

Buttons

Let Me Hear the World's Music

Together - Windows - closed

Together - Windows - open

India - Tiger

India - Elephants

India - Longing....

That is all for today. I'll post more tomorrow for Blue Monday. I hope you have liked what you have seen today.  It really is with fear and trepidation that I post these - hoping for the best and fearing the worst. Not that I am an artist, but I expect most artists go through that sort of thought process.

Happy 2010 to all of you. I wish you the very best.