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What’s With The Phases?

Thursday, April 24th, 2008 by Alyice

It has been so much fun reflecting on the many different creative phases in my life and it’s been fun walking down memory lane and seeing all the photos of past work. I just wish I had some stuff to share with you from when I was a young child.

I’ll never forget the first time I created a poster about Native American Indians or the time I tried to trick everyone into believing that I actually drew this awesome cartoon character when all I really did was trace the outline onto a large poster board using a projector and color it in. (I know…shame on me. But hey I was just a kid who didn’t know any better.)

And I will forever cherish the days my mother sat down, on the floor, at the top of our stairs and colored with me. She lovingly showed me how to blend colors using crayons, how to create different effects using circular motion versus linear motion and heavy coloring versus soft coloring. And for just a little while I felt as though time had just stood still and I was the only thing that mattered to her.

“So seriously, what’s with all the reflection?” you ask.

Well, to be quite honest I really needed to allow myself the luxury of remembering who I am. Several years ago a tragic death took place in my life that nearly destroyed me. And while I have been functioning on the outside and cherishing every moment with my family, I really did lose sight of who I was.

I had always been a creative person. I had always felt alive when creating—even it if wasn’t all that great in the eyes of others. And I had always enjoyed visual stimulation through the works of others—crafters, painters, sculptors, photographers, videographers, visionaries, and even nature.

But that death stifled me emotionally, creatively, and for awhile physically. It’s taken a long time to be okay without that person in my life and to accept death for what it is—a transition from this world to the next (heaven). And it’s taken a long time to truly feel alive again—alive in a way that allows creativity to flourish.

So I guess you could say that I needed to remind myself of one simple fact: creativity has always been a part of who I am as a person and without it, I am not completely whole.

P.S.

In case you’ve come across this post months, even years later, here’s a list of the phases to which I spoke of.

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The Quilt Phase

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008 by Alyice

I have always loved the “idea” of quilt making—by hand. In fact, I still envision a group of women gathered in a circle working on our quilts as we discuss life, dreams, and Christianity. Will it ever really happen? I don’t know. But what I do know is that it’s a dream I continue to hold on to and now that we have the Museum of Visual Materials here in South Dakota it just might become a reality!

You see the Museum of Visual Materials hosts free and paid sewing classes at various times throughout the year. Although I have yet to attend—mainly because their sewing classes have been during winter months and I don’t do much winter driving since I span out of control two winters ago—I do hold on to the hope that they will hosts these classes in spring and summer. And once I get the basics down, I’m going to volunteer to host a Quilting Circle right there at the Museum of Visual Materials.

In fact, I have all these wonderful quilting ideas in my head: Heritage quilts showcasing material that has been passed down from generation to generation right along side photos of ancestors. Family trees designed to bridge the generation gap by showcasing each era in a family member’s life right next to a photo of that family member. Art quilts showcasing children’s artwork through the years and perhaps even a few adult pieces of art. T-shirt quilts showcasing all those favorite imprints or perhaps showcasing a shirt from each travel destination made over the years. And there might even be a few embroidered or cross-stitched pieces in there—complete with remnants of old jewelry.

My husband even bought me an old sewing machine at a garage sale last year—which he promises to clean up and have ready for me this summer.

There was even a time I thought I was well on my way to learning the wonderful art of quilting. I had met a woman at church who agreed to teach me. And for one month we met once a week to cut up old clothing and stitch two pieces together. But sixty pieces later her life got swamped and my quilting lessons ended.

It’s been nearly ten years and several state-to-state moves since I cut out that material and I still haven’t done anything with them. It’s not that I hadn’t looked for sewing classes in the past, believe me I tried. It’s just that there weren’t any sewing classes being offered—until now!

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The Scrapbook Phase

Friday, April 18th, 2008 by Alyice

For as long as I can remember I’ve been an avid picture taker. There’s just something wonderful about recording history as its happening and something remarkable about being able to jog one’s memory with a photograph—and it doesn’t even matter if the photograph is in focus or not.

In the beginning, I placed my photos into photo albums with sticky backings but as the photos began to yellow I realized those albums weren’t such a good idea after all so one by one I pulled my photos out of those albums and stored them in boxes according to date. Of course I ruined a few photos in the process but it was better than leaving them and watching them all deteriorate.

Then one day I discovered the art of scrapbooking and I was hooked.

There was nothing like cutting out the best part of the photo and gluing it to a page with other complimentary photos. My mother hated to see me cutting up photos because it was like I was leaving part of history (our life’s story) behind—but I didn’t care. I wasn’t interested in the backgrounds or scenery. I wanted to see the people. I wanted to focus in on their facial expressions, the way they stood or moved, and the clothes they wore. I was positive that would be enough to keep my memories alive.

But as time passed I began to understand my mom’s point of view. Sometimes, photos of a person aren’t enough to hold onto the memories. Sometimes you need a little bit more—an object, a wall, the landscape, something…

Yes, my mom was right. Sometimes the background or scenery sparks memories you’d otherwise forget. And sometimes it’s fun to see the different phases in our lives which help define us—styles, trends, cultures, and even financial status based upon what we owned.

My scrapbooking style is simple: lots of photos, a few embellishments, and little text. And that’s okay.

I don’t need to spend $20 on materials or three hours of my life designing a layout for a single scrapbook page. As beautiful as those pages are, I know that what I enjoy most about my scrapbooks are the photos—the records that tell my children (and future grandchildren) about our family history.

And if I choose to be more elaborate with a few pages then that’s okay, too. The important thing that I try to remember when I scrapbook is that there are NO RULES.

Scrapbooking techniques and styles vary from person to person based upon creative talents, time factors, finances, and personal history. When I sit down to create my scrapbook pages I try to remember to let loose and go with my feelings because in the end scrapbooking is an extension of who I am as a person. And if the scrapbook is being created as a gift it becomes a reflection of who that person is.

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