Random Acts of Art

Recently I started making and leaving little pieces of art in public places as a way to spread around some positivity. They are random acts of art meant to surprise, delight, and (hopefully) inspire total strangers.

I've probably left at least a dozen in the last few weeks in and around the building where I work. I place them on ledges, windowsills, walls, benches, tables, and other places where I think someone is likely to find them. Sometimes I go back a few days later to see if they are still there, and I'm so happy whenever they are GONE. I truly and sincerely hope that whoever finds them really needed to hear that particular message on that particular day.

If you've never done something like this before, I recommend giving it a try. It's actually a lot of fun and the world could certainly use more art, more surprises, and more positive messages.

Think Good Thoughts

Think. Good. Thoughts.

This, my friends, is the secret to...well, everything.

Simple, right? You bet! Easy to do? Not so much.

That's why I put these words in a frame right on my desk. To remind myself to keep an eye on my thoughts. Good thoughts are good. Negative thoughts are not good.

Think good thoughts.

What do you do to remember this simple, but important, concept?

Happy Valentine's Day

Good Journaling Weather

We're experiencing another arctic blast here in the Midwest. In other words--it's good journaling weather. It's the perfect opportunity to stay indoors and cut, paste, paint, and doodle to your heart's content.

I've been working in this particular journal for more than five years.

It was started in a journaling class and has continued from there. I took the class with two friends and since the instructor's name was Judith, we affectionately call these books our "Judith Journals."

It's primarily a cut and paste journal. I've also heard other people call them glue books.

The idea is to collect words and images that speak to you and then put them together in a layout that makes sense to you, or tells a story, or maybe is just visually pleasing in some way.

I collect my images from art magazines, mainstream magazines, old books, research journals, maps, wallpaper, calendars, and anything else that catches my eye. (I know there's a typo on this page but Howard Finster taught me not to worry about that.)

At one point during the 5+ years of working in this journal, I started to feel as though the work wasn't really original since the images were created by others. But then I realized that nobody else in the world but me would arrange these exact images in this exact way. Even if someone else had access to the same images, they would most likely use them to tell a different story in a completely different way.

Around year 3 or 4 of working in this journal, I really wanted it to be done. I wanted every page to be filled so that I could put it on the shelf and start a new journal.

But then something happened and I totally fell in love with the process of filling this book little by little and bit by bit. The journey really has become the destination and now I never want the journey to end.

I keep building on what's already there, and filling the few remaining blank pages. This is a journal that calls to me. And when it does, I usually drop everything else and focus on the book for a few days, or a week, or however long it takes to satisfy the need to cut, paste, arrange, and admire the view to this point. Then I'll put it away and work on other projects until the call comes again. Do you have a journal like this? One that you only work in when you hear the call or feel the pull? One that is more of a journey than a destination? One that you will be happy to never say is finished?