Self Healing

Thank God for Yoga.

It has been the only relief that I have had in the past week in dealing with some sort of rampant virus that has effected my back, neck and head. Thus, sitting at the computer or having a camera hanging from my neck has been difficult to say the least. And in turn, it's stifled my creative flow.

The only saving grace has been my Yoga practice. Any other form of my regular exercise such as running or kick boxing has made me feel worse but Yoga has made me feel better.

By connecting my mind, body and breath together I have been able to stay relaxed and calm through excruciating pain. Calming the mind is important when you don't know what the exact cause of the ailment is. My mind tends to lean towards the most horrific result..headache? Must be a tumor! So by connecting myself to the earth, I find peace in the pain.

The Yoga breath brings more oxygen to the body which speeds healing.

I've been practicing Yoga now for 10 years and it's like a comforting best friend that you can turn to when you need some relief from the everyday stresses of life. I can't imagine myself without her.

I'm finally feeling better, the pain subsiding day by day...just in time for my upcoming holidays! Now, let's hope I don't contract the H1N1 while travelling!

Falling Back in Love with Collaging

Ahhh...I have fallen back in love with Collaging. "Back" in love because there was a time where I collaged often and loved it dearly. Creating collage posters as a teenager, which included the heartthrob of the week cut from Tiger Beat magazine...Collaging together scrapbooks with pictures of my life, mostly during my 20's and 30's. Then, in my 40's, I fell back in love with Photography and collage work went the way of so many of my hobbies...into a drawer or closet, biding time until the spark of creativity struck again.

Film Photography led to Digital Photography which led me to discover Photoshop which led me to creating Digital Art which in turn led me back to Collaging. Life always comes full circle, doesn't it?

So here I am, perusing old vintage ads, paintings and photographs in the public domain as well as boxes of my own ephemera, pictures and collectible postcards with the hope that one image will start that avalanche of creative flow. My latest piece was inspired by a faux French Travel Poster stuck to a window at Epcot, DisneyWorld.

Paris, je t'aime (Paris, I love you) included 8 images, all layered carefully one atop another in Photoshop, masking, erasing, dodging, burning, using blending modes, opacity, curves and filters to create a seamless composition. I have hundreds of images of France...how to pick the right ones for a collage? By being picky...matching colors, resolution and textures. Collaging is like getting dressed...you can over accessorize and ruin the whole look. :)

I don't know how long this romance will last as my creative self tends to be finicky but for right now, I'm deep in love with Collage. :)