Honestly I still struggle with what to share on my other blog, that is more or less dedicated to design team projects and business and also the more fun and superficial blog - means: I spare my blog readers over there having to read about any aspects from real life which is (as we all know) not always sunshine, shiny happy people all around me and feeling strong enough and ready to conquer the world.
I just do not feel it is the place to talk about or muse over my Hashimoto's illness and what it brings (or takes from) me...or how it affects my artistic mojo.
But as I am slowly finding my way deeper into the connections between my creativity and wellbeing, I think it is time now to finally dare make my physical (and as it is a hormones driven illness I struggle with also mental) condition part of my creative work (something my therapist has suggested already long long ago when we talked about how to improve both - my wellbeing and my artwork).
But I am starting with something far from being "severe stuff" - though it still is a project that may be the start of something I might immerse myself in and also use as a means to get closer to those "needs of my struggling artistic soul" ;)
This whole little booklet is made of a single sheet of heavy mixed media paper from an A4 pad.
The cover
For my first try I chose some techniques and motifs that are favourites of mine like using up scraps from die cut left overs from previous projects and incorporating tea bags and coffee pads, making my beloved bugs the stars of the booklet, scraping, splattering and dragging paint...I even dared add my own hand-writing.
The inside spreads and the back cover:
I signed my work in red stamping paste using a little Jade stamp that I had had cut on my trip to Hong Kong. It is supposed to read "Clau-di-a" (at least the guy said he would try to carve in the syllables of my first name like he hears them ;)
The pages one by one again (because I tried to design them so they can be looked at either way - as spreads or as single pages)
Some details
Cutting dies designs (and some stamps): Seth Apter
Rubber/clear stamps: Moodtape, Tim Holtz (Stampers Anonymous)
Paints, collage medium: DecoArt
Walnut ink (Tsukineko) , PITT Artist Pen, white gel pen
Stamping ink: Ranger
Embossing powders on die cut scraps: Emerald Creek Craft Supplies
MDF wood shape scraps: Calico Craft Parts
Paper: Marabu Mixed Media pad, 300 g/m2
