Here was the task.
“Collage: Collect a stack of at least 10 magazines, which you will allow yourself to freely dismember. Setting a twenty-minute time limit for yourself, tear (literally) through the magazines, collecting any images that reflect your life or interests. Think of this collage as to a form of pictorial autobiography. Include your past, present, future, and your dreams. It is okay to include images you simply like. Keep pulling until you have a good stack of images (at least 20). Now take a sheet of newspaper, a stapler, or some tape or glue, and arrange your images in a way that pleases you.”
I broke a lot of rules with this one, but I’m very happy with my final product. The book was published in 1992, and sometimes I think the age shows a little bit… like in this exercise. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a drawer full of magazines lying around, and I didn’t want to go out and buy some. So, instead of 10 magazines, I used the 3 that I had. I had a luxury magazine filled with beautiful images of vacation spots and, well, luxury. I had an Oxygen fitness magazine, and finally an ikea catalog. So, with these 3 magazines spread out by my feet I started ripping. I wasn’t really thinking about past, present, or future. I mostly just ripped anything out that caught my eye. Anything that gave me a tingling feeling, or that made me turn the page back to take a second look came out. I had a pretty good pile by the end of it.
Then came the fun part. I took out a piece of sketching paper, some scissors, and some glue and I started to cut my pictures into prettier shapes and worked at arranging them on the sheet. This is where my inner creative really came out. When I first started leafing through my magazine, I felt like I was maybe just doing it because I had put it in my schedule that I would do this today. But when the time came for laying out the pictures I started to get particular. I started experimenting: can I put this here? What can I put into this gaping hole? What if I trim this picture just a little bit more?
Although I went into this exercise not really expecting to get much out of it, despite myself I actually really enjoyed myself. I came out with an inspirational collage that reflects the direction I want my life to take. I want to have Tosca Reno’s posterior, and I want to experience the luxury and serenity pictured in this photo. I also want to experience all of this with my partner in crime Greg Melanson. I think that this collage reflects my preference towards solitude and strong intimate relationships. I am truly an introvert.
Try this exercise yourself. Take out however many magazines you have and go crazy. Don’t stick to any rules, just rip out what appeals to you. The pattern that appears from this exercise will tell you a lot about yourself, and your values.
GOAL SETTING
In the vein of yesterdays post about persistence, I have another challenge for all of you. I did this last night, and it has really shifted my energy in a positive way. Answer these questions for yourself.
- 5 goals that I’m going to accomplish in the next month
- ” ” the next 3 months
- ” ” the next 6 months
- ” ” the next 9 months
- ” ” the next year
- ” ” the next 3 years
- ” ” the next 5 years
After you have finished… I will tell you the next step in tomorrows post. Don’t be afraid to be ambitious with this. For example, in my goals for 5 years from now I put “get nominated for an oscar.” Why not? This is your life, so for God’s sake DREAM BIG!!!! This is your life, and guess what? You don’t get another one. So why wouldn’t you go all the way.
I’m going to leave you with this quote printed in the margins of “The Artist’s Way.”
“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars”
– Les Brown