The Big Book of Creative Rules and Strange Oddities

Perhaps I should start this post as, "What I did over my Summer Vacation".  One of the few things that I did do creatively this summer was to start YET another new journal.  Really?  I know, but for me, they seem to be like potato chips, I can't stop at just one.  

This journal started out as a great find from Dollar Tree.  Cause ya gotta love Dollar Tree.  For a store where things are only A DOLLAR, I sure can spend allot of them there.   Anyway, it is a lovely book, and it drew me in because there were several pages of great black and white photo's involving mountain climbing.

 As I flipped through it, I was thinking how the gentleman (who was a mountain climber) that wrote it, must have known no fear.  And as I glanced through it, one theme became apparent, he persisted.  Fear and Persistance.  Two words that I always seem to wrestle with when it comes to being creative.

I decided to try it out as a journal and explore my thoughts on being creative and my fear of failure.  And thus began, "The Big Book of Creative Rules and Strange Oddities", the journaling being me giving myself advice.  Then I decided it would be a series of rules.   Rules that made sense, but were presented in a silly, nonsensical way.   

For the art part, I got started by removing several pages, and then going back and gluing some pages together.  Above, I've taken two of the pages and on the right, just gessoed over the existing page.  On the left, I've glued down scrap book paper and then gessoed over that.  Now these two pages are ready for when inspiration hits.

Above are two completed pages.  They did turn out a bit messier than intended, but that's OK.  I like the feel of them.  Again, gesso over the book pages and then layers of paint, scrap paper, stamping, sewing etc.  The rule for these pages,  "Fake it till you Make it", seemed to mirror the faces of those young men, as they took those first hesitant steps up the mountain.

Without a doubt, these two are my favorite pages in the whole book.  

For as long as I've been creating books, I've always loved flaps, pockets, windows, things that pop out and move.  And that is what these two pages do.  They are actually pockets.  And the little man on the clock face spins.  

The text reads, "How many times should you toot?  Spin to find that number!".  The strong man has a tiny horn that dangles off his arm.  He is ready to toot too.  For me, this falls under "rule # 29".  Because I really do hate saying, look at me, look at me.  

Well, when it comes to my art anyway.

Tomorrow I'll show you the pages called, "Baby Steps".