Post holiday ramblings....

Continuing on with my class on shabby journals in fabric and paper (Pure EXPERIMENTATION with Mary Ann Moss) , I snapped a few shots  earlier yesterday of my first attempt to create the pages and uploaded them early this morning after a few attempts at going to sleep.  One thing lead to another, and  truly half asleep, I ended up adding a few digital elements on top of the photos.  Here's what transpired.... 

A Thought, A-Way

I believe that the choices one makes in choosing a combination of images to create a collage, almost always have a message attached to them in some subtle form or another whether intended or not.  What I set out to create is always  different than what eventually takes form.  Although, occasionally it is only in hindsight that the message speaks.   This particular 'collection' of images  seems right now to reflect a sense of gratitude I feel  and as the title may suggest, a fledgling yet, secure feeling  that I will realize my creative goals if I believe in myself.  Sometimes I wonder, if it is at all necessary to attach a meaning....but it seems to be largely part of being human.

Thanks  to each of you again  who encourage me to stretch and give me permission to let it happen without judgment.  One of my goals this year is to give myself permission to 'get into a flow', a pathway that bypasses self-doubt.  This is a huge stretch for me as I have a tendency  to be a private  and self-critical person.  Four years ago I would have cringed at the thought of creating a blog 'wide open' to the world.  Now, I can't imagine not having this "place"  in my life.

Post Script:

Immediately after pressing PUBLISH POST to the above entry, I found this Daily OM at the top of my inbox. Synchronicity? A penny for your thoughts....

Revealing Your True Self
Essential Authenticity
Identity is an elusive concept. We feel we must define ourselves using a relatively small selection of roles and conscious character traits, even if none accurately represents our notion of “self.” The confusion surrounding our true natures is further compounded by the fact that society regularly asks us to suppress so much of our emotional, intellectual, and spiritual vibrancy. Yet we are, in truth, beings of light—pure energy inhabiting physical bodies, striving for enlightenment while living earthly lives. Our true selves exist whether we acknowledge them or not, often buried under fears and learned behavior. When we recognize our power, our luminosity, and our divinity, we cannot help but live authentic lives of appreciation, potential, fulfillment, and grace.

At birth and throughout your childhood, your thoughts and feelings were more than likely expressions of your true self. Though you may have learned quickly that to speak and act in a certain fashion would win others’ approval, you understood innately that you were no ordinary being. There are many ways you can recapture the authenticity you once articulated so freely. Meditation can liberate you from the bonds of those earthly customs that compel you to downplay your uniqueness. Also, communing with nature can remind you of the special role you were meant to play in this lifetime. In order to realize your purpose, you must embrace your true self by letting your light shine forth, no matter the consequences.

Rediscovering who you are apart from your roles and traits takes time and also courage. If, like many, you have denied your authenticity for a long while, you may find it difficult to separate your true identity from the identity you have created to cope with the world around you. Once you do find this authentic self, however, you will be overcome by a wonderful sense of wholeness as you reconcile your spiritual aspect and your physical aspect, as well as your inner- and outer-world personas. As you gradually adjust to this developing unity, your role as a being of light will reveal itself to you, and you will discover that you have a marvelous destiny to fulfill.

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