Writers need to explore visual creativity. Or maybe that’s not true of all writers but it’s certainly true for me. There are just times when the words get to be too much; times when I can’t think straight because there are just too many words and word choices and ideas expressed in language. When it gets to be that way, I turn to visual art. Sometimes I play around with it myself as a means of new expression. And sometimes I just observe it and enjoy it and try not to think about it in words.
Collage art has always been my favorite form of visual art in terms of how I like to creatively express myself. I like the cutting and pasting of different images to create something new. It seems to translate to what we do regularly as writers; we recraft the same themes in different ways so that they look new and make more sense and strike us differently. And collage art can also be meditative - taking apart, reassembling, shaping, changing …
In playing with collage art over the past few days, I rediscovered the art of the altered book. I had explored altered book art a few years ago because several friends left over from me penpalling days had started to get into making this kind of art. For those who don’t know, it’s the taking apart and changing of books. Sometimes the artists merely paints the pages of the book or collages over them. Other times, the book is cut or burned and reshaped into a new design. Many times, found objects become part of the collaged piece; it starts with a book as three dimensional canvas and becomes a work of art.
At the time, I didn’t get into doing this type of collage myself. For one thing, I had something of an inhibition about tearing up books. Sure, it was re-using them and re-purposing them and that’s fine. But I couldn’t quite bring myself to deface the books I owned. And I also was exploring photocollages at the time and felt that’s where my own artistic inclinations were best expressed. However, I’m seeking something new these days for creative expression and think that altered books might be a good step forward for me.
I have a bunch of books that I’m done with. They aren’t worth keeping around and they have no monetary value for resale. They aren’t in good enough condition to give them as gifts. And I don’t believe in just throwing books away. So perhaps trying my hand at some altered book art is a good choice right now. More importantly, I’ve recently discovered a new type of altered book art that I hadn’t seen previously. It’s called “found poetry”.
The artist chooses words on the page of the book to create a poem. The other words on the page are scratched out or painted over or collaged on top of. The poetry words stand out amidst an artistic creation. I’ve always loved the pairing of poetry with images. I’ve always liked collages that incorporated text. And I enjoy the idea of using words already on a page to create something that reads entirely differently than the original author intended. It’s an interesting creative challenge and one that I think can be used to open up new channels of thinking, a means of allowing new creative ideas to flourish.
Question of the Day: What experiences with altered book art can you share?
Related links: Altered Books by Judi Riesch, Karen’s Whimsy Altered Books, The Importance of Collage Art, Altered Book Artists
[Tags] altered book, art, creativity, writing, collage, books [/Tags]
In the past few months, I have taken to rarely eating meals. As a writer with a home office, I have frequent access to the refrigerator and the pantry. As a result, I regularly eat all day long. To cut down on calories and make the most out of my near-constant snacking, I have taken to really enjoying small plates throughout the day. Tiny plates decorated with a couple of orange slices, a single spiced egg and a chunk of pretzel bread make for a wonderful morning treat. An afternoon plate of a single slice off of a sushi roll atop spinach with a side of grapefruit has enough flavor to feel filling. Until the next snack which might be cheddar cheese and spple slices or a tiny bowl of taste-infused soup. The more that I’ve come to enjoy these periodic treats, the less interested I’ve become in big meals. They’re overwhelming, uncomfortable, distasteful.
What does this have to do with writing? Well, I attended a poetry event last night. (It was an inspirational North Beach poet affair, the details of which can be read about over at my San Fran Voice blog post.) And while I was there, I realized that poetry is strikingly similar to these little plates of food which have come to serve as my sustenance. The poetry reading lasted only an hour. For many events, an hour is just getting things started. But for poetry, an hour is plenty. In an hour, you can catch the tiny snippets of phrasing, the intensity of language … the flavor, if you will. You do not need more than this to feel creatively full.
I remember only a few specific lines of the poetry from last night. The line in the image above by Jessica Loos (which I hope I’ve quoted correctly) stood out because of the way that it touched raw truth with such simple phrasing. Another line of hers which I remember distinctly was “his echo punched the beauty inside me”. Who needs to know the entire story behind the line when the line itself is so poignant? Who need the entire three-course-meal when the appetizer alone can satiate?
The truth is that I will probably never be entirely satisfied by poetry as I am by small plates of food. I will always need to fill my mind more with the lengthy books that put weight in my hands and ideas in my brain. I will forever escape to the tales of fiction books when my own tales are boring or unbearable. I will always turn to the pages of non-fiction for advice, information, inspiration and more. But poetry serves an important purpose. It gives us what we need in tiny bites. When there isn’t time or need for more, poetry can fill the hunger.
[Tags] poetry, creativity, writing, life, language [/Tags]
