BraveGirlsArt With A Twist

 
 When I walked into the quiet studio last night before everyone arrived, I felt strangely different than I had just a year ago walking in to the same studio for the same event. Last night I felt calm; more centered, more confident, more energetic. Which is not to say that the last time was "less than," not at all. It was just new and I was nervous and afraid and unsure of myself. I was worried about my skills and my ability to teach anything, even though my classes with the girls had been successful thus far, and I'd had so much fun. It's different with my peers, and I was untrusting of myself.

But earlier, I had written a Marc Chagall quote on the tables, one that I believe fiercely to be true: If I can create from the heart, nearly everything works, if from the head, almost nothing. And so as I lit candles and set out snacks and placed the notes I had written to each participant on the tables, I looked around with a deep sense of pride for this space I have created, this place that feels like me. Calm and fun and quiet and boisterous, serious and silly, large and intimate. It felt like it encompassed everything that we actually all are inside. And out. And best of all it felt like this space invited creativity.

 The women trailed in and we started with a drink and some small talk, a loosening of sorts. Then we sat down and I asked them to take a look at the writing prompts. I asked them to answer questions like, What moves you? What speaks to you? To me, embracing my vulnerabilities means: and I spoke to them about being mindful of putting a part of their story into their art. Of the way that by doing so, we create something that others can find a piece of themselves in, too. Our art then becomes unique and special. We can be bold about it, putting our story front and center, or quiet and nuanced leaving it under layers for only our self to know it is there. Just like the studio, art is full to brimming with the various pieces of us.

I asked them to think about these questions and write for a few minutes and then take their time and walk around the room to see what supplies I had collected. I had chosen two projects to work on--an Altoid tin assemblage piece and a collage on a wood block. I told them to think about composition and color and the elements they brought from home. I told them the same thing I tell the girls: to jump in. There are no mistakes. There are happy missteps. But no mistakes. I told them to play. To trust. To try.

 And they did. They showed up in spades. They played. They tried things, when it didn't work out they way they hoped, they tried something different. They trusted the process. They created from the heart. And nearly everything worked. Their smiles got bigger, the laughter and the chatter flew sometimes, they were quiet in other moments. They hula hooped and I juggled. They typed on the typewriter, they had fun. They were relaxed. And so was I. And their pieces are wonderful and unique. True expressions of each of them.

 I got an email from Danielle today. It said;
Just wanted to say thank you for last night... It was so much fun to experiment and learn different techniques in art... I got so inspired that when I got home I started to paint and reupholster an old chair I found in my parents barn ... Jeff and I were watching a movie and I was sitting on the floor painting 'til 3 AM... And got up this morning to show the kids and broke out all my art stuff and a couple of canvases and got the kids painting for the last three hours...So, thank you for the inspiration! You are great ! I really look forward to taking more of your classes ...
 I thought my heart would burst. And I knew why I felt so calm and peaceful last night before everyone arrived. Because I have created this space from my heart. And nearly everything works.

Maya's nest

Pieces of Danielle's life come together beautifully

Jennifer's memories of her daughter's childhood

Connie's block. I love the origami crane and the piece of
wrapping paper she saved from her 1st Christmas with her
husband, 11 years ago: From your  husband and future father
of your children. How brave she was to add this
precious piece of their story...

Nella's elegant tribute to her dogs, Sobe and Frisco

Ruth's wish

Bitter Sweet

The last day of camp is always so bittersweet. Each time I forget how attached I'll get, how much I come to love and appreciate them for the little people they are. I am so thrilled to have had the time with the girls, to accomplish all that we did in a week, so have created art and memories, to bond with them the way we do. So the last few moments are hard. The good bye is hard. I get lots of hugs and it feels great to know they will miss me, too!


Friday was big fun. It was our field trip to the Montclair Art Museum. We spent a few minutes in the studio packing up our stuff and gathering our lunches and then we headed out. A minor glitch when I realized the museum doesn't open until noon on Fridays and it was 10 AM, but we made the best of it. We sat in the grass and checked out the statues (Madi thinks the big head looks just like her dad!), climbed trees, and talked about camp. The girls told me all the things they loved and we made another yarn circle to remind us of our bond as girls and artists! Then we walked to Aunt Jean's Toys & Treats to find Madi's dad's book If I Made A Movie, which she read to us with great enthusiasm. So we had a field trip within a field trip!

 Back at the museum we wandered through the galleries, marveling at the teeny tiny baskets and beaded dresses made by Native Americans, combing through the abstract art, and we even got to see the artwork made by the kids who were at camp at the museum this week. Some really cool ideas I'll keep in my pocket for another BraveGirlsArt session.... 

 We found a great nook in the back hallway with floor to ceiling windows and an amazing mural on the whole entire wall. I gave the girls mini canvases and paint pens and they got to work creating a painting based on a piece of the mural. The were all so creative and gorgeous. And the tiny canvases were a big hit! They also worked in their art journals and we talked and laughed and juggled until it was time to pack up and head "home."

Madi's bird-haired girl

Ella's gorgeous colors, inspired by the mural

Abby's vibrant apple heart

We had a great week!

I hope the girls loved this week together as much as I did. I hope they keep pieces of it tucked away in their hearts. When we made our yarn circle in the grass I asked them each to make a wish before I cut the ties. My wish was that each one of them always remembers how powerful it is to be creative, how great it feels to be a girl, and how brave they can be!

Day 2: Type-Rider Comes to Visit

Art is all about paint and pencils, right?? WRONG. Art comes in many forms, and today I let the girls in on a not-so-secret secret . . . writing is a very valuable art form. Maya Stein, Type-Rider came to visit BraveGirlsArt camp today! She brought her typewriter, photographs and stories from her journey, and a few great ideas. 
After beginning our morning with a chat and painting some primer on boxes we would complete later, Maya gave the girls each a piece of paper and asked them to wander around the room and look for words. She told them to try to find their words in unusual places and write down at least fifteen. Then while we were eating our snack, we began to play exquisite corpse the way it was originally played in parlors long ago--as a writing game. 




Maya asked the girls (and Ruth and I) to take their first five words and write a wildly imaginative sentence or sentences to start a story. Then we passed our story starter to the left and the next person used the second set of five words to add to the original story, and then we passed again, and so on. At the end of the session we each got a chance to type our last line on the typewriter and then we read our stories. They were hilarious and creative and so fun to read. A few of my favorite lines were:

The words said: Your hidden future is about to become a reality.

Then the girl made a simple wish. She wished that the blue creature would go away because it made no sense. So the creature went away. In its place was a sparkling colorful monster.

We are all the same form the very beginning, before we ever wake up, before we say hello, before anything.

 

She grew angrier and angrier and all her wishes left her mind. The girl was left all alone with oil on her belly and snakes around her waist. She started to breathe and with each new breath she took, something special started to happen. I am in charge of my own destiny, she thought. I can change my story. 

Feel the light on your face. Watch the birds take flight. Stop moving. Let yourself be filled with the art that is Earth, which would not fool the top happiness people.

She measured and measured and measured the inchworm, then came upon a dog sitting on the sidewalk with a mirror. He was experimenting on the stars.

While we ate lunch Maya told the girls stories from her trip and shared some of her photographs and videos. They loved looking at the map to see how far she had gone on her bicycle and wanted to hear more about the campgrounds and share stories of their own adventures. They talked about fears and how fear can stop you from doing things you want to do, or make you try it just to get over them. 

The girls typed secret messages and wishes for themselves and for strangers on the typewriter, and then we went outside on the patio for some spray painting! Always a camp favorite (and admittedly my favorite, too). They spray painted the boxes they had painted this morning, their journal covers and some tags and rocks to use as a super secret surprise project we are planning for tomorrow. 

Phew! It was a jam-packed day. I was exhausted after all that typing and storytelling and writing and painting. Not to mention hula hooping! I said goodbye to the girls and came straight home to take a nap. 

Stay tuned tomorrow for our adventures in Guerilla Art . . .