Walking the streets of a sidewalk art show this past weekend, I was called over to a table by a woman with a pair of scissors in her hand.
Grace (not her real name) cuts up mailing labels and makes mosaics of birds, buildings, landscapes – anything you can think of. I confess to initial skepticism of the creations, but the more I looked at her work, the more I liked it. Grace was able to take something we see as ordinary – mailing labels – and recycle them into an interesting work of art.
Mosaic As Metaphor
Mosaic Portraiture to honor a special person
Mosaic struck me as a metaphor for my work.
- Working with women who don’t see the beauty of who they are in their present form.
- Women who want to change and remake themselves.
- Women who already have all the “makings” to be an outstanding piece of work.
- Women who are capable of unique creativity.
- Women who need to start honoring themselves.
Recycling Yourself
Scientific research suggests that the earth’s resources are being depleted too quickly to sustain a healthy balanced environment. To slow down the depletion of our resources we need to recycle.
My anecdotal research suggests that many women’s individual resources are also being depleted too quickly:
- by negative self talk
- by taking care of others more than they take care of themselves
- by suppressing who they are
- by being and doing what others tell them and resenting it
- by not speaking up for themselves
It becomes increasingly difficult for women who are depleting themselves to maintain a balance of health and well-being.
“Recycling is reusing materials in original or changed forms rather than discarding them as wastes. In reusing material or changing material into new materials rather than throwing it away the environment as well as we benefit from it.”
Recycling yourself, all of yourself, is crucial to your environment; to your family’s environment; and to the world. There is not a part of yourself that should be wasted. If you’re skeptical about this, think of Grace’s “ordinary” mailing labels. Rather than being wasted, they were transformed into a work of art, a thing of beauty.
Your Call To Action – Part 1
Reflect on ways you can transform how you think and feel about yourself. Look at yourself from different perspectives. Consider every part of you, not just the parts you may be unhappy with. What parts of yourself are you wasting? Sit with yourself and listen for your heart’s song of wisdom, a song you may not have heard in a long time.
Seeing With Fresh Eyes
As is my blogging way, I click away from my writing so I can come back and see it with fresh eyes. While I was gone, I found a beautiful post Lessons From A Tulip Magnolia that fit with the message of this post. I want to share a quote from it.
“[The tulip magnolia] and I lived in the same neighborhood for nineteen years before I noticed her. I walked past her and noted “tree on the corner” but I didn’t take the time to really see her. Once I opened my eyes and really looked at her, all I could see was her beauty down to the most minute detail because I took out my journal and sketched her. I spent time with her so that I could get to know her intimately: her quirks, her nuances, her unique form.”
How long have you lived with yourself and not taken the time to see who you really are?
Have you noticed your intricate detail, your unique nuances, your interesting quirks?
Your Call To Action – Part 2
Take all the pieces of yourself that you notice and recycle your thoughts about yourself into a mosaic. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. Your mosaic will be colorful, interesting and extremely valuable because it’s one of a kind.
picture from IMA – Institute of Mosaic Art
I would love to get to know you! Join me on 
We were meant to connect, without a doubt. My art is almost all “upcycling” in some form. My most common media is used books… I love books… oh, how I love books, and I went to so many used book sales and realized many were ending up in landfills rather than treasured so I created new ways to treasure them. The art I mentioned in my most recent blog post included a hymnal I rescued, a doll I “recreated” and windows from houses that were taken from a builders salvage yard. I think it was my best creative expression of visual art yet.
I’m excited that we connected Julie. I’m looking forward to reading more of your posts, but did not see an RSS feed. Do you have one?
I have many old windows that I saved from my house, now I’ll get ideas of what to do with them. Yes!
Hope you come by here again, Cherry
I love the idea of “recycling” ourselves to make an interesting work of art called “Me”. In other words, look no further–you’ve already got what you need to succeed or be what you want to be just rearrange, re-purpose, recycle! Perfect Cherry…a little stroll down Main St. does wonders. ~Pam
Thanks Pam.
Strolling, being outside does do wonders for creativity, fun and recycling. Cherry
Lovely concept for your art work, Julie:).
Love the recycling analogy, Cherry. If you keep this up, I’m gonna have to turn my counseling caseload over to you;). The great things about owning all your parts is you you don’t need to buy anything more. Think of how often we add layers upon layers of complexity and crap without bothering to look underneath for introspection.
I’m guilty of wasting some of my creativity, and hoarding the never ending to-do lists. I think I’ll stop by the recycling bin and drop off a few items today;).
Linda,
Good point about not having to add any more layers if we just own all our parts.
Introspection bears more fruit than analyzing someone else’s behavior and asking why they did that to us.
Cherry
Beautifully said Cherry. I like this post a ton! I have lots of great qualities that I’m not displaying to their full advantage. If I were to make a mosaic of my best and most underutilized qualities they would be:
creativity
ability to reduce complex concepts to bullet points
caring for my community
intelligence
thought leadership
Thank you Daria. I’m glad that you listed and therefore honored positive parts of you. Hoping you start to “own” and recognize them more. Cherry
I love this advice: “…listen for your heart’s song of wisdom.” The beauty of growth is what we discover insights that have universal value. The more we grasp them and pass them along, the more we multiply their impact. The “recycled” gifts of our discoveries enables others to expand their own wisdom. If we all just keep paying it forward, think how much more enlightened and at peace we can be. Great post, Cherry.
Thanks Dawn. I’m not as happy if I don’t listen to my heart’s song of wisdom.
Love the concept of paying it forward. Cherry