For April

Okay folks - you are finally getting some light shed on your Visual Media Exercises.  These exercises come from Eric Maisel's Creativity for Life.  This book has been a real eye-opener for understanding the artist and the creative personality.  It's helping me understand myself better and to resolve personal challenges that I have as a creative individual - there are so many times I read a paragraph and think "YES!  That is me!  That happens to me and that is how I feel!  Finally, someone understands me and my emotions... "

The title of this post is "For April" because she might have been the only person to have completed all 4 exercises.  That I know of anyway.  I hope this is as enlightening and revealing of an experience for you (the plural form) as it was for me, and that you all have kept your exercises seeing how it's been so long since I posted the exercises. 

(If you haven't completed the exercises - and want to benefit from the answers - quickly go to the post and finish before reading on, or redo them for a fresh analysis.  I think you will be pleased to have done so.)

Okay.

Here we go.  Here are your answers.  And I am going to get personal here and share my exercises as examples.  So here's to holding nothing back... 

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#1 Close your eyes and fantasize about a chasm.  Design a way of crossing that chasm, imagining that you have every means known (or unknown as yet) at your disposal.  Then open your eyes and draw your solution.

Observe your solution silently.  Note the size of the chasm (the problem) and the inventiveness, efficiency, and safeness of the solution.  If there is a rope bridge across it, is it tied securely?  If the chasm is huge, does that represent how you feel about the problem?  Did you reach the solution with little thought, or did you give it a great deal of consideration?

Observe nonjudgmentally.  See if you can reach new conclusions about crossing this chasm; see if you can come up with new, more varied ways of coping with problems.

I was not extremely creative or inventive while designing a way to get across my chasm...and as you can see, my chasm or problem is not very wide, but it is very deep, and if I fall I will fall a long ways.  Not even a rushing river at the bottom - just dust and pebbles.  I desire a safe and sturdy solution to resolve my problem (whatever that is), one that has a solid base and sides to keep me from falling off.  (Note the metal bands holding the base together, and the very high protection on each side).

I guess I want to feel safe and secure in resolving problems.  If I feel safe and secure, then I can cross any chasm of any depth.  So now I need to discover what makes me feel safe and secure.  Or I need to become more inventive in how I solve my chasms.  

(I can imagine if my brother in law KC did this - he would have a picture of himself flying over his chasm...he's like a superhero or something).

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#2 Fold a large piece of paper into quarters.  Silently draw in the first quarter a symbolic representation of "Where do I come from?"  After a few moments, draw a symbolic representation on the second quarter, "Where do I want to go?"  Next, draw a representation of "What is in my way?"  Finally draw one of "How am I going to overcome my obstacles?"
Look inside yourself and be very honest with each of these questions.  The results are always best when one is honest with oneself.

Grow aware of what you perceive as the obstacles confronting you and of your solutions to overcoming those obstacles.

As you can see from my lovely graphics I came from a place of light, and I want to go to an even greater place of light.  What is in my way?  

Well, it is apparent that cookies and cakes and M&M's are.  I LOVE M&M's - the peanut and peanut butter variety.  They even have a new coconut version out!  But candies and cookies make me sick, which makes me unproductive and unpleasant and that does not lead to progression.  

Also McDonald's is getting in my way.  I LOVE their $.79 burger and fries.  It's my little obsession in life.  And their $.99 sunday with extra fudge gets me every time.  These aren't horrible things - it could be worse, but again - these types of food items give me fuzzy heads and bad moods and then I don't get stuff done.  I need to keep these under control.  

The pillow represents sleep.  Sometimes I have a hard time getting out of bed.  It's hard to grow in life if you are not living life.  And laying in bed too long is again - not productive and won't lead to success.  Those little rocks I drew represent everyday obstacles that I face, that we all face.  Sometimes our days are just hard and a lot of little blocks can get tiresome and annoying. 

How am I going to overcome my obstacles?  As I drew it - I am going to laugh out loud to feel good about life.  I am going to pray for help and look in the mirror and think positive thoughts and say nice things about myself.  I am going to love, and be a strong woman.  Study and exercise will help too.  I figured these items will help me resolve my obstacles which is depicted to the left, and help me get where I want to go, which is depicted directly above.

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#3 Take a fantasy trip with closed eyes.  Walking along a country road with a fishing pole over your shoulder, you come upon a stream.  Cast the line into the water and, after a few moments, reel in what you have caught in your fantasy.  With your eyes open draw what you have caught.  Now write a story about the object at the end of the line (it doesn't have to be long).

In a sense you will be talking about yourself and how you feel about your life at the moment.  How do you see yourself?

 

This is my story.  It is called "Star Catcher"

This star is a special star.  It comes from a certain region of the universe where it learned to laugh; laugh and cry.  Every time it laughs it twinkles and glitters.  And every time it cries, its tears polish itself, making it even shinier and brighter.  


Now how did such a star end up in a pond only to be caught on the end of my fishing line?  Well, it turns out I wasn't fishing in an earthly lake, but a heavenly sky.

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#4 Create two animals on one piece of paper.  They don't have to look like anything you have ever seen.  Take about 10 minutes to do the drawing.  Describe the animals you have drawn.  Write down three adjectives that describe them.  Note the animals' expression.  Can you make up something that the animals might want to say to each other?  Can you write a free verse or fantasy about what the animals say or do?

The second animal often has qualities that contrast to those of the first.  This exercise generally reveals polarities, contrasts, or conflicts within a person; it will show different, sometime opposing facets of personality.  The absence of mouth, for example, suggests difficulty in communicating.  Observe and learn from the fantasy animals you've created.

Well - now that you all know the depths of my soul - here we get even deeper.  I was so surprised to find that I had indeed drawn two completely different characters.  And I was so surprised to find that they both represent me very well.  Ha.

Me. version #1: goofy, gullible, and brilliant.  That is exactly me.  I am goofy.  I am gullible - and I'll admit - I am brilliant.  Lol.  And just look at that guy!  His style reminds me of myself when I was in elementary school - something that is aching to manifest itself again once I have some money to spend on clothing.  He's excited, full of energy and adventure!  He wants to go find a watermelon for crying out loud!  That's great!  I like this version of me.  Even if the gullible side can get a little frustrating for me.

That last sentence lends itself perfectly in observing...

Me, version #2: ignorant, frustrated, teachable.  This guy looks a bit "Eeyorish" in personality.  He probably just had some McDonalds and M&M's.  And what is on his head, I don't know!  But I can be ignorant - oh yes.  It's true.  It may tie into the gullible part of me.  (Which can lead to an overtone on mistrust on my part, unfortunately).  Frustrated.  Yes - I can get that way with so many things in my life and with myself.  BUT - this guy is teachable.  That's redeeming.  Sometimes I feel exactly how he looks and is behaving.

This particular exercise was uncanny for me.  A real treat even - it helped me realize my two opposing sides that yes - I do indeed have.  It helped me see what qualities I enjoy possessing, and helped me recognize some attitudes that I have been carrying that I would like to work on leaving behind.

(Note, they both kind of have big mouths, hmmm...maybe I over-analyze or emphasize communication - or maybe communication is a big deal to me, not necessarily a great thing depending on the situation...)

How did it turn out for you guys?  You don't need to get personal or share specifics like I did - but I am curious if you felt this was as successful for you as I felt it was for me.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.