Over a series of weeks we will dip into a breadth of creative activities, drawing from a variety of resources, that invite us into a space where we encounter God and reflect on our Christian life and praxis. To give a loose sense of connection across the series we’ll frame them with an Opening, close with a Benediction and include a time of prayer each week. We recognise everyone as spiritual beings and welcome people of all faiths and none. We encourage you to bring a journal or blank notebook if you have one.
WEEK ONE
The activity this week is taken from:
The Artist’s Rule: Nurturing Your Creative Soul with Monastic Wisdom
This book by Christine Valters Paintner draws on The Rule of St. Benedict summarised in the phrase “pray and work,” it explores the mutually nourishing relationship between contemplative practices and creative expression.
We did the Wisdom cards activity together.
For those playing at home you will need:
- 3 x sheets A5 watercolour paper (for each person)
- Invisible tape
- Watercolours
- Paintbrushes
- Pens to write
- Magazines to cut up words and images
- Glue sticks
The first thing we do is prayerfully consider a question we might ask our inner child (what do you visualise when you hear the words “inner child”?) – write this question on the back of one of your A5 sheets of paper. You can decide for yourself if you want your canvass landscape or potrait!
[Tip: This is not a magic 8 ball. You will get a lot more out of this exercise if you ask BIG open-ended, existential type questions like “Who am I?” and “What is the meaning of all of this?” over small questions like “Should I buy tickets for the Mumford and Sons concert?”]
Next, our inner Wise One (what do you visualise when your hear the words “inner Wise One” or monk?) – write this question on the back of another of your sheets of A5 paper.
And thirdly, a question we might ask them both together.
Turn these so they are blank side up and shuffle them around so you aren’t sure which question is on which card. Now tape them down to the table, blank side up, with the invisible tape. This stops the paper moving around while you’re painting and gives your work a clean border when you peel it off later.
If you’re resource sharing, at this point some might paint while others cut up magazines. It doesn’t matter what order you do this in. Flick through some magazines and cut out anything that jumps out at you. Words, phrases, images… anything that captures your attention or seems to speak to you. Once you have a decent pile in front of you switch to painting and colour as you feel. Some will instinctively feel bright and light, or dark; be highly detailed or minimal splashes of colour – there is no right or wrong way to do this. Go with your gut.
Now collage. Drawing from your pile – try this image with that phrase – does it fit with this one of your cards or that one? You might need to go back to the magazines, you might find you only use 10 of the 40 things you cut out. It doesn’t matter. Your cards will kind of speak to you, when the right words and images are assembled you will hear them and know that the card is “finished” and you can glue everything down in place.
Now you can gently peel away the invisible tape and see which question is written on the back of which card. Consider what synergy there is between our questions and these creative answers, the premise being we can often know answers to our own questions but we have to sneak up on ourselves to figure it out. Write these reflections in your journal.
Find somewhere to prop your cards for a week where they can be a visual cue. In a week, sit with your notebook again and see if there is any further learning/awareness to be drawn from your wisdom cards.
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