Cosmic Love Notes

I want to tell you a story about magic. Big Magic, to be exact. The kind that Elizabeth Gilbert talks about in her book of the same name. The kind that creativity is made from.

This is going to seem kind of rambly, but I need to give you some background before we get to the good stuff

For a long time I have been trying to figure out where to go with my art. I’ve been saying that I’m in a “transitional phase” for a couple of years now. I have felt like I wanted it to be more satisfying in a meaningful way, more intuitive; maybe even narrative, telling a story in some way, but not in a literal way. I couldn’t put my finger on it exactly.

I’ve also been thinking about getting back to mixed media for a long time. That is where my art really started. But there is so much stuff involved - papers, ephemera, stuff you save to reuse/recycle, etc., etc. So much stuff. I had put all that away a few years ago to focus on painting. So I was hesitant to drag it out again and have it take over my studio.

But a day came when I just knew it was time. So I got my stuff out, did a little studio reorganizing, and jumped back in.

I started following some great Instagram and YouTube accounts for inspiration and some tutorials to get back in the groove. I gelli printed, tea dyed, made new fodder, and made a few journals.

Now, the reason for this story…

One of the things I found in my stash was this little 3” journal with plain white pages. At some point I had done some stenciling on a couple of the pages with hot pink paint, so that set the tone for the book - bright happy color. I went through my scraps and collaged some random backgrounds on the pages, so that I could come back later and add more layers.

This is my preferred way to work in my art journals. Rather than completing a full spread in one sitting, I just add bits here and there throughout the book, as they speak to me, without much thought, and definitely without a plan.

This little cluster with the scribbly circle was in my stash, but I felt like it needed a word on it . So I looked through an old planner and the word “magic” jumped out at me. I added it to the cluster and attached it to the cover.

A few days later I glued in some very aged paper from a vintage book with the words “then what,” which seemed to fit the moment, since I had no idea where this was going. I also added the butterfly on the center spread. Then put it away for several days.

I started going through a little book that I found at a flea market years ago, called “Ways to Keep Your Soul Alive,” and as soon as I opened it, I saw words I had highlighted when I first got it.

“I am trying to keep my soul alive in times not hospitable to soul.”

That really hit me. It certainly applies to how I’m feeling about our world today. I opened my little “magic” journal to a random page and wrote in those words. Then I put it away.

I went through the book, cutting out words and phrases that I might use in my journals at some point. Occasionally one would really grab me and I laid those aside.

“Medicine for soul starvation”

“Cosmic love notes”

I stuck those on the front cover.

“That felt like magic”

On the back cover.

After I was finished I started kind of sorting the bits I had cut out into groups - funny, inspirational, etc. A few just kept catching my eye, ones about happiness. So I made a little pile of them, without much thought.

When I was done, I read through the happy pile, and it was a perfect little story for the little magic journal:

A cosmic love note.

Medicine for soul starvation.

I’ve been thinking about happiness.

To keep our flowerness alive. (I love this one so much!)

Almost every day contains at least one moment of happiness.

Spread goodness.

The most surprisingly beautiful thing.

We walk on beauty every day.

You can recapture the wonder.

The feeling of being awestruck.

To be in bliss.

More to life than we usually recognize.

Keep watching until you notice a miracle.

And wonders shall never, ever cease.

“That felt like magic.”

Because it was.

This is what I love about this process, and what I’ve been missing and looking for in my art. Seemingly random bits and pieces coming together in a way that isn’t actually random at all. It’s magic. Big Magic. Synchronicity. Cosmic love notes.