Fossils, flowers and a collage of pictures

I've had the Artist's Way weekly tasks pinned up on my desk this week as a way to urge myself into action. I've been quite excited about these as they involve doing, not just thinking. The ones I've been tackling have been:

• Find 5 pretty/interesting rocks
• Find 5 flowers/leaves
• Create a pictorial collage of your past, present, future and your dreams.

The thinking behind these tasks is all about appreciating yourself, your surroundings, and recovering a wonder and sense of possibility about the world.

For the first task I spent the evening at Kimmeridge Bay. Kimmeridge is a rugged, windswept bay full of smooth clacking pebbles and soft grey sand. The sea is shallow and warm, alive with forests of seaweed and swirling glittering grains of dark sand. I come here not only for the breathtaking views and gothic romance that clings to the cliffs, but also for the fossils and sheer beauty of the rocks. Here are my five finds:

For flowers, I didn't have to look much further than my garden. It's bursting with colour at the moment. From the indulgent red roses, to the sunshine dandelions, it's a kaliedescope of plants bursting into bloom.

The collage was really fun to do. You can see mine below, but first I'd like to share the process with you as I found it uplifting, insipiring and satisfying. Ideal for days when things are getting you down and you need something simple and fun to get you going.

First, arm yourself with at least 10 magazines - any kind of magazines. Don't limit yourself to only what you normally read but pick up free leaflets, or publications that grab your attention becasue of pictures, or colours, or words. The most important thing is that you are going to be ripping them up, so they need to be ones you're not intent on keeping. My stack included old copies of Wanderlust, Muse, Mslexia, Bookseller, Young Writer, National Trust, and Gardners' World.

Once you have your pile, limit yourself to twenty minutes and go through the magazines ripping out pages or images that appeal to you. Maybe you see something that reminds you of your past, or you notice a picture that embodies hopes for the future, or an image that encapsulates now, or maybe you rip out a page that just calls to you for whatever reason.Don't be too choosy, go on instinct, you can always discard later.

After twenty minutes you should have a good stack of images. Now it's time to arrange these in a pattern or an order that you like. Take a couple of sheets of newspaper, a stapler, some glue, sellotape and get to work arranging them. You may like to cut images down neater, and be more choosy about what you include. But try to work quickly, letting your instinct lead you. This is about throwing out a reflection of yourself and your memories and your hopes and dreams - it's not about constructing an artifice.

Once the collage is done, step back and admire. Then hang it somewhere special. Share it with others, or keep it private, whichever you prefer - but use it when you are feeling lost, or down, and it should brighten you, invigorate you and make you smile.

Mine is on the wall of my study. I'm really pleased with it. I love the combination of elements that I recognise as being intrinsic to myself: themes of fantasy, literacy, childhood, travel and exploration, wildlife - all this runs through my blood and is reflected in the images I chose. It reminds me of the colours of my soul whenever I begin to feel a little faded. Here's the finished collage, and some close up details.

My favourite image, without doubt, is the woman about to dive off the rock. It symbolises how I want to be: brave, fearless, bold, bright and daring. plunging into the unknown with a smile on my face.

This is how I aspire to be.









That's all for now. I have a crafty night planned tonight with two of my most favourite people - I can't wait.

Bye for now,

rb x