I have been working in the 5 Stages of Grief journal, and this one on depression was actually an AHA moment. I used the 3D stickers on the right side, and used ink to dull them down (grey, red, black). I have been using tracing paper between pages to keep the ink from bleeding, and the ink literally acted as a stamp and imprinted onto the tracing paper every time I moved it. I decided to use those ‘imprints’ as an illustration of the impact the stage of depression has on life. I then looked up the definition of depression and wrote the tiny descriptions within the mash up of letters.
I showed a friend this page and she started crying. She said it put into words exactly how she had been feeling. I had no idea. We then had a very good, very long conversation about dealing with our emotions after death interrupts our world; it was an uplifting and encouraging conversation as we both had someone to talk with about what was going on in our lives.
We will have the journal on display during our celebration of Dad’s life today. We are asking people to add their comments or sign, or both to contribute to the breadth of how death impacts so many people’s lives. Being able to illustrate, design, create even write out so many amazing words, phrases, quotes about the impact of the five stage of Grief has been very cathartic. And it has been wonderful to collaborate with members of my family on how they are experiencing this process, putting their ideas into words or pictured for others to share.
When I started this journal, almost two months ago, I had no idea how many people would contribute and want to be included. Creativity and being open to putting things onto paper is such a gift, in so many ways. It is not finished yet, many more pages to share…funny ones, sad ones…just thoughts, things and experiences from all of us impacted by Dad’s death.
Thank you all for your support, and keep reading. More exciting calligraphy and ideas to share as we close out this calendar year.
Ann Art Gallery Blog 