Sometimes we have to allow ourselves to be different

There are times when I'm writing, when I channel an experience or a voice that isn't mine, but that I take ownership of in the name of creativity. To do that, I have to suspend my sense of identity and give my self permission to be different.

Sometimes when I'm in my studio, the same thing happens. I find myself drawn to colors, form, and expression that are not "me" in the conventional way. I almost didn't post this latest set of cards because I wasn't sure anyone would like them, but why not give people a chance to love them or hate them or remain undecided? If you feel limited by the beautiful but homogenized designs you find in the stationery aisle, my cards provide another option.

This series of abstract cards is all about mood and not about suiting a specific occasion, transmitting a specific image, or confining an idea with words.

The beauty of abstract art is that what it means and the response it conjures is determined almost entirely by the viewer and not by the artist.

Abstract art asks open-ended questions: What do you see? How do you feel? What do you think about it?

These one-of-a-kind cards offer a bold and different experience to the sender and the recipient. They could be thank you notes or a birthday card for a teenager, the perfect card to say "I'm sorry"  or a way to convey to someone just how original you think they are.

These cards feature a small acrylic painting on canvas-textured paper enhanced with mixed media and mounted on embossed heavy cardstock. They are 4.25" x 5.5" and have a substantial feel. The set of four comes with silky white envelopes. Colors may vary slightly from what you see on your monitor. Created in a smoke-free environment, they are shipped first class mail in a padded mailer.

The $20 price includes shipping and handling. Send an e-mail to veronica@v-grrrl.com with shipping information and when you receive order confirmation, you may pay here:

Comments

[alejna]

These are really, realy cool.

[Susan Raihala]

I've decided it's wrong to think of ourselves in limited terms...an authentic self? What, really, does that singular do for us? It defines our edges and so puts us in a box. We don't belong in boxes. We are flexible, organic, changeable, growing beings, not packaged goods.

I'm always surprised when I post a card or project that isn't "my style" and readers get annoyed with me or express disappointment in the post. I think when people stretch themselves, others don't quite know how to react. "Who is this person who did the unexpected? Shame on them for not fulfilling my expectations!" Have branding and marketing so sublimated our creative selves that we can't stand originality in others?


From another perspective, when I started writing my blog, my husband said, "Susan, I didn't know you were so funny!" That comment caught me by surprise. I guess "in real life" I'm not a comedian, but in my head and heart, I most certainly am.

Your abstract cards are lovely, balanced, and strong. I'm glad you shared them. Thanks for being brave enough to do so.

[V-Grrrl]

"We don't belong in boxes. We are flexible, organic, changeable, growing beings, not packaged goods. "

Exactly!

Alejna and Susan, thank you for your kind words.