Visual storytelling

I love stories...don't you?  When it's all said and done...life is about stories.   Stories shape our lives...they form our identity.  Stories have the power to make us feel impoverished or empowered.  They tell us where we came from and where we're going.  They tell us who we are.  We all need a story...a story of hope...of dreams...of joy...of making a difference in our world each day.

Art has power to shape our stories in ways that inspire and give us courage to walk along our God given path with joy and purpose...unafraid of the obstacles along the way.  Why not tell those stories of our lives with pictures as well as words?  Instead of having photos and family momentos in the back of a drawer somewhere...wouldn't it be better to arrange them into a visual story told from your hearts point of view?  Which brings me to my collage...

I went back to Tennessee a few weeks ago to visit our daughter, Amy, son-in-law, Randy and grandson, Wesley.  Amy and Randy have a farm in the rolling hills south of Nashville.  They raise milk goats, chickens, ducks, cows and horses.  I took some pictures on the way to the goat barn one sunny fall morning. The old abandoned farmhouse behind their vegetable garden looked stunning against the bright morning sun.  The picture turned out so well, I wanted to use it as a centerpiece for a collage.

When Amy was about 6 years old, I asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up.  She said, "A singer by day and a farmer by night!"  Chuck and I thought that was so funny.  We said, "Wouldn't it be better to be a farmer by day and a singer by night?"  She stuck with her first choice. 

Today, Amy sings every morning to her goats, Nannette, Georgette, Maisy, Polly and the new Billy Goat, Jean Paul.   At dusk, she and Randy round up the chickens and put them in their coop.  Singer by day...farmer by night.  It seems to be working out! 

The collage is just one thread of Amy's story...told from the heart. 

Don't worry, Laurie, your story's next!!

My collage was inspired by a magazine I bought last week called Somerset Digital Studio. It had some great ideas for digital collage with understandable instructions.  My collage was created in Photoshop CS3 and is made up of over 34 layers. I made several other versions but liked the above one best.  But, one of the best things I learned was about a website...obsidiandawn.com which has tons of free brushes and patterns you can download to use with Photoshop or Elements.   I could not have made this collage without the cool brushes and patterns from Obsidian Dawn.  Thanks, Stephanie, for sharing your talent with the rest of us!   Note to artists:  If you work in Photoshop you owe it to yourself to check out Obsidian Dawn!!  Here's just a sampling of some of the brushes I downloaded free!