Art as Spiritual Practice: Collage Virtual Exhibit, Inspired by Marla Taviano's please cut up my poems
Taking poem art to the extreme...
Some very exciting news! As I shared recently, my friend Marla wrote a lovely, creative, snarky, laugh-out-loud poetry collection—with a twist. please cut up my poems: and make some art! is designed to inspire your creativity to the extreme. (The title is serious after all! ✂️🎨📖)
And so in honor of that, today, I’ll be sharing a virtual exhibit: with some collage art I made inspired by please cut up my poems—featuring poems written by Marla and a group of other poets1.
For me, creating this art was spiritual practice2 because it was an invitation to four things:
(1) to connect with the art and poetic proclamations of other poets,
(2) to celebrate the spiritual questions and insights brought about in these poems,
(3) to enter into the conversation by adding art,
(4) and to re-imagine old words and/or materials into something new—a resurrection of sorts. (Because Marla also sent me some secondhand books and other upcycled materials to integrate into the art, and I also used a lot of art supplies I already had, which is rooted in care for the earth.)
Okay, so with that groundwork laid, let’s get into some poem art!
Poem Art Piece # 1: Based on “rules” and “bust out” by Marla Taviano
This first one features two Marla poems from the book, both centered on the idea of questioning assumptions.
And to me, this Amelia Bedelia page—where the characters are gleefully holding scissors and other crafting supplies—perfectly fit the DIY, rule-breaking spirit of these poems.
Poem Art Piece # 2: Based on “don’t be afraid” by Marla Taviano
This second one continues that theme of questions—but uses another Marla poem that looks at the feeling of fear through that process.
And this illustration of an aggressively unsure wolf surrounded by beautiful wildflowers? What a deconstruction vibe! (Aren’t we all that wolf? Or is that just me?) I added shiny leaf stickers to frame this scene.
Poem Art Piece # 3: Based on “words are my magic” by Katie Anne Jamieson
I made this bookmark because I was inspired by this stunning poem about magic and words, by Katie Anne Jamieson (another poet featured in please cut up my poems).
Poem Art Piece # 4: Based on “Emergency Wonder” (my contribution to please cut my poems)
It was really fun to do an art journal page based on something I had written, and it was such an honor to get to be a part of this anthology!
(To learn more about the concept of emergency wonder, I’ve written about it here.)
Poem Art Piece # 5: Based on “day moon” by Marla Taviano
If you’ve been around All The Threads for awhile, you know I love the moon. So you can imagine my joy when I read this poem3.
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Thank you for visiting this digital exhibit. I hope the poetry and collages inspired your own art! You can find please cut up my poems here, and if you like Marla’s poetry, you should definitely check out writing wholefarted, her Substack newsletter.
Also, what art do you all like to make? Let me know in the comments.
In Wonder,
Kandi Zeller (she/her)
And full disclosure, I am one of those poets, which was a huge honor.
When I describe or experience any tool/practices as spiritual, I want to acknowledge that that is not everyone’s experience. Any practice/tool I share is meant for all, regardless of spiritual label (or lack of label) or whether you experience these tools as spiritual or as some other adjective(s). Labels, while helpful in describing our experiences, are ultimately insufficient, so I want to hold space for that tension here.
I liked it so much I put it in my grimoire, which is basically my magickal art journal.
I love this soooooooooo much, Kandi!! 🥰🥰🥰 Your passion and creativity inspire me!! 🖤🖤🖤
This is beautiful - thanks for sharing!