Autumn Rhythms, Co-Creation,Time, Transformation.

Eco-Art Photo Prompt.

An Autumn Invitation.

〰 I invite you to step outdoors and gather freshly fallen leaves to create eco-art such as a connecting circle. This eco-art prompt is a means to notice and bring a more immediate awareness to the shifts and changes of plants and trees as they prepare and transition into their winter state.

〰 Every few days mindfully harvest a new material that has ‘landed’ in your outdoor space and add these discoveries to your existing creation. This is a respectful way to harvest what you find on the ground and build on what you have already created. As you are sourcing and collecting, note all the beauty witnessed (from colours both intense and vibrant, through nuanced shifts of fading and withering forms).

〰 Continue this process over a series of days. How long can you continue to add to and/or modify your existing eco-art creation? Are you able to create your outdoor art in a place that offers protection to allow for observing and witnessing transformation with nature as co-creator. Capture changes with the camera lens.

Materials.

• Leaves and nature treasures for this creative prompt - and a camera to capture … time … change … and transformation

A gentle and repeated invitation to reflect upon…
〰 Seasonal change and transformation…
〰 How do these witnessed changes make you feel?
〰 How do you feel about co-creating with time and the natural elements actively participating?
〰 What are the words that come to mind in autumn as you observe and experience all of these changes around you?
〰 Do you feel grounded and connected to nature or do these end of year changes make you feel restless, unsettled or sad?
〰 Does your energy level change or shift in response to these seasonal changes?

Nature and Time as Co-Creators.

Day 1 • Oct. 23, 2022 • Gratitude Eco-Art • ***ReMatriation for heARTivists*** • CATA-ACAT Symposium

〰 Day 1 … I create a gratitude circle following my art therapy workshop to honour all those who entered into this beautiful collective learning and sharing space lead by Life is Medicine - Circle of Indigenous Healing Arts facilitators.

Intention … I gather fallen golden leaves from the nearby Hickory tree and warm brown leaves from our Katsura tree to celebrate the harvest season, small grass wreaths to illustrate the moon stories (and rings of care), all encircled by rocks and hardy weeds to represent grounding presence with the land, and perseverance with the journey (echoed through the central rock upon which sits a formed nest of hair, grass and dandelion flower).

〰 Day 3 … With unseasonably warm weather and only gentle breezes… the eco-art only gently changes too. Just noted. Nothing added.

〰 Day 8 … As colours fade and some elements get swept away, I add more nature finds… and the eco-art circle continues its transformative journey.

〰 Day 9 … This week the neutral-toned leaf blanket in the garden is punctuated with vibrant red dashes from the landing leaves of the Sand Cherry and Burning Bush. I enthusiastically add this rich colour to my circle.

〰 Day 11 … This week golden yellow leaves from a neighbour’s Mulberry tree tumble into our garden as breezes amp up and become more constant.

〰 Day 18 … More large yellow leaves from the Mulberry tree along with tiny golden leaves from the rose bushes coat our garden beds. The delicate leaves of our Japanese Maple perch on top. These deep red-burgandy fringed leaves land in the garden as feather-weight mounds (reminding me of nature’s own gift basket crinkle or filler).

〰 Day 19 … It is definitely cooling down and shifting to late autumn/early winter weather. Today has been grey, wet and windy, with a little sprinkling of snow mixed in. Even larger golden yellow and bright green leaves of the Mulberry tree, accompanied by the rich red leaves of the Fireglow Maple descend with each forceful gust of wind. I add to the outer border of the circle where other leaves have blown away.

“How Beautifully Leaves Grow Old. How Full of Light and Colour are their Last Days.”

— John Burroughs

This has been such an enjoyable and relaxing process building upon what came before through small additions and modifications - while allowing nature ‘to do its thing’.

I appreciate having my gratitude eco-art become a playful creative journey in of itself, a means to connect with nature, a nourishing form of self-care and reflection, and eventually becoming a creative prompt shared here to hopefully inspire others to explore with nature’s elements as co-creators!!

Do you feel inspired before it gets too cold to engage with nature and time as co-creators to create your own transforming autumnal piece?