#creativityasmeaningmaking

[karlymichelle1]

One A Week Psalm Project

Psalm 41

What might the story of this Psalm tell us?

- A person who is desperate to be accepted by God?

- A person who desperately hopes he has made the right decision?

- A person who is looking for guidance? for guidance from God?

The Psalms are a story, a story of the life lived, the thoughts thunk, the desires and fears expressed, from a series of players. The experiences of people who lived, were kings, workers, farmers, had families, friends, enemies, struggles and joys…

The Psalms are a story, stories of lives lived, thought thunk, desires and fears expressed from David and others who lived. Farmers, king, royality, artists, leaders, followers, people hunted, lauded, those with friends, family, those who were on show, those who needed to hide…

The Psalms are the stories of the followers of God

[karlymichelle1]

One A Week Psalm Project

Psalm 40

Layers upon layer.

The layers of colour build up, some parts turning to brown because of the mix of colours, some completely hidden, some just slightly peaking through.

It’s not as pretty as the beginnings when there are less colours interacting, and there’s less going on but it has a greater weight with the layers. It feels more substantial. Maybe that’s just justification for something that didn’t quite work. But I also don’t think it’s untrue.

The layers build depth even if they end up being hidden. The bits that are scratched off offer a tiny glimpse underneath. The white over the top highlights the peaks and shallows.

This time is a time to practice, to try out, the way it is easier to begin and practice spiritual disciplines in those times of life that are more stable, except that we more commonly clutch at them when things go badly, surprised at how difficult they are.

[karlymichelle1]

One a week Psalm Project

A few months ago I had an idea for a ridiculously long project. That I would read, meditate on, pray about and make something in response to each Psalm – one Psalm a week, as a practical outworking of creativity as spiritual discipline.

To test the idea out, I began to read a few books on the Psalms and while I kept reading them, I also began to feel a little scared of the project, its length, its breadth, its intensity – 150 weeks is nearly 3 years…

I have a bit of a fear of long term planning at the moment as for the past 15 years or so, pretty much everything I’ve tried to plan as been greatly impacted, diverted or halted or taken away because of my health, or lack thereof.

But I am also project and meaning-making orientated. My satisfaction and contentment with life doesn’t come from the amount of money I’m making (although having enough money to survive without panic definitely makes a difference to my life and mental health) but from the meaning it brings to my life and without a doubt, creativity and making art bring immense amounts of contentment, challenge and especially meaning to my life.

So the Psalm project seemed too big, too much of a commitment and I pretty much talked myself out of it. Except on the Sunday before New Years this year the idea came back to me and made me feel lighter. I had just had 3 days where I had barely left the house and I did things I’d wanted to do for ages. It was glorious. I made things. I tidied up. I nested. I set up my house and studio spaces. I spent time filling up my soul again.

And the Psalm Project came back to me and I felt quite at peace about it. So I began to prepare some things.

It still scares me a bit and I’m still worried about sharing it online but I’ve pondered this for some time and I am now 8 weeks in. I have stuck with it and I have decided to begin to share parts of my experience and reflections. I’ll be sticking to posting about a Psalm a week, so at this point, we will always be 8 weeks behind where I actually am in real life.

The project is as follows:

I have a book of blank pages – there is space for 98 Psalms if I use double pages - one side of creative images, one side of written up psalm. I also write up the Psalm in another book. I will attempt to read the Psalm, pray, meditate, read short commentaries and reflect during the week.

I plan (at this stage) to start the week on a Tuesday (it is both the first day of the year and it works well for my week). I plan to spend ½ hr each morning, except for Saturdays while studying when I will probably spend less time. I plan to do creative things on Thursdays and Sunday and reflections on Monday. I am willing to be flexible on this and see what happens.

Other things may develop but this is the beginning - I work well with guidelines to begin with that I can ignore if I need to.

Stick with me if you like.

We’ll see how we go.

-

Follow this project Insta, facebook, tumblr,  www.karlymichelle.com

[karlymichelle1]

One A Week Psalm Project

Psalm 1

5/5

How to be a tall tree

Search out the water that might appear to be out of reach,

too far away, too deeply down. Send down your roots to be refreshed by the secret streams that flow beneath, while stretching your branches up above you as your reach for the Son.

Prayer

Lord I am both excited by and fearful of this project. I am fearful of trying to do it while working and not being able to give it attention. I find doing anything while working difficult. Please give me the dedication to stick with this in a form that is sustainable – to truly make it a habit – a spiritual practice. “but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night” vs2.

May I learn to listen deeply, to discern wisely and without hurry and to love fully.

-

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[karlymichelle1]

One A Week Psalm Project

Psalm 1

1/5

I enjoyed this process in this week 1. But I am aware that it is only week 1, and that I’m not back into normal life of work and study.

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I was surprised at how much it felt as though the verses were travelling with me and yet as I reflect back on my notes, I see how difficult focus was at times.

I feel I am going to be learning and re-learning (and then re-learning) things which I have had to learn before.

This psalm brought my focus to the future kingdom of God as in this world it seems to be those who are doing the wrong things who are prospering. But eternally, with the long term view, we believe things will be different – that those who suffer will have less suffering. I swing between feeling grateful for this for those who suffer, and also worried that maybe my suffering is too light?

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Thoughts about the project in general

I work quite well with specific projects so even though this one seem ridiculously long and ambitious, I’ve begun with a specific structure, a time frame, and a steady stream of small steps of progress to keep me going. However, I am also willing to hold these plans lightly. To make plans but to be prepared for them to change, or adapt, or grow as need be. I’m pretty self motivated and this is self initiated so I can just see how I go.

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[karlymichelle1]

One A Week Psalm Project

Psalm 1

4/5

Spiritual Reflections

It has brought into focus how poorly I do intercession –hardly at all.

I need to try to improve this, I’m not sure how but I will work on it.

About Psalm 1

Is some of the struggle for focus because I am not sure how much I believe Psalm 1? The ‘wicked’ prosper all the time. I guess this means I have to ponder what ‘prosper’ means, for faithful people struggle all the time; it is actually more of an expectation than not. Is this referring to the next life, with the return of Christ, the faithful will prosper? Is the hope for that, enough in this life?

Not always.

Doing this project may help me develop a focus on a longer-term view rather than only thinking about life in the immediate. It is a 3year project, which in some ways may as well be an eternal one given my lack of long term plans at the moment. Could this longer-term view help me focus on an all encompassing view of God’s eternal view?

We are our decisions made over and over again. The small decisions make up the largeness of our life. The daily decisions impact our very being and our doing. We are the people we decide to be and no one, not even God, make force us to be otherwise. But God will help us change, if we ask.

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[karlymichelle1]

One A Week Psalm Project

Psalm 1

3/5

Creative Reflections

I don’t actually like the page I created this week. It began as too representational – I think I was stuck closer to translating rather than responding. This project is not about interpreting the Psalm, rather it is about living with them and responding. It may be difficult to remember this as I go along.

I dislike glue and I want to do what I am comfortable with so I won’t use it so much – not sure why I feel like I am ‘expected’ to use it in collage work. I also need to work on layering and moving through representation to whatever is next.

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[karlymichelle1]

One A Week Psalm Project

Psalm 1

2/5

Spiritual reflections

I struggle to focus. When I am well and engaged in life I do struggle to slow down – when I am unwell I naturally fall into stillness, but then find focus difficult for a different reasons.  Overall, I simply need to practice focus. I hope to listen more.

I need to be prepared to take longer with this process than I sometimes feel I want to because the temptation is to rush– to say to myself ‘I’ve read this Psalm, now go onto the next.’ I need to take the moments as they come and engage in the process.

Instead I need to push through the familiarity and the boredom; the feelings of ‘I’ve read this already’ and the ‘what else can I possibly get from this?’ and take longer. To sit within the now, and give the process some time, to see what is helpful and what needs to be modified, but mostly to be open to the experience. The process I have put together is informed by knowledge of myself and past experience. A process informed by a desire to meet further and deeper with God. A process that can be adapted, but I don’t think should be shortened.

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It is not an achievement or task to be met but a process to be journeyed. This is not an achievement to be made but a process to be present within.

The tension between product and process pulls tight.

A taunt rope to be both carefully and beautifully walked across.

The writing part of this creative process might simply be by ‘rote’ - which isn’t always a helpful way of learning – however it is a form of ‘practice’ for writing out the verses. If I don’t pay attention to what I am doing, say the words within me as I write, then I make mistakes.  

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#oneaweekpsalmproject #1aweekpsalmproject #artandspirituality #artandfaith #creativityasspiritualdiscipline #spiritualdisciplines #spiritualpractice #wip #artproject #creativityasmeaningmaking #artasmeaningmaking #collage #mixedmedia #abstract #art #creativity