Process

Being an artist and a Creative Process Devotee, my altars are pretty “free form” and represent what is happening in the moment. I encourage you to be as completely expressed as you dare to be. Break your own rules. Build altars in trees, on the sidewalk, under the kitchen sink. Use the elements and objects that call to you. For the most part, you will have everything you need in your own home. In some circumstances you made need additional “supplies”, but you will know where to get them. If you do not know where or how, then the odds are that it doesn’t need to be on the altar. Let your imagination run free and don’t say NO – say yes, say okay, say maybe, say I’ll try! There will be no judges and no judgment. Even though I suggest meditating/reflecting (whatever that means for you) on the theme/idea beforehand, I recommend being in the moment while creating your altar and letting any preconceived ideas go. Allow the process to take over. Let the Unknown run through your finger tips. Leave room for the mystery.

Process versus Product
This is about the process of BUILDING THE ALTAR, coming into communication with your soul, honoring your connection to the Great Mystery, and exploring these themes in your own life – it’s not about WHO makes the best altar nor how cool, pretty, ugly or stupid your altar ends up looking. It’s about what HAPPENS for you WHILE you are thinking about it, gathering supplies, building it. These altars don’t have to be public or replace your daily altar. You can simply build the altar, photograph it and destroy or remove it. Afterwards, be aware of what happens in your “real life” after the altar is built – does anything altar or change? Make a note of it. 

“It is through the other that we discover who we are. When we learn how to step aside and watch ourselves, the other becomes an agent of transformation.” – Shaun McNiff Art as Medicine

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