Inspiration Tennis

One day at "Project Shed" Mary Tombling pressed a list into my hand. It was a list she had compiled the night before whilst watching tv . The title was "10 Reasons We Are Good" and it went on to list all the things herself and her family do which are good. It stretched from helping the neighbour with their garden to the kids doing their homework. A few weeks later she came back with the list drawn and collaged onto a canvas.

The project went rumbling on, changed, got confused, became clearer again. There were a few reasons why we all ended up sat around a table making greetings cards. The first was that people had expressed an interest in making cards, it was a skills some already had. Throughout this project we've tried to harness the skills others bring to the table and grow new skills in others.   The second was that the idea for a "Project Shed" Gift shop was picking up steam. Thirdy, cards give us the chance to stop and think about somebody. Getting a card reminds you that you are in somebodies thoughts.

I didn't want Mary's early work to be forgotten. It was profound and a great act of thinking. So as my contribution to the groups card rack I designed 10 cards around the statements in Mary's work. To make them into statements for greeting cards they changed a little from things like:

"Help with their garden"
to
"If your stuck Ill help you with your garden."
They became almost like vouchers  which you could give to somebody as a reminder that you really meant it when you offered help. A way to gently say that you are there if somebody is struggling.

The original images for the cards were found on the internet, traced over and scanned back into the computer. Printed out at different sizes the left over ones are now a bank of images for future group card making sessions. This fits with the way the group chose to make cards, cutting images from old cards to create new ones. Repurposing images. The text was written on the computer and printed out. The cards were hand collaged and painted. Then scanned back in again. The original cards were given to "Project Shed" card rack. To be given free to those who can make use of them. Print outs of the 10 cards can go into the box  for card making sessions. As each original card goes on its journey so the left over bits are there to inspire more creative sessions. So it goes on until everybody runs out of steam.