“If you mostly chose A answers, you’re an introvert.” When I was in middle school, life seemed more momentous as I became more conscious of the world and began figuring out my place in it. For help, I turned less to my parents and other authority figures, and more towards soap operas, friends who were just as clueless as I was, and magazine quizzes. “Are you right-brained or left-brained?” “Are you a leader or a follower?” Take this multiple-choice quiz and find out! Sometimes there was an obvious winner, a letter that clearly dominated, and I’d flip to the back pages, reading its trite little paragraph as if the words held the key to life. Most of the time the result wasn’t obvious; I had equal amounts of a, b, and c’s. On those occasions, I’d retake the quiz and purposely change a few answers to force a more definitive result.

As I grew older, I realized that very little about my personality is this cut and dry, this fixed. I’m unquestionably right-brained—one who thrives in the midst of creative and imaginative opportunities. But I’m also solidly left-brained, having fine-tuned the skills of logic and analysis required during my career as an attorney. I’m an only child and introvert who could spend all day reading books. But I’m also an extrovert, excited to plan birthday parties for my kids and spa days with friends. Thankfully, I found the term “ambivert,” defined by psychologists as “a hybrid of both personality types, people who embrace their introverted qualities while also incorporating many extroverted traits.” I don’t have to choose. I can be, as SoulCollage® founder Seena Frost wisely championed, “Both/And.”

I discovered SoulCollage® during a grief journaling workshop after the passing of my father. We were encouraged to create a composite of images of our loved one and their vocation and interests, as well as visual representations of our various emotions—sadness for the loss of their presence, joy for the good times and the legacy they left. Uncertainty about how we would go forward with purpose despite their absence. Not just uncertainty, but anger as well. This acknowledgement of the tornado of swirling feelings—and the opportunity to work with them through card readings and journaling—played an integral part in helping me eventually arrive at a peaceful place. The premise of SoulCollage®, that we thrive when all parts of ourselves are embraced instead of suppressed, resonated deeply and fell directly in alignment with my background in psychology. And as a zealous vision-boarder, the creative use of images appealed to me as a method for self-discovery and engaging with challenges in a tangible way.

I continued to create cards and became a SoulCollage® facilitator in 2021. When I sift through my deck to find cards to share at workshops, I’ve noticed that many of my cards can easily be paired with an opposite. My “Homemaker” card represents my love of home and the importance I place on creating a harmonious sanctuary for my family, a warm and relaxing refuge from their busy days. My “Traveler” card, though, portrays my love of venturing away from home to explore the world beyond. My “Hidden” card recognizes that sometimes I like to fade into the background as a silent observer, while my “Bold, Brash, Brave” card shows how I also welcome the opportunity to take the lead.

When one trait seems to be causing some level of havoc, I’ll retrieve its opposite for a dialogue. I’ll ask my “Rest” card to communicate with “Busy Brain,” acknowledging that it produces wonderful, original ideas but that it’s time, in the middle of the night, for example, to let it have the floor. No trait is belittled or chastised, no preference is placed on one over the other. They are each honored, accepted, and cherished.

I’m part of the 10% of the world’s population who is proudly left-handed. Throughout my formal education, however, I learned and took tests while sitting at desks made for right-handers. In stores, I swipe my credit card with my right hand. It’s the right hand I use to grab my bottled water and take a swig while driving. Just as I can use both hands, SoulCollage® uplifts and reinforces this truth: I can be Both/And.

Here are two of my cards that I’d like to share with you all today:

Hidden  

Email Isabel for details, and how to prepare for the Training

Beyond the Surface Art Retreat 

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If I’m No Longer Here, I Wanted You to Know- Fabulous, thought-provoking art exhibit by Tawny Chatmon. Drawing inspiration from the Byzantine period, the artist adorns Black bodies with semi-precious stones meticulously placed to construct a narrative on Black children and dignity through cultural memory. Scroll down to see the images.

How to Be a Quiet Warrior in a Deafening and Turbulent World- An interesting essay from the equally interesting website, Wake Up World. I’ve read this a few times and it’s inspiring me to go deeper with my own self-quieting practice

SoulCollage® Online Shop in Europe - Lucy Schaaphok, a Facilitator and Trainer in the Netherlands, has started up an online store for SoulCollage® supplies and inspiration. So if you live in Europe, you might want to buy your mat boards from her.

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SoulCollage® cards are made either from one's own art or from images found in materials which have been bought by or given to the SoulCollage® card maker. These collaged cards are used only for the cardmaker's own inner exploration.

SoulCollage® cards are not sold, traded, bartered, or copied (except as a back-up for the card maker's own use) as is stated in the Principles of SoulCollage®.

Where SoulCollage® cards are available to be seen by others, it is for the purposes either of demonstrating the SoulCollage® process of sharing the card maker's inner process in the context of community.

SoulCollage® is grateful to the artists and photographers who make this deep awakening process possible and in all ways SoulCollage® seeks to be respectful of their rights.

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