Today’s guest blogger is Alexandra Hedberg, an artist with years of experience in dealing with disappointments and setbacks. Please visit her blog.
Isn’t there often a small nagging disappointment or anger that slowly sucks the energy from you? Like when someone else took the credit for your idea? Or a big disappointment. Like not getting that job? It’s time to do something about it. Put it behind you.
1. Make small figures representing your disappointment (or that idiot who didn’t even give you a chance to show how good you are). A little stiffer paper / cardboard works well for simple silhouettes - but the important thing is that the material is flammable. The figures need not be beautiful, but a face with a screaming mouth and staring eyes are good to have. Build a world for your frustrations. Cut out pictures of such houses or nature scenes from a magazine and paste them on cardboard. Here you can be more or less ambitious.
2. Build the world and characters outdoors. You can tape them on sticks and plant them into the ground. Grab your camera, bucket of water / fire extinguisher and matches. (For more impact wait until night time)
3. Light it up! Burn! (Take a picture) Burn! (More lighter fluid) Burn!
4. Now that you’ve handled the disappointment in a mature manner: gather the ashes of the negative sense, put it in a small jar and don’t open it again. Bury it deep down. It is completely okay to look at the photos. Many times.
Bonus: There will certainly be really nice photos. You can for instance make a small album of the various disappointment burn-ups. Or have them on the wall.
Required time:
1 day or less
Cons:
Children might see you and emulate your behavior. You may lose control over the fire. The neighbors might think you are a bit odd setting things on fire in your garden at night. You may find that you are a pyromaniac, and go out to burn more things. Or even worse - you might get the idea in your head that you want to become an artist.
Pros:
You will enjoy seeing their faces distorted by the fire without doing any harm. You are creative. You put it behind you ... and may even look forward to your next disappointment?
