The Right of Writing - Give Me back my Mo-Jo

Hello :-) - it's 2020 - very hard to believe. Classes are staring in D.V. in February after a hiatus for the exhibition which went down amazingly well...and then I /we all had to do the end of the year...and then the start of new new one.  It's been hard for many people, but the good news is that creativity is very happy when life is making us THINK. This year, I have two methodologies: 1 on 1 - this is a request I have had for a while and will now implement.  These classes will be tailor-made for  individuals on request. I will combine a half hour theory and then 2 hours practice. On 11th February I will begin another ON MAKING BOOKS THERE IS NO END - a   5-6 week course at the MoJo Studio. Please note - all materials are included - including a visual diary and how to use it successfully.  This course is designed for those beginning their creative journey, as well as those who have reached a creative block.  Classes will also be held at Eye4Art in Umhlanga. Please contact Mich

Workshops are on-going, but my photographing is not! These are the last photo's taken at a workshop held during the Letters to Spring exhibition.  It was fabulous class - just the right size for a one-off GIVE ME BACK MY MOJO! Things come out - as they are want to... but thats ok - thinking about 'blocks'  is the first step in accessing truly creative thinking.

No time to blog and keep up to date with social media - too busy with classes and the upcoming exhibition at eye4art - very exciting. The classes are feeding me as much as the participants and close bonds are being formed - many of which I feel will linger for years to come. AND I've forgotten to photograph sessions - o my...here is a golden 'oldy'from the last book making class.  This was a Babel collaboration (on-going) between 6 of us in three hours. We then took the chapbooks home to finish. Learning to work collaboratively is a new thing for a lot of artists/writers - especially ON TOP OF!

BUT it has engendered much creativity in its wake. These are two books from the last course - Trish and Merryl - others of us are still busy with homework! Another course started on Tuesday at 2 at Eye4Art - wonderful...but I forgot to take photographs... I will hold another Introductory class from the MoJo Studio on Tuesday 4th June. Classes will be held every two weeks.  Remember, all materials are supplied. Another book making class starts at the end of the month - looking forward to seeing 'Oldies', now well into their third Module. When I expanded the photograph Trish shared, I saw all the family she had made as trunks/pillars in her garden - beautiful.  Merryl has forged ahead, well ahead of me! Her Logogram book, Visual Poetry Book and Asemic Book are all finished and sewn into their pockets onto the large holding accordion spine - fabulous Merryl!  More books to come when everyone finishes their homework!

So, although the blog site and Facebook have been quiet, the MoJoians haven’t!! I just keep forgetting to take photographs…We’ve been hard at it in Studio and at Eye4Art. The Book and Writing Module has covered ancient writing forms, including hieroglyphics, cuneiform, pictograms, logograms etc - and their relevance today. We have made poetry books, symbol books and logogram books. Here are a FEW images  (thanks Michelle and Zelda). Remember - it's all in the process of accessing instinctual creativity. Some absolutely marvellous things have emerged.

We were full at the MoJo Studio yesterday. It was an exciting day. The task (aside from 'the dream boat' which remained untouched), was to create a round-robin chapbook. Each participant started with their own chapbook and drew for 15 minutes. The book was then handed on and the second person worked on it (repeat). There was tea and orange cake in-between as it takes a great deal of concentration to accomplish such a pressurised task.  EVERYONE was up for the challenge and this is the first book which is finished.  I LOVE it!!! Homework, under the title "The Portrait and the Seed", which is the content covered thus far is to find words to enhance the drawings.