Sometimes, when someone asks me what I do for a living, I say I am an artist and that I teach people how to create spaces in art journals to hold pieces of themselves; pieces of their stories.
Oh course, like many artists, I do lots of things in my creative business, but helping people heal through art is a favorite of mine.
My hope (aim) is that maybe I help people navigate more lightly and joyfully through life with less baggage to carry.
That said, I am always looking for "containers" to hold pieces of me...all the pieces: the joy, the heavy stuff, the wishes, the fear...all of it.
If you follow me on Instagram, you will note that I live in a tiny artsy river city on the New Jersey side of the Delaware River. And this little town of Lambertville is a love bubble.
You can imagine my joy when I stumbled upon Lambertville's Love Lock Bridge on the canal.
Another place to leave love and joy.
Another place to honor people I have lost.
Another place to leave what is heavy behind.
I soon started buying locks. All kinds of locks. Old ones. New locks. Dollar store locks.
And I started finding locks. Note: *You always find what you are looking for.*
And when I taught workshops at my studio in the fresh air in spring, summer and fall, I had bowls of locks on the table...so that the lovely souls who came to see me could create locks to leave on the fence as well.
Sometimes we placed them together, sometimes I placed the locks for them...or they found the fence themselves.
I want to extend that offer to you.
Send me a lock and I will put it on the fence for you right beside the canal.
It can be simple or not. And it can be super tiny. Just have the key tied to it so I can open it to place and lock it on the fence.
Here are some example of the locks that hang.
You can see some are simple and some are elaborate.
The only thing that matters is that they come from your heart.
I have created several.
I have found that gluing bits onto the locks with super glue (l love gorilla glue with the blue cap) is lasting.
I have also collaged paper on with layers of gel medium and that has withstood the wrath of Ida, which ravaged our beloved hometown with damaging floodwaters.
While the canal itself is beat up and in need of some repair, love lock bridge fence stood tall in the storm.
So if you would like for me to hang a lock on this fence to honor someone you love who is no longer here or to honor anything or anyone in your life (YOU!)...or just to leave something to symbolize what may feel too heavy to carry, send your lock to me here at this address:
Recently, Karen from California sent me this tiny lock with the wings below.
She reached out a bit ago and then her lock arrived.
Cleo and I walked down to the bridge at dusk. It felt really sweet to place something on the fence for someone far away who I have not met yet.
This is an invitation.
And if this feels right for you on the edge of a new year I will happily place a lock on this fence for you...and hopefully send you a picture or post a picture so you can see it.
May 2022 be healing and gentle.
xo-colleen