“My creativity is connected with mental, physical and spiritual health”.
Lennox Rees is a collage artist and graphic designer living on the north coast of Oregon with her husband and their herd of rescue animals. She is also a deck creator of Coastal Curiosities oracle and The Peculiar Pathways tarot decks. (And more to come!) Her art is deeply inspired by animals, nature, traditions and objects of the past, and her everyday experiences.
When asked to hold Tarot and Oracle cards up as a mirror and shed some light on her creative path Lennox provides clear insight into just how one does create something from nothing.
Anatomy of a Creative Process
“Whether I’m creating a deck or an individual artwork, I shut out all extracurricular activities and solely place my 100% focus, creativity, and imagination into it. Typical Hermit style. I go inside myself to form something to show on the outside when I’m ready to present my new work”.
The way I work through creating artwork is a very natural and intuitive style. There’s a spark of inspiration–that might be a piece of imagery I want to collage with or a word/phrase that bubbled up in my brain. It is very much a Magician meets High Priestess vibe. I love creating something from nothing. Whether I’m creating a deck or an individual artwork, I shut out all extracurricular activities and solely place my 100% focus, creativity, and imagination into it. Typical Hermit style. I go inside myself to form something to show on the outside when I’m ready to present my new work.
Throughout that Hermit mode, I ebb and flow between the highs and lows of emotions and passions of the reality of making something that doesn’t exist yet. Like the Ten of Wands, I hold the burden of creation and the frustrations the process brings. As a collage artist, the reliance of finding the “right” imagery is always at play and either swings in my favor for quick combinations or smacks me back down to look over all the imagery again until something “fits.” This brings on moments of self-doubt and frustration, which crushes me like my own personal Three of Swords, making me face myself and my struggles.
However, the battle of the creative process must continue moving forward. When I’m at a low, I step away from my work. There’s no point in wasting time on something negative, upsetting, and unproductive. That only causes more friction in the creation. When I begin to confront those feelings in the process and come back to my art with fresh eyes, it is a Six of Cups moment. It feels so good to look at what I created, and even though there’s still work to be done, that sense of joy and pride pushes me forward into the next phase of creation, which eventually leads to completion for the ultimate satisfaction looking back at my finished work.
Making Contact with Lennox
You can find Lennox’s deck creations at helloivyly.com. To follow her creative process and artwork follow her on Instagram over at @helloivyly. If you’re interested in learning more about her art and tarot journey, check out the interview by Brandy Rachelle for her Divinely Inspired series.
Waltzing With Matilda's 