Welcome to the May Monthly Muse! For the month of May I’d like us to explore the five senses – with a twist! The twist is synesthesia. Many, many years ago I read Alfred Bester’s Science Fiction classic, The Stars My Destination (or Tiger! Tiger!). This book introduced me to the concept of synesthesia whereby a neurological cross-wiring leads to confused senses. When one sees, they smell. When one hears, they taste… Imagine: You look at something (a crystal glass, raw cotton), what does it sound like? You listen to music, what colors do you see? You drink a glass of wine, what does it feel like? You feel the wind in your hair, or the sun on your face, what does it taste like? Allow yourself to imagine the crossing of senses. Then, arrive at your canvas and create a layout that describes or visually represents your experience. You may chose any sense to explore, and any object to fixate upon. A few examples: - Look at a blade of grass. As you look at the grass you image what it would be like if your senses were crossed so that when you look at the grass, you actually taste it. What does the grass taste like? -Feel the wind on your face. As you feel the wind on your face you image what it would be like if your senses were crossed so that when you feel the wind, you actually see it. What does the wind look like? -Drink a beverage. As you taste the beverage you image what it would be like if your senses were crossed so that when you taste the beverage, you actually see it. What does the beverage look like? -Listen to music. As you hear a song you image what it would be like if your senses were crossed so that when you hear the song, you actually feel it. What does the song feel like? In the layout below I felt the sun on my face. Then I asked myself, “what does this sun taste like?” Each week in the month of May, I invite you to explore one of the five senses – then use your imagination to cross wires, to experience synesthesia, and art journal about it. The diagram below may help. Example: For week one, I chose the sense of touch. What does the sun feel like on my skin? As I felt the sun on my skin, I transformed into synesthesia and asked, what does this sun taste like? For me, the sun tasted like lemons. Challenge Requirements: 1. For the Monthly Muse, you may create any style of layout (i.e., clean and simple, artsy, pocket style etc.), with or without a photo. Create any size page you wish. The Art Muse is for everyone; have FUN! 2. You can use any products in The Lilypad store or retired products from current Lilypad designers, (just make sure you follow our gallery guidelines). 3. Please post your layout to the Art Journaling Gallery HERE by Midnight, 30 May 2022; and post your layout in this thread by copying the "Share BB Code" to the right of your gallery image. Each post, regardless of the week posted in the month of May earns you one chance to win a $5 coupon to the TLP store. Thus, 1 Muse = 1 chance to win 2 Muses = 2 chances to win 3 Muses = 3 chances to win 4 Muses = 4 chances to win Recap: Use your imagination to experience synesthesia. Choose one set of senses to explore (examples: when you look at the sun, you imagine what it tastes like or when you feel the wind on your face, you imagine what it looks like). Create a layout that describes or visually represents your crossing of senses. I look forward to your creative layouts!!
Wow, this will be hard. My brain is very literal. LOL ... Hence, I guess this will be a great month to think out of the box. I'll be back!
It is okay to go literal. At some point this month I am going to explore the flavor of a Cabernet Sauvignon. Some say wines have earth flavors. And in that category are wet gravel, graphite, pencil lead and clay dust. What??? So I want to first see if I can taste those flavors. Then I will ask myself...what do I see as I taste this wine. It will be a literal approach and interpretation. But yes! It is great fun (and a challenge for me too) to think outside of the box. Mindfulness meditation helps.
wOw to this......!!!!!! I m amazed at how awesome your ideas always are Lisa!!!!!!!!! not sure how well I will do, but as I have been so far away from the Muse for so long, I did make a list in which my coming to hang with you guys takes a bit of a priority, will try make this month!!!!!!! brilliant line of thought, brilliant page !!!!! (and now I understand the why of @Smwhite & @Janisn pages so much more than when I stopped in their galleries earlier!!! BRILLIANTLY done!!!!) Hugggzz to all to you Lisa, @ArmyGrl thank youy for all you do (and so amazingly marvellous way of) for our family here!!!!
I love that you are always challenging us - but more than that - it's always a unique challenge!! I've got my thinking pad on for this one.
So, I think this was the hardest challenge yet. I thought about it all week and finally got something as I was walking the dogs and saw our star jasmine on the porch to our house. I shudder to find 3 more this month, but I will prevail!! My theme: When I smell Star Jasmine, I see my childhood home, which had many plants of it all over the place. I smell it and see HOME.
Ok, I went a bit ... off to the side, I guess you can call it. When we talk about senses getting intertwined, I started to think about the sixth sense, about seeing things that's not tangible, and not even visible to others. I should also explain the photo a bit. We live in an old house, oldest parts built sometime around 1870-1880. During the years there's been several owners, and extensions have been added. Where this window, which is in our library, is, there used to be an entrance door. This door clearly was the entrence that Anders used. Anders is the name I've given to one of our "resident ghosts". Or rather, that's the name he gave me, when I asked him about his name. From time to time, I see him coming in through this old door. Like a shadow passing through the window. My sixth sense isn't super clear, but I do see and feel things from time to time. I usually don't talk about it, people either think you're crazy or that you're lying. But ... this challenge made me scrap about it, and now all of Lilypad knows I'm a weirdo. LOL
@tanteva Hmmm!!!...How Brave Of You My Dear!!!...A Bit Of Personal Envy...[& I'll Leave It Right There...]...............
I went a little "off the rails" with my page. I don't see dead people @tanteve but I hear "things" that others can't hear. It's a little frightening - especially at night. I've given up asking the others if they heard whatever - I just try not to let my imagination run wild - our house backs up to a deep woods and I probably don't really want to know what I'm hearing.
