Hello everyone!

My name is Renata P. Lara. I'm here to share with you my thoughs on the process and the end result of this project. I hope you find it interesting, inspiring, funny, or whatever it is thank you so much for checking out my project. Thank you to AdamJk because this class was awesome! 

The envelope. 

I used an old envelope that I had been saving for a special project. I got it at this store called Typo at the mall. They have the coolest little gifts there and they always give you a nice paper bag to go with your purchase. No better project than this one to reuse this awesome evelope. I do plan to mail this to myself this weekend so I have to figure out where to put a white sticker to write my address on. It should be fun! I really think mailing our own evelopes really emphasizes the point of these exercises. Being able to let go of this object so that it can find itself back in our hands. Plus, there is no way I will ever be able to ignore this envelope so it will serve as a good reminder of what it means. For me this object is a visual representation of the work I put into my creative endevours. My resilience to get myself together even after giving away pieces of myself. Also, my passion to continue to pursue my creative journey regardless of money and prestige simply focusing on the things that matter to me (those things on my list).   

The List.

These are my priorities. I went with my first thoughts without overthinking which is usually what I tend to do. Here it was important to listen to my gut. Feeling instead of thinking. Usually the heart knows what it wants before the head does. 

The Scribble.

The scribble was interesting. Here I just followed directions, work till it hurts. And, I did. The pain was not unbearable it was actually doable. I guess it reminded me that sometimes work takes a lot of energy but it is worth it in the end. I actually enjoyed scribbling because I love doodling. It felt like I could be creating an awesome doodle but then I just allowed it to be scribbles. Not sure if the whole page would be filled by the end of the project but I filled it. I like to see some of those white spaces showing up. This was a reminder of my philosophy with art making, making is more important than perfection. The little white spots reminded me of where I started and the work it took to finalize the piece. I knew that sharpie would die before I did. I was very much in the moment when I worked on this exercise. I was in the zone and fully invested in the task at hand which pretty much describes the way I approach my whole art making.  

The tearing. 

Tearing paper took me a while. This was not the most fun part of this exercise given that I had to take my time. Patience is not my virtue but I am working on it. I guess that when it comes to something that matters to me, I finish the project no matter how long it takes. I mean, what the heck I  made pretty white confetti hahaha With this exercise, I really got into it and was very much in the moment. I was trying not to focus on the end result and thought about the task at hand which was to finish piece by piece. This exercise kept making me having to repeat the word "persistence" in my head. I just kept telling myself, "One step at a time Renata, one step at a time". I took breaks every so often taking time to really appreciate the progress that I had made. This was a great metaphor because it helped me to see that my journey was attainable. Some pieces took longer than others. This also reminded me to enjoy the process instead of the end result. Often, the end result is only one small portion of the lessons learned through out a project.  

The Cash.

Hahaha I had too much fun creating this one. I was suprised on how easily I forgot this was money and thought of it as just paper. I really believe that I create value and money is just paper. I did not care about the numbers on the bill. It felt good to get blunt about how I feel about money. I have always known that I do not care about money as in being super wealthy or having a lot crap around. I only care about money to pay my bills and stay alive just like Adam said. I love what I do because it makes me feel alive. I focus on my creative pursuits with passion and love. Money is secondary but necessary.  

The Piece of Me.

This memento means a lot to me. This was the wristband that I got the first time I saw my favorite band The Offspring. This band has been so influential in my life and thanks to them I met the love of my life. There are so many things  that I owe to this band and this wristband reminded me how much fun I had that day. It also reminds me of how lucky I am to have met them. This is a one of a kind and although it was not framed or anything, I knew where in my box of memories it remained. This was something hard to let go of given that I love music so much. 

The whole pack.

 This was a great project. Honestly, at first I thought it sounded like a bunch of BS. I did not think this project would be as personal as it was. I really enjoyed the process of completing each exercise. I look forward to reviewing my feelings in a few weeks. It would be fun to keep doing this in a few years. Will be back.