Repurposing Disowned Parts

Isn't this just like life today...

I had in front of me a pile of seemingly unrelated stuff - an old heating coil, a bakery hook of some sort, some old earrings, a pile of lace and ribbon,  some disposable clothing...

I looked for a long time at this pile. I squinted hoping to improve my chances of seeing magic in the ordinary.

I saw magic in the ordinary.

I made "Fuscia" and she's a babe!

The Process of Upcycling Our Own Parts - How It Works

The Warrior

I'm gonna ask you to take a long look at yourself in the mirror and tell me what you see? If you're like most humans, you probably don't see Julia Roberts or Brad Pitt! If you're a relatively observant, genuine human being, your existential anxt is more likely to show you a few to a bunch of seemingly disconnected, somewhat functionless, sometimes rusty looking parts, intermingled with a couple of nice ones, which may leave you staring at your image, saying "What am I supposed to do with this pile of crap?"

Like the Warrior pictured above, your job is to take your parts, every single one of them, the beautiful, the ugly, the confused and the gifted, take several deep breaths in and out, and attempt to see your parts with new, more affirming, artistic eyes.


Left as a pile of stuff, the Warrior is just an out of date shoe stretcher, something nobody uses anymore, a wretched looking cheese grater that's seen way too many camping trips, an outdated piece of rusted iron from an even more outdated stove, a handful of found beads strung on some old fishing line and a napkin ring someone threw away -  Not by any standards a great Match.com ad.

But seen with souleyes, eyes void of judgment and hierarchal rules and regulations, eyes filled of love and acceptance and possibility, Warrior emerges.

Why's A Life Coach Talking About Upcycling?

Does she plan on tossing me into the big grinder and turning me into a park bench or maybe a street sign? Surely she doesn't expect me to pay her in advance for this!

Unlike recycling e.g. discarded milk jugs being made into something completely different, say fencing, or aluminum cans melted down to make new aluminum cans, upcycling focuses on the purpose or framing of the item. Upcycling is a process in which disposable items are reviewed, reseen, repurposed, transformed to make them valuable, useful, or simply aesthetically pleasing.

As an artist I upcycle vintage silk ties, pieces of costume jewelry, old kitchen utensils, clothes I no longer wear, fishing lures and found objects of all sorts into colorful fish with personalities that look great on the wall and make wonderful gifts.

My fish aren't made by smelting neckties or chemically altering costume broaches. My fish are birthed when I'm relaxed enough, and fortunate enough to allow myself to really look at what's around me and with big eyes, see the beauty and potential in the ordinary.

Wuzzup Guy is another example of upcycling. I was in the basement. I saw a small pile of disposable stuff. To allow ordinary reality to shape shift, I squinted a little, I took my time, letting myself wonder, and inevitably, because I'd really showed up for those moments, I began to see the beauty in these ordinary items and before you know it, I was jumping with joy like a six year old and I had a new friend.

This is the junction where for me personally, the concept of upcycling met the art of personal development - This is where I began to get curious about upcycling human life! Suppose we're all brilliant works of art but haven't as yet seen ourSELVES in that light. 

Creating new frames for viewing the One and the Many aspects of SELF, uncovering / discovering unknown parts, calling home / rediscovering previously disowned parts, all speak to we ordinary human beings seeing our varied facets with new eyes, accepting them in all their messiness, and becoming whole and beautiful.


If you're interested in Upcycling Your Life, call me (253) 279-8146.