I had to take an art course to complete my degree . . . at the time I was deep in soul pain . . . I didn’t feel the least bit creative. In class we made several clay pieces; all of mine STUNK! I drove home in tears, opened the door to my house, and dashed every one against our entryway floor. If I had known about altered art back then, I would have done something with those shards other than pitching them into the trash.

Altered art gives us an opportunity to transform bitter experiences into beauty. Want to give it a try? Take a piece of visual art you made that does not please you OR create an artwork that depicts a painful experience in your life. You can paint it, sculpt it, craft it, whatever. Let the piece sit before you and imagine how it might be altered. If it was done on paper, you can tear it to shreds, slather it in flour and water, and then create a paper mache piece that soothes your soul. You can break clay into shards and use them to create a mosaic that feels beautiful and hopeful. Just about any material can be integrated into a collage either as the collage’s underpinning or as its face. Anything can be transformed. Give it a try and then sit back and ponder. Where did your soul journey in the creating of your altered art piece? How did you feel as you were creating? Were you in any way surprised? What else can you alter?

Share your experiences with us on the A Spacious Place blog . We would love to hear from you!