Not your mama's Game of Life...

If I was going to have a stink of a week (and I did, as you probably guessed from the last post), last week was a good week to have it.  Why?  Because I had a Barb Kobe class scheduled for the weekend.  Any weekend of total artplay immersion is good after a stinky week, but a Barb Kobe weekend retreat can change the whole perspective of a stinky week.  In fact, a Barb Kobe weekend can change your perspective on life.  What?  You don't know Barb from this blog, or her own website, or her classes around the country?  Click on over to barbkobe.com, then come back here for the rest of the story, all about a Heroine's Journey.

This class was held at Maureen Carlson's Center for Creative Arts (maureencarlson.com. Yes, okay, click over there now, but then get back here pronto, so I can tell the rest of the story).  Here's the quick version of how we started the game making process...

First, we each made a game board, painting the background, then collaging or painting on images that symbolize various aspects of a quest.  The boards are usually square, but I chose to bring the top of a round table that already fits in my home.  This is not my only game board art piece, so I have to be strategic about making them to fit available spaces.

Then, we made or collected our cast of characters, or at least got started making and collecting them.  My cast includes one I named "Blew Fish" made by Maureen Carlson, a white angel Christmas ornament I was gifted a few years ago, The Divine Mother (my own version, still in progress), the retreat center (with double glass skylight, and still in progress, of course), a tiny vintage white rabbit figurine, the Heroine riding a white reindeer, and an Oaxacan dragon.

The only characters to move are the heroines, but they converse with each of the other characters.  This little rabbit is the still small voice that says it's time to go on a quest.

We had to make a Heroine version of ourselves to go on the journey, and this is mine.  The white reindeer probably needs eyes and some finery, lest it be lost in a snowstorm.  The heroine is made of pipe cleaners, dressed in bloomers made of silk flower petals (what else does one make bloomers from?), wearing a breastplate, and a face cut from a photo.  Yes, that's me at age four.  I was pretty fearless at age four.



As in all good quests, there is a guardian who blocks the path at the beginning.  My dragon is there to make sure I'm ready for the journey.  His smile reminds me of how dogs smile at you, when they ask "Wanna play? huh? Do ya huh, do ya?", right before they knock you down and slobber all over you.  Perhaps if I ever owned a dog smaller than your typical dragon, I wouldn't have quite so much experience with this.

One can always retreat to recharge one of four gifts.  Most people just made a special circle in the middle of their board, but I seem to have a thing for putting towering objects in the middle of mine.  It isn't fully decorated, but name a room in my home that is.  I guess it's a project for the next time I need to call in well to work, and take a sanity break.  Hopefully not later this week.

There isn't time in a weekend to create the entire board, or get the hang of how to move the heroine character and dialog with the other figures, so the class continues online for a couple of months.  Once finished, the game can be played over and over, either alone, for very personal journeys through tricky life challenges, or with close friends willing to explore the depths of a bottle of wine (if not the depths of their souls) on a chilly evening.  Kids of course will rearrange your pieces, but it's intriguing to hear the conversations and interactions they create between the characters.  The best thing?  Just like in a  Barb Kobe class, in the end, everyone wins.

And now, with the weekend over, it's time for me to head back to regular reality, and a redesign of last week's rather uncooperative fireplace project.  Check in on Thursday, if you want to see how that's going.  Feel free to keep my success in your thoughts/prayers/meditations! :)

You are welcome to leave comments or questions below, or email me at dawnmariedelara@gmail.com.
Contact Barb directly through her website, if you have questions about this or any of her classes, barbkobe.com.  Artfield of dreams, a similar game class, is coming up in February, at Maureen's.

If you aren't familiar with my usual work, you can pop on over to my regular website, theartofthehome.com to see my portfolio.

For info on 365 Being, the quarterly bookazine for which I am "Boss of Everything", go to 365being.com.