Displacement Activity

So, are you reading this because you have nothing else to do – or is your visit to avoid doing something else?  I’m writing it in my scheduled time, but that doesn’t mean I may not take a break and look at something else while I’m here.

I’m sure we all have reasons for displacement activities, but I realised yesterday that I am more likely to indulge when there is something I don’t want to ‘face’.  I’ve been feeling really unwell for a while.  I kept pushing it to the back of my mind and that was fine while we were preparing for the Festival of Quilts, there were plenty of things that had to be done to a deadline.  After that, though, things quieten down, and I’ve spent the week realising that I must sort myself out, and so that is in hand.  However, I don’t want it to play on my mind, so I thought I’d better find myself something to do, then, I realised that I had already been doing it!  I had already found a way of not thinking about it!

What’s my displacement activity for these circumstances?

Collage!

The more I thought about it the more I realised that I had embarked upon a series each time I had been ill.  I don’t mean each time I caught a cold or cough, but each time something was rearing its head that needed sorting out.  So why am I surprised that this is the case now?

You may think that sticking bits of paper onto a background is not exactly a displacement activity, but  let me talk you through the process.

First gather and colour your papers.  Yes, you can use shop bought ones, and you can use those from magazines etc, but it is so much more satisfying to colour ones own.

Don’t presume that you know what papers these are!  They come in all shapes and sizes and qualities.  Mine always come from a reputable source.

It’s also important to note that you can never have enough!  I don’t just use them for these little collages, I stitch into them too, so the textures that are created are just perfect for something

The next step is to grab a few and just tear.  There is no point in being too precise if it’s a displacement activity!

And then, all that’s left is to stick them down.  There is a certain amount of thought to this, but as I’m limiting myself to 20 minutes there is no time to ‘um’ and ‘aw’ for too long!

Yes, today I was heavily into Green!

Looks as though someone forgot to shut the barn door.

(By the way, my ‘real’ displacement activity is Sudoku!)