76: DIY Inspiration Tarot Cards

If you have ever had writer's block or other forms of creative stoppage and restlessness, then you may need to give yourself a push when divine inspiration fails to arrive. To get my brain moving, I like to use my own personal set of "tarot cards" to choose my artistic fate, so to speak. The creation of the cards themselves is a stimulating project that forces you to use your imagination.

Materials:

Old magazines and books

Matte finish card stock

Scissors

Acid free glue

Two small containers or pouches

To begin, choose one of your containers as your Tarot Deck Holder. Be sure that it is a container that you like, as it will be with you often. I use everything from velvet pouches to little tin cans as my holders.

Once you choose your container, measure it to determine the size of the cards that you will cut. Cut your cards to the appropriate size using a ruler and rotary cutter or a paper cutting blade that you can get at any craft store. Use a variety of colored and patterned card stocks. Find patterns that resonate with you.

From your magazines and books, cut words and images that stand out.

Keep thee clippings in your second container. You may also want to keep a folder to hold magazine pages that you want to use at a later time.

Begin assembling your cards. Personally, I paste an image (photo, artwork, etc) on the blank side of each card and then flip the cards over and paste phrases and words on the patterned side. This creates lovely cards with two sides to inspire you. Your words and images may or may not relate to one another - you decide the relationship and how it will influence you or your work. 

Create as many cards as you'd like and store your materials so that you can continue to add to your collection as wanted or needed.

Don't be afraid to make your cards bold or personal! Use your own poetry or snippets from famous poems to provide springboards for you to dive from. Utilize cheesy magazine headlines about celebrities. Find pictures that are both grotesque and gorgeous. As Picasso said - "Everything you can imagine is real."

When you need a creative pick-me-up, pull out your tarot deck and browse for inspiration. Meditate upon the words and images you have chosen and try to find elements within them that you can translate into your own work.