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Bex Hall > Memoir in Objects > The box contains more than 366 objects

The box contains more than 366 objects

May 10, 2022

ICAD cards.

The first few years after my liver transplant, the dormant artist within wakened. Everything was a blank canvas, and I painted in makeshift areas; the garage, kitchen, den. Art supplies and half-finished projects crowded our normal living areas.

In May 2016, I learned of an art challenge called ICAD, or Index Card A Day. The idea is to create something on an index card every day for 61 days in June and July. It’s about sparking creativity and developing a regular creative habit.

I read more about it at Daisy Yellow Art and it seemed like a perfect fit to channel my newfound artistic energy, so I bought a pack of 4×6 index cards and some new pens and pencils (art supplies—yay!) and became an ICADian on June 1st.

One reason I felt comfortable taking part was this message on the ICAD website: “This is about sparking creativity. The work you create does not need to be good — or defined / classified by others as art.”

Exactly what I needed to hear. Every year, there’s a list of optional prompts, and I followed them. The very first card I made was a response to “Mix Tape.” As you can see, I took it literally. I used my creative muscle. It felt great.

First ICAD card, mix tape, literally

Over the next six years, I tried new techniques, stretched my comfort zone, and improved my skills. The best part, though? The connections and friends I made in the ICAD community and the support I felt. I was not alone.

The box I keep may be full of 4×6 index cards, but it also contains things unseen. The fragile first steps of a journey, the courage to begin. Proof that when I show up, I can produce a body of work. And that when I am open to creativity, gentle and powerful changes happen within.

So really, it’s a box full of magic.

ICAD card with acrylics

This is the 40th story in the Objects as Waypoints Writing Project series.

ICAD card, collage
ICAD, hummingbird, watercolors and pen
ICAD, acrylic and pen
ICAD, watercolor, Big South Fork, Cumberland, KY
ICAD cards 2016-2021

Filed Under: Memoir in Objects Tagged With: the 100 day project 2022, the objects

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About Bex

 

Bex Hall

Her writing has appeared in various online and print publications, most recently in Kerning, a literary magazine, and in the Stories of Hope Collection in Transplant Living. Her artwork has appeared and sold through the Grayson Gallery. She blogs here about creative life and creates in Studio BE overlooking the Ohio River. Her work in progress is a memoir about the secret life of objects.

Notes

  • The 100 Day Project

    50 short stories in 100 days.

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Notes

  • Creative practice goals:

    Show up every day behind the pen, the brush, or the lens and share my work.

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