Every Sunday a new topic will be posted. Participants are encouraged to interpret the topic by any artistic means they desire; this includes photography, prose, poetry, collage, scapbooking, sculptor; Any Way!
Brought to you for the month of February by Tammy Vitale.
When I was thinking about what to write for this, my first CaC Sunday, Creative Challenge Day, I tried to think outside the usual box of creativity. This is usual for me because I am forever hearing people say: oh, I'm not creative.
I think the definition of creative has gotten much too narrow.
For me, good soup made from scratch is creative, and taking care of yourself so that you can joyfully support others in your environment is not only creative it is also about healthy survival.
So today we are going to talk about creative bathing - taking time to 
pamper ourself (and you can tell that little voice in your head yowling: oh, right, like I have time for this to hush. If we have no time to pamper ourselves, we have not time. Time will appear if you decide it needs to).
Oh, in case you're wondering: that is a free photo up top, that's my hall bath to the right.
First, A short History of Bathing before 1601. It pays to know our history so that we can repeat it.
Next, note that the bath is something that has inspired painters and poets for a very long time!
nnn"""A case in point is Lowell's poem "The Bath." This poem is particularly significant, for it is the poem Lowell herself chose to read before the Poetry Society of America at their March 1915 meeting, to which she had been invited to give a five-minute talk on Imagism. Promoting her forthcoming anthology, Lowell spoke about Imagism and then offered "The Bath" as a concrete example of this new poetry:
- The day is fresh-washed and fair, and there is a smell of tulips and narcissus in the air.
The sunshine pours in at the bath-room window and bores through the water in the bath-tub in lathes and planes of greenish-white. It cleaves the water into flaws like a jewel, and cracks it to bright light.
Little spots of sunshine lie on the surface of the water and dance, dance, and their reflections wobble deliciously over the ceiling; a stir of my finger sets them whirring, reeling. I move a foot, and the planes of light in the water jar. I lie back and laugh, and let the green-white water, the sun-flawed beryl water, flow over me. The day is almost too bright to bear, the green water covers me from the too bright day. I will lie here awhile and play with the water and the sun spots.
The sky is blue and high. A crow flaps by the window, and there is a whiff of tulips and narcissus in the air.
 |
Lowell's reception was by all accounts harsh, with the conservatives of the Poetry Society objecting even to the subject matter, which they considered inappropriate for serious poetry (Benvenuto 18-19). The bath was standard fare among the Impressionist painters, however, having provided subject matter for Cassatt (The Bath), Renoir (Bather, Blond Bather, Two Bathers), and Degas (The Tub, The Morning Bath, After the Bath)."
(taken from an article on imagist poet, Amy Lowell, about whom I wrote my Junior (in high school) term paper. I read that part of the real problem with this poem was that Lowell was a heavy woman, and many objected to the visual of her in the bath - shame on them!)(which also goes to show you that no knowledge in life is wasted). |
The Bath - Mary Cassatt |
|
Process: This can be as simple as buying a bag of tea lights at the dollar store and setting them all your bathroom or simply gathering all your used candles, votives and candleholders and putting them in one place. Think of it this way - next time the electricity goes out, you'll know where all your supplies are. Put them everywhere in your bathroom and light them. This alone will give you a sense of abundance as you relax into your bath.
When you're finished, write, journal, draw, paint or dance how it felt. If you are inspired, you can make a collage based on this bath, or find the perfect music to play the next time you take a bath - and share all that with us here, leaving your website so we can visit.
But if you want more, don't stop there.
Prior to bathing, fix yourself something lovely to sip: cold champagne if you're so inclined, or perhaps one of the lovely recipes from the book below, this one for a rainy day (since we are in winter and things tend to cloud over):
Here are home made recipes for lovely scrubs which will leave your skin feeling great and you feeling all aglow: Sugar Daddy Scrub and I Am Radiant Sugar Glow. The base for each of these is 1/2 cup of brown sugar and oil of some type. Experiment - and when you discover something outstanding, be sure to share with us here!
Make a "tea" for you bath water. Again, there are many homemade recipes out there - ones you can grow in your garden this summer, or get a head start and start some plants on a sunny windowsill right now. And a recipe from the book below: " Handful of pine needles or juniper sprigs; 3 broken cinnamon sticks; 10 or so whole cloves; 3 thick slices of fresh ginger. Combine and place in a bath infuser hung under the water faucet - no infuser? Use a strainer that you hand hold under the water until your bath is drawn. Don't forget bubbles if you already have them.
Make a drink for yourself. Here's one from the book below: orange and ginger root cooler. This infusion will help calm your upset stomach and stimulate circulation. It can also be served warm to comfort you on a cold day:
3 cups of carbonated or spring water; 1 tablespoon of honey; 2 oranges; 2 inches fresh ginger root.
Pour the carbonated water into a medium-sized pitcher, reserving 1/4 cup. Pour the 1/4 cup into a small bowl, add the honey, and stir until the honey dissolves. Pour the dissolved honey and water into the pitcher. Slice one orange and add it to the pitcher. Add the juice from the other orange. Slice the ginger root very thin and add it to the pitcher. Allow the mixture to sit for 15 to 20 minutes. Pour over crushed ice in a glass and serve. Serves 2.
And more recipes for homemade creams and lotions after the bath.
Don't forget great loofah's for scrubbing and big towels for drying off.
And maybe it will lead you to think about small steps to make the bathroom a lovely spa right in your own home (starting, for those of you with little ones, a lock on the door and a husband or friend babysitting for 2 hours). Sometimes a coat of paint can change the whole feel of the room. A visit to a nearby thrift store can start a collection of small mirrors to place about the walls, or maybe someone's discarded original painting to hang (or make your own).
For a great overview of all of this, check out the book: the art of the bath by Sara Slavin and Karl Petzke.
thought for the week: Giving Over: when you give a baby a bath you come to know her at her softest, glistening and weightless. Like a clod she floats, a tiny bright-eyed angel. It's a time for you and her to talk - with your eyes and water sounds. And you support her wholly, give her all of yourself as she gives over more and more, so pleased with herself, emerging - a little duck with a little stylish crest. from: the art of the bath.
Now bathe your inner child and treat her the same way.
Relax! Enjoy! Tammy Vitale
Everytime I see a pattern I really like, something that really catches my eye, I quickly jot it down. Surprisingly, I've learnt a lot about myself keeping my unconventional collection. Turns out I'm a really curvy flowery kind of girl! You might not want to collect patterns, maybe you'r prefer to collect something else unconventional like colors or words. Simply take a piece of paper (your journal or sketchbook works), and divide it into boxes (I have ten) now you are ready to go. Everytime you come across a new candidate for your collection pop open your page and add it to a box. It's the least expensive collection you'll ever keep! I've only really had two rules: 1) It's only collectable if it really attracts me (no collecting for collecting's sake). 2) I never take more than three patterns from the same source. (I've also been recording the sources for each pattern I record.) You'd be surprised at how much an unconventional collection like this can open your eyes to the surprises all around you. Enjoy! 
Megan Potter is a mom, a homeschooler, a wife, a life coach, and an all around creativity freak. Her own artistic expression of choice is painting and writing, but her real passion is teaching and coaching others. She is just beginning a new business, Everyday Renaissance, dedicated to inspiring women around the world to live creative lives. You are welcome to stop by her blog, Flaming Renaissance, she'd love to hear from you!
