Brute Angel Or The Lighter Side of Joni Mitchell

Sometimes I have these strokes of creative genius...ok, maybe I'm the only one who sees it that way, but it still counts!

That's what happened to me for this week's JOURNAL 52 prompt "Sing a song in your art journal.  You can make a list of songs, illustrate a favorite song, use musical inspiration, or just free play create while listening to your favorite music!"

I almost always listen to music while I am creating art, so I wanted to do something a little different and I chose to go with illustrating one of the lyrics from a favorite song.

Here's the song I chose, "Down To You" by Joni Mitchell:

I love Joni.  Her music has been an adored part of my life for a long time.  I don't want anyone to mistake my...more comical...take on her lyrics for me being disrespectful!  That's so not the case!  

But I also didn't want to descend into the sad-sackery that's been plaguing me in recent months, and Joni's music can be so melancholy sometimes.  What I thought I would do is take her serious lyrics and put a lighthearted spin on them, to remind myself that even in sad times or frustrating situations, there is still space for joy and levity.  

Here's what I came up with:

"You're a brute.  You're an angel.  You can crawl.  You can fly too."
-Joni Mitchell

I have the suspicion that other people are either going to find this as silly and fun as I do or else be really confused...but I honestly really enjoy this page for what it is.  

Knowing the song inspiration behind it and then seeing this beefcake gal and her tiny wings flying through the air just makes me smile!  And that's what I wanted out of it, so how could I not be pleased?

I feel like I could have gone a lot of different directions with this song, and all of them be a complete opposite from the place I chose to go...and one day that might happen.

But for today, on the heels of Reverb14 and the Powerful feeling I have in my heart from it, I feel compelled by this musclebound gal!  

If all the girls I make are me, as I often feel they are, then surely I am feeling my power today and am confident that my tiny little wings can take me in any direction I choose.