Vanessa Oliver-Lloyd

Vanessa (she/her) is a Canadian archaeologist and artist who lives abroad. Currently in Beijing, China, Vanessa firmly believes in the magic of art. Her work is centered around the idea that ritual and a mindful art practice can bring so much to one’s life.

Catalysts by Vanessa Oliver-Lloyd
4. Lesson 04 – The Descent

4. Lesson 04 – The Descent

When our heroine comes face to face with the monster within herself, after having walked through the road of trials, it creates a big shift within her. This lesson feels like a pause in the whole journey, but there is a lot of inner work happening here. The Descent...

6. Lesson 06 – Revelation

6. Lesson 06 – Revelation

Our heroine has come to terms with some pretty fundamental changes and now it is time to leave the Underground Forest and return to the Known World, armed with her new knowledge. Healing the Split When you are whole, you heal. When all parts of you are integrated, you...

7.3 Signing off

7.3 Signing off

7.3 Signing offAs a very final gesture, I invite you to add your name to the end of your journal. I used a photo and some little bits that represent me at the end of this particular journey to complete this very moving art journal.

1.3 Coat of arms

1.3 Coat of arms

1.3 Coat of ArmsAs a way of illustrating our heroine’s values and ideals, we will make a coat of arms for her. Like the symbols we used in the title page, this is a way of reminding our heroine of what is important to her and what will help carry her through this...

2.5 The threshold

2.5 The threshold

2.5 The ThresholdNow the heroine sets off and she has to cross from the Known World into the Unknown one. This is a big deal and she has to cross a threshold, to leave behind the world that has always made sense to her into one that needs to be explored to be...

4.3 Shift

4.3 Shift

4.3 sHIFTBefore we delve into what shifts for our heroine, I go down a little tangent and invite you to carve your own stamps. This technique is one that you probably know already but in case you have never carved your own stamps, I wanted to show you an easy way to...

6.3 The clear path

6.3 The clear path

6.3 The Clear PathIt is time for the heroine to get to the place where she will be able to go back through the threshold. As she walks down the clear path, she is surrounded by flowers and symbols that support her feelings of joy and triumph. This spread will be our...

2. Lesson 02 – The Catalyst

2. Lesson 02 – The Catalyst

Now that our heroine is known to us and we have an idea of what journey we will embark on, it’s time to get started! This lesson needs a little bit of hindsight. As I mentioned before, we don’t always embark on these big altering adventures of our own accord. So we...

3.2 Meeting monsters

3.2 Meeting monsters

3.2 Meeting MonstersNow that our heroine is really in the thick of her journey, she embarks on the road of trials. This road is full of obstacles and monsters. To illustrate these encounters, we will be creating a series of pages with a circular cutout in the middle....

5. Lesson 05 – Meeting the Goddess

5. Lesson 05 – Meeting the Goddess

Our heroine has gone through a literal life-changing transformation. She has fought monsters, she has come to some difficult realisations, she has died and has been reborn. So, basically, nothing else can surprise her right? Ah, but there is another big moment coming...

5.3 Allies

5.3 Allies

5.3 AlliesEven though the Heroine’s Journey is a personal one, our heroine is never truly alone. She has allies that support her along the way. As I mentioned, if these are not actual people, the allies can also be personality traits of the heroine or even...

7.1 The return to self

7.1 The return to self

7.1 The Return to self This art spread is a celebration of the heroine’s return home, the return to feeling whole and happy. We will be using tissue paper to create a multi-layered spread. If you have some, try to use printed tissue paper that recalls some of  your...

2.3 The pivot

2.3 The pivot

2.3 The PivotThe Pivot refers to that moment when there is a clear understanding by the heroine that things are already in motion. She sees that she cannot pretend she didn’t open the door to the catalyst; in actuality, the heroine has already changed. For this...

4.1 Spiritual aridity

4.1 Spiritual aridity

4.1 sPIRITUAL aRIDITYThis first spread addresses the void that appears within the heroine herself during this crisis. She feels that she has lost her way, lost the tools that were helping her and that nothing is set to replace that hole at first. Luckily for her - and...

0. Introduction

0. Introduction

Welcome, welcome! I am so glad you are here. This class has been a long time coming and I am full of all the emotions at the thought of sharing it with you. The point of this class is to document a journey. It may not be the first that your heroine undergoes. She may...

0.3 Supplies

0.3 Supplies

0.3 SuppliesIn terms of supplies, you need to go for whatever supports your storytelling. Just because I am using this or that doesn’t mean that that is the supply that works for you. Always adapt my lessons to what works. The important thing is not that it looks like...

0.1 Inspiration flip and other journeys

0.1 Inspiration flip and other journeys

0.1 Inspiration Flip & Other JourneysThe next two videos are meant to serve as inspiration. I looked through my previously completed altered book journals to see what kind of spreads I like to do and how I best use the images that are already present in the books...

1. Lesson 01 – Archetypes

1. Lesson 01 – Archetypes

In this first lesson in our Inner Heroine’s journey, we are setting the scene before the journey begins. We will take a look at which heroine we are, using archetypes and storytelling tropes, and we will also figure out the best way to tell our story using the...

0.2 Choosing your book

0.2 Choosing your book

0.2 Choosing Your BookChoosing the book that you will alter is super important. The book must support your storytelling. The ideal book gives you lots of fodder to work with: it has images, a font or words that inspire you, that make you want to interact with it....

1.1 Title page

1.1 Title page

1.1 Title PageFor this first spread in our altered book, we will make a title page. In the video below, I show which supplies to gather and how to go about this. Have in mind which archetypes you associate your heroine with, as well as some symbols that may help to...