January 1 - Elements

Ancient philosophers believed that the world was comprised of four basic elements - Fire, Water, Air and Earth. These four elements were considered critical to sustain life:

• Fire is a symbol of love, desire, strength, power, will, assertiveness, courage, freedom, passion and energy. It is predominantly associated with the sun and the season of summer, and is a warm and dry element. It gives off light, which protects all living creatures from the shadows of night. Fire is transformative, and when merged with other elements, it can change and grow. For instance, when fire encounters air, it grows bigger, and burns brighter. Fire is a powerful, masculine element and is depicted through the colors orange, red, and yellow.
• Water is a symbol of rebirth, healing, change, dreaming, clarity, intuition, fluidity, purification, regeneration, stability, strength, devotion, and unconditional love. It is the most soothing and calming of the four elements and is associated with the season of autumn. It’s cool and wet nature allows it to appease the mind and body. The water element can be found in oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, and springs. Life on earth would not be possible without water. The flowing and transformative nature of water makes it a cleanser and purifier. Water is a feminine element and is depicted through the colors blue, grey, silver and black.
• Air is a symbol of knowledge, perception, communication, creativity, strategy, intelligence, learning, thinking, imagination, harmony, and travel. It is associated with the season of spring and is the element of life itself as all living creatures, both plants and animals, require air to live and thrive. Air is warm, moist, and provides the mind and body with energy. The air element can be found all around us, but its most visible manifestation is through breezes or winds. Air is a powerful, masculine element, and is depicted through the colors yellow, blue, white, and grey.
• Earth is a symbol of stability, nourishment, security, health, home, prosperity, orderliness, groundedness, sustenance, dependability, intuition, introspection, and wisdom. Earth is associated with the season of winter and is the most materially grounded element. It’s cool and dry nature provides a comfortable living space for all plants and animals. The earth element can be found in fields, hills, mountains, and plains and is home to all living beings. Survival would be impossible without earth. Earth is a rich and fertile element providing energy and sustenance to all living creatures. Earth is a feminine element, the great mother that nourishes and protects. It is depicted through the colors green, brown and yellow.

You don't have to follow the symbolism or philosophical nature of the four elements to feel a connection to one of them. Maybe you are a nurturer and a protector who loves the outdoors and connects to Earth. Or maybe you are an energetic person who thrives on learning, adventure and travel, and you connect with Air. Your challenge for Day 1 of MOC is to choose one of the four elements (Fire, Water, Air or Earth) that you most connect with, and scrap a page depicting that connection. For my page, I chose water as my element. I have always felt a deep, strong connection to water in a multitude of ways, and it was difficult for me to include them all in my journaling, so I chose a quote about water that I felt encompassed everything it means to me:



To recap, the requirements of your page are:

• You must scrap a page about one of the four elements.
• Your page must be predominantly the colors associated with the element you choose:
  • Fire: Orange, Red and Yellow
  • Water: Blue, Grey, Silver and Black
  • Air: Yellow, Blue, White and Grey
  • Earth: Green, Brown and Yellow
• You can use a photo if you wish, or you can do a photoless page.
• You must include some journaling that explains why you connect with your chosen element. This can be a list of words or full sentences explaining your connection, or it can be a quote that speaks to why you connect with the element.

Your page must be a new page in order to count for the Month of Challenges. Your page must be posted in three places:

1. Uploaded to the TLP Gallery (not an outside hosting site).
2. Posted in your page thread you created in the MOC Layouts Folder. You should have one post per completed challenge page. If you complete all 31 challenges, your thread should contain 31 posts. Please do not comment in the participants’ page threads so we can keep them clean.
3. Posted in this thread. People can comment here if they wish.

Your page must contain Lilypad product (pages with photos and font only do not count). Product from other stores will not be allowed for MOC; your pages must contain 100% Lilypad product (current or retired product from designers or guest designers presently selling at The Lilypad).

I can't wait to see what you come up with to show your connection with the four elements!

 

Grabbing this spot for clarifications and questions about the challenge

* you can use as many photos as you want, or you can do a photoless page

* we will have an MOC12 gallery soon!