I have been negligent in my journaling. That old critic in my brain has been yelling "your blog is a waste of time! No one will ever read it! Why bother? That journal takes up too much of your time. Don't you have millions of important things to do, like clean the kitchen, do laundry, pick lint of the cat?" My critic is harsh and sometimes drives me crazy. It doesn't seem to want me to pursue any creative endeavours, especially this one, right now. As you can tell, I listened... for a while.
But a funny thing happened when I made time to be creative and started to work in my art journal (after starting and awesome Art Journaling class online). I started to get excited, ideas popped into my head. A fire was reignited in my soul. And even if getting up and going to a stressful job has been exceptionally difficult these last few weeks my creative fire renewed some hope. And I really didn't do very much in my journal to start my creative juices flowing again. All I did was take about 30 minutes to prepare 5 pages in my journal for my class. The preparation consisted of water coloring one page, doodling on one, and gluing torn paper squares on another. That's it. The key was the process. Gluing always makes me happy. The water color page was difficult because I just don't know what to do with them. It didn't end up looking so pretty but I was content that at least I tried. And the doodle page was fun and relaxing to do... after all it was just doodling. That was all. No great work of creative genius. No end product because the pages aren't even really started, they are a preparation to start. But creativity is creativity and it can light up your soul and give you a warm mushy feeling in your heart. And after the last few weeks, I was in great need of warm and mushy!
Enough about me, how did you do? Have you journaled? How did it feel? Did you enjoy the freedom of journaling a bit longer? I hope it was of some benefit. If you didn't journal was it because you felt stuck? Was it because of time limitations? Did you feel like your journaling was a waste of time? Was that nasty old critic at work telling you what you did sucked? If so, did you listen? Did you believe it? Tell me you didn't believe it. Don't ever believe it! You can hear it, maybe even consider it, but don't ever believe it!
If you were challenged in your journaling this week I want you to ask yourself, do you think that your journaling could have some benefit at all for you?
Could you be like I was? Could your critic be telling you not to be creative when a bit of creativity is just what you need?
Or maybe you were intimidated. Maybe you just didn't know what to write or what to put in your art journal.
Sometimes what you need is a prompt. Some way for you to move forward anyway you can... in the easiest way possible. So lets try that this week (me included).
This week I want you to follow some prompts. If you are art journaling I want you to collage this week. If you are using a written journal I want you to write a list.
Collagers: Get a magazine that you like. One with lots of pictures. Then every day cut or rip out any words or pictures that call to you. Enough to fill your page. That may be three... it may be ten. Whatever you want. Just cut/rip and glue on to the page. Try to avoid thinking. Just flip pages, if you see a picture or word you like, cut/rip and glue. Let it dry. That's it. Take five minutes or more... it doesn't matter.
Written Journalers: I want you to write lists. First list: Things you want to do. Second list (for your second journal day): Things you'd like to see. Third list: Things you want to have. Fourth list: People you would like to meet. Fifth list: Jobs you would like to try. Sixth list: Adventures you would like to have. Seventh List: Grocery list. Write your list for each journaling day this week. Really think and write with your heart. Don't worry if you may never get to accomplish an item on your list... that doesn't matter. Have fun! Pour out your heart. If you feel like writing about the items on your list after you write out your list that would be great. But you don't have to. The list will be more than enough. When you are done you can keep journaling about your list or about anything you want... or stop. That's it. Take five minutes... take more.
Just carve a bit of time for yourself to do this little, bitty thing every day this coming week.
See you then!
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