free creative journaling workshop: ONE

welcome to the very first posting of my creative journaling workshop.   my name is andrea and i’m really glad you are joining me on this new adventure .  this is me with one of my creative journals:

i have been creating and facilitating creativity workshops for over 2 years, using ideas and techniques that i have developed over the last 12 years.  my background is in fashion design, interior design and textile art but in my workshops i focus on creativity itself.

i do creativity workshops because i have found creativity to be such an incredible force for my own healing, transformation and empowerment and i would like to share that with others.  our creativity is our uniqueness, radiance and beauty, it is connected to our intuition and is a way to access the deepest and wisest parts of ourselves.   to me, there is a distinct difference between creativity and art.  i am an artist, i love art but in my workshops the focus is on creativity.

what is creative journaling?

creative journaling, for me, is a tool i can use to allow my creative energy to flow freely.  i can apply it to any subject in my life, for any purpose i want to use it for.  most often, i use it to work through uncomfortable feelings or situations.  creativity brings ideas, solutions and a sense of wellbeing.  creative energy is soothing and nurturing.  can you think of any places where this may come in handy for you?

i combine free-flowing creative energy with written journaling exercises designed to help generate new ideas and healthy perspectives.  our creativity is our genius and we are genius enough to solve our problems and create anything we want in our lives.

i created this little paperdoll who will be our creative journaling workshop cheerleader, cheering us on no matter what:

the energy and feeling on this doll sums up what it is i want to share through this workshop – the knowing that YOU can do it.  and by “it” i don’t just mean creative journaling, i mean anything.  creative journaling is a tool that opens you up to create more in your life and as you progress with it you will find you are becoming more confident, more sure and more willing to give a voice and a life to those little dreams that live inside your heart.  it’s important that we let those dreams out, they nurture us and they nurture others.

how will this workshop work?

my intention for this workshop is to be putting a new post up each week.  however, since this is a free workshop and i have many creative interests and activities, that may not always happen.  if you are looking for a more structured workshop that includes feedback and support from the facilitator, you can check out my creative visioning and creativity for healing workshops.  my creative journaling workshop posts will have me sharing different ideas and techniques, and may include photos and/or videos.  i welcome comments, and encourage you, if you are doing the exercises, to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section.  if you have a blog or website, you can post about your creative journaling experiences there and then share a link in the comments section so we can all check it out.  if you don’t have your own site but would like to share your work, you can get a free photo sharing account (i like flickr for this) to post photos on so that you can share them with us.

getting set up for creative journaling

the first part of any creativity workshop is creating the creative space.  i like to put art supplies out everywhere in fun coloured containers, and have plates of cookies, dried fruits and chocolate and pots of tea.  the idea is to create a space that is nurturing and inspiring where you can feel free to express.  since you are doing this in your home, you can create this space for yourself in any way you want.

you probably want to start with whatever art supplies you have on hand, as these will be the ones that you are most comfortable with.  as you progress with your creative journaling, you may want to go out and explore the world of art supplies.  i like to go to the art supply store to try new things and come home with whatever feels inspiring to me.  do not feel intimidated if you don’t really know how to use art supplies.  they are toys to be played with, there is no right way to do anything and if you experiment you can create your own ways of working with them.

to start out, all you really need is paper and pens.  however, our creative spirits can be nurtured by colours and textures and your creative spirit may have certain art supplies that it really wants.  i encourage you to listen to that and treat your creative spirit to whatever it is asking for.  for me, it is a certain type of journal with a certain type of paper, certain kinds of markers.  my creative spirit is quite specific about what it wants.  i also feel freer when surrounded by lots of different materials.  i use:

watercolour pencils

water soluble wax pastels

chalk and oil pastels

lots of different widths of markers

pencil crayons

rubber stamps (especially alphabet stamps)

collage materials (magazines, calenders, photos, etc)

different textures/styles of handmade/scrapbooking/origami papers

gouache and acrylic paints

inks

glitter

the creative journaling game

as i explored creative journaling and developed my own exercises for creative journaling, i began to put them together into the creative journaling game.  this is a game that i play in some of my creative journaling workshops and i do plan to use it here.  the game consists of three decks of cards.  the first desk contains different life aspects, such as: relationships, self-care, career, health, etc.  the second deck consists of creative journaling techniques and/or exercises, which i go into more detail as we work through the workshop.  the third deck consists of energies and ideas that can support us in moving forward, such as inspiration, love, relaxation, etc.

how you play the game is totally up to you!  you can use one, two, three or none of the decks and choose as many cards as you like from each, put them together however you feel inspired to and see what comes of it in your journal.  what i normally recommend is choosing one of each, unless you have come to the creative journaling session with a specific issue you want to journal about, in which case you do not need to use deck #1.  what i will be doing in this workhop is choosing one of each and presenting them as one exercise.  in time, i will be offering the game for sale, so if you enjoy the workshop, you can get the game and play with it on your own.

your first assignment

i really believe in moving at a comfortable (which usually means slow) pace in life in general and certainly in creative explorations.  so in that spirit your first assignment is to get ready to begin.  what does that mean?  prepare your creative space, nurture your creative spirit.  how i begin creativity wokshops, after setting up the space, is to do a guided meditation to get us all in touch with our creative spirits and get that juicy creative energy flowing.  how can you get your juicy creative energy flowing?

setting an intention to participate in this workshop is getting your creative energy flowing already.  maybe all you need to do is get a journal or a few new markers, maybe you want to clear out some space in your home to create a creativity workshop space for yourself, maybe you need a nap or a trip to the beach.  if you’re not sure what your creative spirit needs, then i suggest making a title page for your journal.  if you’re not sure how to start your title page, start with a collage and have fun with it.

i also encourage you to post a comment here introducing yourself and sharing your thoughts about the creative adventure we are embarking upon.

see you next week.

Tagged as: beginning, cheerleader, creativity