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Tag Archive: Art Journal

creative journaling workshop: messy journal page

Written on November 6, 2009 by abccreativity

today’s journal page:

messy journal page

there is a figure behind all of that mess and chaos. well it’s not mess and chaos exactly. it’s a lot of really amazing ideas and possibilities and opportunities swirling around me. but i can only do one thing at a time. i feel like i wish i could cram all of this into a funnel so each brilliant idea would flow out one at a time. then i could explore them one at a time, really explore what the potential of each one is and how i’d like to bring it into my life and my work, and then move on to the next one. but i am so crowded by ideas i have no space for that.

this page feels really unfinished and bare and it feels exactly like where i’m at today. it’s not pretty, but i sure love it.

it’s telling me to go be outside, today isn’t the day for sorting any of this out.

i really love the way my journal can take my confusion and reflect it back to me in a way that makes things clearer.

ps – 2010 calendar giveaway is still open until monday. have a great weekend.

andrea

andrea schroeder creates creativity workshops, downloadable creativity kits and guided meditations to support you in knowing and remembering that you are a creative being and you can create anything. you can do it. let’s make some magic.

join in on her free creative journaling workshop now and learn how to use an art journal as a tool for healing, happiness and self-discovery.

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creative journaling workshop: lift your spirits (finished page)

Written on October 28, 2009 by abccreativity

i finished my art journal page for lift your spirits. i made my list of happy-making things and then on the other page i looked at the idea of why don’t you lift your spirits and wrote out what came to mind for me there.

this exercise turned into an excellent reminder on how when i give myself the space to just be, instead of having to do, the things that need to get done do get done. and they get done easier, better and faster because i am in the flow.

there is nothing more important than feeling good and being in the flow. so many amazing inspirations, ideas and opportunities open up when we are in that space. being happy and in the flow is being open to receive from the infinite possibility that surrounds us in every moment.

i love how my creativity can remind me of that and get me back into that space when i fall out of it.

also – the sweet and sassy laurie of ambrosia living won one of the creativity kits given away on monday from creative every day, and i just love what she wrote about it on her blog.

andrea

join in on her free creative journaling workshop now and learn how to use an art journal as a tool for healing, happiness and self-discovery.

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creative journaling workshop: why don't you lift your spirits?

Written on October 21, 2009 by abccreativity

last week’s creative journaling workshop was called lift your spirits, making a list of things that inspire and uplift you. i love these lists and how they can support us through times when we are struggling.

this week i wanted to take that exercise on step further and take a look at what stops us from doing the things on our lists more often. if these are the things that fuel us, then the more we are doing them, the more fuel we have for everything else in our lives. but sometimes we flip it around, and decide we have to take care of “the important stuff” before we can play, rest and do the things we love to do.

mini-golf

what if what we love most is what is most important for us to do? what if we are here to enjoy our lives? what if how much joy we have is infinitely more important than how much money we have or how many items we crossed off our to-do list?

i see a lot of evidence in my life that it’s more important for me to be doing the things that make my heart sing. not only am i happier when i’m doing the things i love, but when it comes time to do the things i “have to do” i am in a better space to do them more efficiently, to have fun doing then and mostly – i do them better. my life flows when i am having fun.

we need to play.

so looking at your list of things that uplift your spirits, make another list – a list of reasons why you are not doing these things more often. this may feel like a downer. but the intention is to be more aware of where you can be having more fun, of where you may want to give yourself permission to enjoy yourself more, and to play before you work when that feels right and find ways to blur the line between work and play. not to eradicate responsibility in your life but to bring more joy and play into your daily routine. to lift your spirits every day.

we all deserve to be happy right here and now. when we can look honestly at what is getting in the way of that, then we can start making some changes that will bring play, delight and happiness into what we are doing right now. you can make this list on the same page you make your first list on, or start a new page just for this one. i’d love to hear about how you do with your lists and any shifts that begin to happen in your life as a result of looking at this.

andrea

join in on her free creative journaling workshop now and learn how to use an art journal as a tool for healing, happiness and self-discovery.

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creative journaling workshop: lift your spirits

Written on October 14, 2009 by abccreativity

what do you do to lift your spirits?

i saw this question in an oprah magazine. i cut it out because it is a question i ask people in my workshops, and in one-on-one sessions. what do you do to lift your spirits? what makes you happy? we all have things we do that are guaranteed happiness-makers. making a detailed list of these things, and keeping it somewhere handy, can be a real lifesaver for those times when we’re in the dumps. when we’re sad or depressed or lonely or bored or whatever it’s like a fog descends and we forget that there are all of these things we really love to do.

so i find keeping a list of these things in my journal a really fantastic tool. it reminds me of all of the happy things in my life, and more importantly it motivates me to do them more often.

so i made a really happily coloured page in my art journal and stuck the quote in there and next i will fill in the page with the things that lift my spirits. this reminds me of an abraham-hicks quote “there is nothing more important than that you feel good.” i love that one, and whenever i find myself not feeling good, i love being able to go to my list of happy things, pick one out, and do it.

it’s important to think of things that are both easy and not as easy, some that take lots of time and some that take a little time, some that are cheap and some that are expensive, etc. this way you can have a guaranteed happy maker for any situation you find yourself in. a few of mine:

spa day

knit and listen to inspiring podcasts

take a nap

meditate

road trip to my favourite town for the weekend

walk in nature

plan a vacation

gardening

phone a supportive and loving friend

watch a favourite movie

read

go into my art room and make a mess

buy fun new eyeshadow or lush bath stuff

as you work on your list in your art journal, decorating your page and playing with colour, you are inviting more happy-makers into your life. remember that you deserve all the happiness in the world. please share your favourite happy-makers in the comments section. let’s inspire each other with our lists and expand happiness everywhere.
andrea

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creative journaling workshop: there is more than enough time

Written on October 7, 2009 by abccreativity

i started this page in my watercolour moleskine art journal a few weeks ago. i really was feeling like i didn’t have enough time for everything i wanted to do and i wanted to journal about that. i wanted to use my creative journaling to help me to get into the feeling and energy of having lots of time. so i started with this girl and made her body a clock.

working on the page, doodling, colouring, adding words and ideas, i really did get into the feeling and energy of having enough time. of being relaxed and at peace with how everything is going and knowing that it’s all happening in the right and perfect time and that i don’t have to stress myself or rush, i can enjoy the process.

ahhhhhhh. relief.

since finishing this page, i have noticed more and more of this feeling coming into my life. and the real beauty of it is that with that feeling has come and increase in productivity. when i am calm and relaxed in my approach, i can do so much more without feeling like i am doing so much. i love that.

if you are feeling like there is something you are short on in your life - like time, or money, opportunities, work, love, friends, anything really, you can make a similar page. you can think… how would it feel to have enough of this thing? and how would it feel to have more than enough of it? and illustrate that feeling. for me it was the girl with a clock for a body and writing in words like “possibility” “ease” and “play” instead of numbers. you can draw yourself surrounded by the thing. you can write a story about an overabundance in your life of the thing. if you get quiet and listen to your creative spirit, you will know how to illustrate your feeling. and as you start playing with your page, messages will come to you that you can add to your page. for me it was affirmations about being relaxed about time. these messages can help ground you in the feeling of more than enough.

the real aim of this exericse is to get in and stay in that energy and feeling of more than enough. the longer you can stay in that energy the more you can start to create a shift in your perspective which will result in a shift in your experience. for me, creative journaling – playing on the page with writing, doodling, colouring, etc – is a great way to stay in that energy.

if you are not sure where to begin, you can start with the creativity meditation that i made for creative journaling. this can help get your creative juices and ideas flowing.

andrea

join in on her free creative journaling workshop now and learn how to use an art journal as a tool for healing, happiness and self-discovery.

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creativity kits

Written on October 1, 2009 by abccreativity

oh my. october 1 is here. this is the day i’d said i would have my creativity kits ready for sale.

i am sitting here surrounded creativity kit ingredients: guided creativity meditations, art journal videos, creative exercises, journaling prompts and little bits of inspiration of all kinds. i really love the work i am doing here but it is just not complete yet.

my aim here is to take the magic, inspiration and sparkling possibility of a real live creativity workshop and put it into an e-package that you can download and use right away in your own home, or bring to your friend’s house, and have a super fantastic creativity party.

i have been getting a bit lost in the details of putting these e-packages together. i have done dozens of different kinds of creativity workshops and i want to share *everything* with you. all at once. what i realised this morning is that it’s just too much right now. too much for me to put together, and also it would be too much for you to receive all at once!

so i am creating smaller kits, each one with a very specific focus. one guided meditation to gain clarity, awareness and insights on that topic, one art journaling video showing an exercise working with that topic, along with ideas for other things to try, one set of creative journaling prompts, and one set of printable collage materials, including a paper doll. these smaller kits will also be very affordable and you can get only the ones that appeal to you, insead of having everything in one big giant kit.

i really like this idea.

and now i am going to wade through these creativity kit ingredients and start putting them together in this new way. i can’t say when the first one will be ready, but hopefully it will be soon. i am very excited to share the inspiration and magic with you.
andrea

join in on her free creative journaling workshop now and learn how to use an art journal as a tool for healing, happiness and self-discovery.

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i have a new hero, her name is lisa sonora beam

Written on September 29, 2009 by abccreativity

lisa sonora beam

you can get to know her over on her site and while you are there make sure to check out her completely fabulous book, the creative entrepreneur.

the creative entrepreneur

i discovered lisa while looking for business books. as part of my fashion design degree, i studied small business management and marketing and found it all painfully dry and boring. just looking at those textbooks makes me want to take a nap. so i was looking for a business book that more more my speed, written for artists and creative people who wanted to be happy, true to themselves, authentic in their art, and make money while having fun. and i found that book in the creative entrepreneur.

what instantly struck me about this book is that lisa talks about visual journaling in the same way that i talk about creative journaling in my workshops. i know that people can use creative journaling as a tool to create healthier bodies, happier relationships, increased financial abundance, more happiness and creativity and abundance in all aspects of their lives. lisa knows that we can use visual journaling to create thriving creative businesses. here is what she says about that in her book:

For the past twenty years, I have taught visual journaling as a powerful way to develop problem-solving abilities and gain insights in ways that linear, nonvisual approaches to thinking and learning don’t access. Visual journaling helps us go beyond what we know in our rational mind, so we can access other ways of knowing – the kind of knowing that results in truly original thinking, ideas, and creative breakthroughs.

bringing the magic of creative journaling into business planning! beauty. i am so hugely inspired by this. i just started my visual journaling and i am having a blast with it so far. i am already seeing my work in a new light.

andrea

join in on her free creative journaling workshop now and learn how to use an art journal as a tool for healing, happiness and self-discovery.

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sewing glittery pockets into my art journal

Written on September 28, 2009 by abccreativity

i got myself a brand new moleskine for a super-cool new project i am working on (will be sharing more on that soon), and the first thing i was inspired to do was make glittering pockets and sew them in. i called the first pocket brilliant ideas and the second one amazing successes. this goes back to the balance i was talking about in my last post. finding that sweet spot between appreciating all i have and being excited about creating more.

amazing success pocket

now i am filling the brilliant ideas pocket with little papers covered with ideas i have for things i want to do, and the amazing successes pocket with appreciations of all that i have already accomplished.

i love pockets in journals! this is such a fun process. i used watercolour paper and painted the pockets with acrylics, then painted over them in glitter paint. i used an awl to punch holes in one pocket, then used that one as a guide to punch holes in the other pocket and the page. then i threaded an upholstery needle with “glitter yarn” (i’m not sure what it is, the label just says glitter yarn) and sewed them up, tied knots in each end and voila. pocket.

i can see using pockets for gratitude lists, lists of new things we want to invite into our lives, secret messages, affirmations, little masterpieces. the possibilities are endless.

art journal page: mint condition

the rest of this page is quite simple but the message is an important one for me. mint condition. my life is already in mint condition, i am already in mint condition. there is nothing to fix. there is always more to experience. looking at this page i kind of stop and take a good deep breath and relax.

we are all in mint condition.

andrea

join in on her free creative journaling workshop now and learn how to use an art journal as a tool for healing, happiness and self-discovery.

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art journal in process

Written on September 25, 2009 by abccreativity

on my art table right now:

unfinished art journal page

this page has looked like this for days already. the textures and colours are really cool. but it’s just a background.

this is the first time i haven’t been able to finish a page. thanks to daily meditation and extreme self care, my creative energy flows freely and inspiration is always accessible.

so that’s different now?

i keep looking at this page and kind of marveling at how nothing more is coming to me.

creative journaling is not just about journaling, or about making art. it’s about inviting your creativity in to guide you in exploring your inner world. our creativity is about so much more than making pretty pictures, it is our uniqueness and our authenticity, all wrapped up in intuition, ideas and solutions.

i know that creativity is life, and creativity never stops flowing.

so have i stopped allowing my creativity? we can block our flow in all sorts of ways, like attempting to control the outcome, being afraid of what emotions may come up in the creative process, wanting it do be perfect, comparing our creative work to others… the list goes on…

but this unfinished page doesn’t feel like a creative block, it feels like a message.

so, i explore how it feels to be with this unfinished page. it feels a little uncomfortable to just be with it as it is. i want to keep going, i want to finish it.

ah hah.

i am doing a lot of that in my life right now. i have so many projects on the go and i want them all to be finished. completion is fabulous of course but being present in the moment is much more powerful, and my creativity is reminding me of this.

can i enjoy the unfinished page for what it is without the desire to finish it?

can i enjoy my many unfinished creative projects for what they are without looking ahead to their completion?

there is a fine balance that can be found, between moving towards goals and being happy with what is. when i am too focused on setting and achieving goals i get uncomfortable and life moves too fast. when i am too focused on being fulfilled and happy with what is, i get bored and life is stale.

for me, remembering the fullness and perfection of this moment has to come first. from that i can allow new dreams and ideas to grow and flow through me.

so getting back to my page, the message is:

i am perfect the way i am. nothing more needs to be done.

and when nothing needs to be done, all sorts of delicious things can be done, new possibilities open up. so i am going to let that idea into my creative projects today, and see where they go.

what kind of messages does your creativity have for you today?

and if you are looking for a new creative journaling exercise – how about leaving a page unfinished and seeing what feelings come up for you?

andrea

join in on her free creative journaling workshop now and learn how to use an art journal as a tool for healing, happiness and self-discovery.

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