about
“Often the hands will solve a mystery that the intellect has struggled with in vain.” — Carl Jung
Welcome. Wonderers. Wanderers.
Come take a seat. Draw a breath. And picture a space where you can reflect. Relax. Reimagine. A place where you can experience that magical state of flow. And rediscover yourself. Where you choose your own adventure and collage your life by hand.
Where is this mysterious place?
Well, on the surface, it’s a book. A journal. Some call it an art journal. Or a visual journal. I like to call it a creative journal. And, used well creative journalling can be a potent process. A kind of outside in adventure.
A process I use in exploring:
My style and ideas as a mixed media artist. My relationship with money. Memories. Emotions. Events. Ways to create richly written copy (I have written for others, as well as myself, for many years now). Or business blueprints.
Creative journalling does all this and more.
Intrigued? I’d love to share it with you.
I Used to Be Creative But I Drifted . . .
Because, I know first hand what it means to be cut off from your creative spirit. That inner spark which ignites ideas and lights the pathway of curiosity. For me, it resulted in what-I-call Beige Zombosis.
I drifted through jobs. Through relationships. Ideas. Interests. Desperately searching for meaning, I clutched at answers. But I just couldn’t find my bearings. I was forever exhausted. In a fog. Utterly disconnected. Depressed. A damsel in distress. And dis-ease.
One divorce. Two redundancies. A huge heartbreak. Many house moves. Numerous career U-turns. And a series of hormone disruptions later. I began reclaiming my creative self. Piece. By. Piece.
Creative Journalling
In the midst of the messiness of life creative journalling called to me. An echo from bygone days. Creative journalling, you see, was a kind of rediscovery. I used to journal with images and words as a teenager. And, then, in my thirties, I had to relearn what I once knew.
So why creative journalling?
It’s an approachable mode of self exploration — a way to re-member ourselves. in all areas of our lives. use it the way you want for what you need.
It requires minimal materials — all you really require is a book. some arty crafty bits. and a few questions or prompts. no colossal canvases. pricy paints. or vast amounts of stuff.
It meets you where you’re at — drawing muscle atrophied? never had one? then there’s always collage. doodling. scribbling, even.
There’s no pressure to create a masterpiece — it’s about play. the process. the journey. finding your flow. ways to overcome your logical, linear thinking. letting ideas emerge.
It allows you to claim your personal creative space — share your journal. don’t share it. just be mindful of who you let in. this is no place for art critics (internal or external). learn to embrace mistakes. they can be serendipitous.
In short, creative journalling gave me permission to express myself without any expectations. No exams. Exhibitions (well, not always!). No particular end product. Just the joy. The relief. Of doodling. Collaging. Printing. Painting. Being present. Playing. Exploring.
☆ New to creative or art journalling? Then I invite you to start here with Journalling 101.
Why Creativity Matters
Thing is, we’ve diminished the creative spirit. Reduced it to something meaning simply ‘artist’. Squeezed it into a box. Distanced it. Made it nigh on unobtainable.
And on the flip side, because so much about creativity is tied up with play, often our egos or practical sides say ‘no’. Before we’ve even breathed life into an idea.
Yet, our creative spirit is expressed in everything we do.
Creativity is a way of being. A journey. An adventure. It means claiming the freedom to follow your own inklings and inspirations. Joining the dots. Creating constellations. Navigating your own path.
As Visual Journal Guide + Art Therapist Marianne Hieb writes:
“Seeking wisdom is a creative work.”
And, the process of creative journalling is one way — an accessible, magical way — in which to relax, rediscover, re-member our wiser, more knowing selves.
Want to dive in?
☆ To keep up to date with my offerings subscribe to my museletter
☆ For more on journals start with Journalling 101
