Making a mandala (circular drawing or painting) has long been considered an act of devotion in many cultures all over the world. No matter what your religious or spiritual beliefs, it’s great to have a way to take a bit of time out from the busy-ness of your schedule for contemplation, meditation and renewal. Circles…
Well, actually, I think pretty much everything is sacred. But, even sacred things can evolve, develop and transform. So your journal pages certainly can! In fact, if you don’t transform certain journal pages, they become the journal equivalent of that mysterious plastic container at the back of the refrigerator. The one that you know you’d better throw away…
The moon is full this coming Monday night and it looks like we might have clear skies here in the Twin Cities area. One of the things I love to do in my art and in my journaling is celebrate the natural world—changing seasons, dramatic weather, the plants and animals I live among. And the full…
I’ve heard the lament from quite a number of you: you bought a lovely journal, and you think the activities I’ve been posting look really fun and interesting, but you are too busy to journal right now. Maybe later, when life calms down a bit . . . I feel your pain! I don’t know about…
As I was returning home from a reception Monday night, there was a spectacular light show from some large thunderstorms to the north. The storms were far enough away that the thunder wasn’t audible, and I couldn’t see ground strikes. Instead, the massive clouds were illuminated from within by flickering lightning. Overhead, the sky was…
Artists have created self-portraits for ages, probably more for what the artists discover about themselves than as a way to create a likeness to show to the world. As with most things in Creative Energy Journaling, this activity is design to give you some of the benefits of the exercise of creating a self-portrait, without having to know how to draw or paint, and without spending hours and hours staring into a mirror.
What is a mask for? We all wear them. For politeness, for privacy, for protection. Sometimes out of kindness. Sometimes out of fear. Think about how it feels to wear an actual, physical mask. A mask conceals identity. But a mask also expresses an identity. When you wear a mask, are you conscious of a…
The biggest benefit of drawing is that drawing changes how you see. Drawing is a form of active meditation, a mindfulness practice, and a wonderful stress-reliever. That all sounds great. But what if you can’t draw? I have good news: the worse your drawing skills are, the easier today’s “drawing” activities will be for you! Back when I…
A great way to practice mindfulness and open your eyes to the world you live in every day is to play “tourist” in your own town. Often artists keep sketchbooks not so much to accumulate sketches as to provide a way to focus their attention on the overlooked interest and beauty in their everyday lives….
Often, we mentally place two qualities, choices, or even people, in opposition. Then, we conclude that more of one (or for one) must necessarily come at the expense of the other, without even thinking to ask if the two people/ideas/paths are really opposed. How might your thinking change if you considered whether these two things could be like the warp and weft of a piece of fabric, both valuable and necessary, both contributing to its strength and beauty?
In Creative Energy Journaling, as in any creative activity, there is the possibility of interference from your inner critic. The received wisdom is that inner critics should be silenced. Or banished. I disagree. In this post I hope to persuade you that your inner critic can help you go deeper into your creativity and be more comfortable taking creative risks.
This week’s activity is a feast for those of us (me! me!) who love color and light. It also introduces my all-time favorite watercolor technique—working wet-in-wet within shapes—which you can adapt to all sorts of other situations. Best of all, it’s just about guaranteed to produce beautiful results, even if you are brand-new to watercolor.
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