Portfolio Loose Leaf Art Journal Flip & Christmas Class Craziness!!

Hi! Hope you've had a fabulous Christmas period and are still rolling around from how stuffed you are (she says as she's eating her Christmas choccies =) )

I have a new journal flip today, as I said I would after the last Loose Leaf Art Journal Flip, those of you in the Monthly Challenge Group may recognise some of these pages. 

Hope you enjoy:

I'm a bit late doing this weekly ramble as obviously Friday was Christmas day, though I suppose that doesn't matter much as Christmas Eve (I've no idea what possessed me) I opened the doors to my Brand New Class, 

Creative Goal Journaling:

Though to be honest despite the unfortunate timing it wasn't that much of a crazy decision. It hasn't taken that much to get it prepared and launched, though I'm pretty sure that's because I'm so passionate about it that the work it takes doesn't feel like work - and that's exactly what I can't wait to teach in this class; how to bring your goals into being in the most joyous, easy way possible. 

It is a different kind of 'creation' class. It is my most premium and comprehensive class but right now I am offering it at a Christmas Gift Price of Over 50% off: 

Click here to see all that's included in the class: 

http://journalworkshops.ning.com/page/creative-goal-journaling

Much love and if I don't see you before

************ Happy New Year ************

Loose Leaf Art Journal Flip Video & Peek at my Junk Journal

So this week I have been doing a lot of junk journaling, in truth as an assistance to a huuuuugggeeee project I've been working on eeeeeekkkkkkk...more on that coming soon. But it's the reason I haven't posted on here for a couple of weeks - I've just been swept away, it's been boootiful!! The only other major thing I've been doing is planning my glorious new year with my 2016 Shining Workbooks:

After I posted this pic of Facebook I got a couple of emails about them and what they're for: they're by Leonie Dawson and their bright, colourful & practical tools to achieving what you want out of your upcoming year. You can find out more here: http://tinyurl.com/ShiningWorkbooks

So seeing as the junk journaling is my main art journaling process atm & I was already doing a new journal flip video I thought I would share some of those junk pages and their process in the flip too...

hope you enjoy =)

Hope you have an awesome week

((((One weeeek till Christmasssssss)))) wohooohoohoooo (or should that just be ho ho ho??) either way have a great one!!!

Black Friday Loveliness?

***Black Friday Sale, All My Classes Now 50% OFF***

I see this year Black Friday has split people totally down the middle. Some see awfulness, others see loveliness...and (I think seeing as I'm an online, rather than in person, shopping kinda gal) I fall on the side of Loveliness. 

I LOVE how I can indulge in bunches of art supplies that normally I would consider a little too pricey or frivolous (why do I need another set of pencils when I have several sets barely touched? etc). 

And I LOVE how I can get education products for things that normally I wouldn't buy just because I'm slightly interested in the topic (for instance this morning I brought a podcast class, not because I'm definitely wanting to start a podcast, just because I'm interested in the subject and would like to learn more). 

I suppose what I really LOVE is the options Black Friday gives and the PERMISSION you then give yourself to allow yourself to experience new things you may not have be open to before (basically if you were paying full price - because, you know, we all love a bargain).

So in light of this I wanted to add to this feeling and offer 50% off of all of my Classes.

or click here: http://journalworkshops.ning.com/page/sale

Want to learn how a new way to make a journal? I got you covered. Want to learn how to put more you in your journals?  I got you covered. Want to experience how to connect your emotions to your art through things like symbolism?  I got you covered. 

Give yourself permission to have the new experience you want.

Click the image or link above to check out the classes on offer and enjoy 50% off each class

(all class are crazy prices starting at only £10 but just for this weekend only!)

I’ve never offered this huge reduction before, and to be honest I’m not sure I’ll do it again so now is the perfect time to stock up on the classes you want.

Hope you have an awesome weekend

PS 'ALL my classes' really does mean ALL MY CLASSES, so my Brand New Journal Playdate is also included in this offer! Pretty crazy, but he'd feel lonely if I left him out =)

About Creative Evolution

So last week I wrote about ‘Passion Projects' being the nearest thing I have found to that total sense of escapism through creative pursuit, which I now often miss in my every day journaling practice.

But this week I want to write about how wishing for that level of escape in my everyday creativity which I used to have every-single-time I created (or any previous stage of creative pursuit), to be back again, is utter madness.

So what do I feel now when I create:

Joy & Happiness

Excitement & Enthusiasm

Interest & Intention

Challenges & Blocks

Hiccups & Frustration

Relief & Burnout

So what did I feel then when I created:

Utter Joy & Total Lack of Thought.

So the above list of previous things I used to feel when creating looks pretty good. The current list of what I feel...well when compared to the other, not so good. But the list of feelings I have when I create now is pretty much given in order of how I project runs & this is telling in itself. 

It shows how now the process is more meaty. It shows how it's actually evolved into a process. 

My previous when-I-created feelings show creation happened without any process in mind occuring at all. It was just done. And that total sense of escapism into the art could only occur because a) I didn't have very much time to create, so that which I did was precious and b) I was very unhappy, dealing with grief and a bunch of other negative feelings to do with working in a soul-sucking rat race environment. Back then I thought if I was gifted with more time to create and happier life circumstances then I would be MADE UP. Well guess what? I am now living that life, and it is and isn't how I imagined it would be. 

I create, create, create as I imagined I would, but not in the simple one-dimensional level I did before. This means I cannot always be completely immersed in the art because the expansion of life caused an expansion in my art. I am no longer satisfied just slapping paint down, I want there to be meaning behind it, I want to use a plethora of techniques, I want to be sharing or teaching it. So while I may occasionally crave the 'Utter Joy & Total Lack of Thought' the pursuit of art used to bring, MY CREATIVITY CRAVES MORE

...and besides, the price of being unhappy is too high a price to pay to get that again...

...it's like waiting for the relief of water when you've been running for miles on a scorching hot day, verses sitting in a comfortable room and drinking drink after drink consistently. The former is my previous life and the art was the water, but in the latter which is my life now, the thirst cannot be quenched because there is no thirst. I am in a comfortable armchair drinking drink after drink.

So while I sometimes still crave that level of complete escapism I wanted to share this important message if you ever feel the crave for an older time in your creative story to come around again. Whatever benefits there were you have more benefits now because evolution moves in the right direction. Take nature as your teacher if not me for that. It doesn't mean you're may be happy with every decision you've ever made nor that you might not want to pick up some previous habits that served you well once again. Evolution just means the natural progress of your journey, the path, the whole and where you currently are (- and without that path you wouldn't know that you 'want to pick up some previous habits that served you well' again anyway). Evolution moves in the right direction because that is the direction it has gone in.

I get emails all the time from people who feel like they've lost their mojo, or find it difficult switching from say scrapbooking to mixed media and even from people who have transferred from creating for the fun of it to doing it for extra income and all feel what I have described here: The longing for the safe, old ways of our creativity & the perplexity and/or distress by the new realities of it. 

I think the answer for everyone in such a situation is to understand the essence of this: 

It is just Your Creative Evolution. 

You are on a Journey! Not a One Point Stop.

It Gives more than it Takes.

and

Lean into it, because it will happen anyway.

and just for fun...what was my Passion Project this week??

junk journaling...

and also making clay things as you can see from the top right.

That's all from me this week, 

what have you been up to? Please share in the comments below

Have a great weekend

Much <3

PS Checked out my new class yet??? It launched this week, here are the details:

The Journal Playdate is a workshop consisting of ten video steps that are each five minutes in length or under so you can follow along then go execute, follow along then go execute. It is how I would teach you to create an art journal page WITH MEANING if I was with you. Some great pages are already being shared, come join in.

You can check out the full details of the Playdate here: http://journalworkshops.ning.com/page/journal-playdates

All About Passion Projects

So this year I’ve really needed a lot of what I call ‘Passion Projects’. These are essentially the private projects I keep all to myself and they are essential for making my other projects, especially those where I’m delivering something to others so it has to be amazing, happen.

Passion Projects are the nearest thing I have found that draw me back to that feeling when I first started art journaling (and actually knowing what it was I was doing) on the floor of my flat in London in an attempt to escape the day to day pain and heartache I was going through. Those pages were the nearest thing I have found to that total sense of escapism through creative pursuit, which I now often miss in my every day journaling practice.

my old creative space (and the floor in front of it was where the main events happened) in my old bedroom in my London days

So once upon a time every project I had was a Passion Project, and you may be reading this thinking ‘yeah every one of my projects is a Passion Project’ and even ‘why would you create any project anyway Jennibellie if it’s not a Passion Project?’ Well it’s not that I don’t have passion for all my projects because I do (or obviously I wouldn’t be creating them) but there are a couple of reasons there is a level of passion difference to these I am calling ‘Passion Projects’. 

First as I said at the beginning when you begin creating things for other people the projects begin to feel different, basically because your objectives are different. I learnt this several years ago when I first started selling my handmade journals. Those journals that went up for sale could not be like those haphazard journals I was happy to create and journal in myself. They needed to be neatly made, with clean lines, made with the correct materials and techniques and they needed to last…that is not to say I people wouldn’t have brought or wanted my own haphazard journals, because I’ve seen many a person sell all kinds of things that have a, let’s say ‘creative looseness’ to them and good on them. There is just something in me that means before anything I’ve made can go out into the world it needs to have met my own personal standards, which I’m sure you can relate to if you’ve ever made a present for someone that you really wanted them to treasure. So this level of attention to a finished product can often remove the freedom I feel in a Passion Project, which again is not to say that I don’t enjoy doing it, it just means I can’t have the total abandon that a Passion Project requires. 

The second reason is to do with the escapism in the art, which I’m going to be going to be talking more about next week, as it is a whole blogpost in itself. 

So how does a Passion Project help you finish your other projects? Well if you are someone who is creating a lot of things that have a lot of elements to them, or are of a large nature, or are creations to share with other people, or are items for sale…basically if you are anyone besides those creatives who are creating 100% of the time entirely for themselves (and if you are lucky you), but even if you are just someone who is making that many christmas cards stamping one more santa will drive you crackers then a Passion Project will help you in two main ways: 1) by giving you a break from your current project and 2) at the same time instilling you with creative energy to take back to that project.

A Passion Project is a project that comes COMPLETELY from the heart and one that you are so inspired by you just HAVE to do it, you simply don’t even have the choice your inspiration is just that high. Passion Projects are actually the love child of the Creative Instinct I talked about a couple of weeks ago, and while yes every project we do must have some passion in it for us to want to do it ‘Passion Projects’ are actually rarer than you may think. I estimate you to be VERY lucky if you manage to have 30% of your entire creative pursuits at Passion Project level, even if you 100% of the time creating private things for no one but yourself (the only exception I believe is when you first ‘rediscover’ your creative side and it feels like you’ll never want to do anything else but create again  - and creative blocks, critics and burnout are things that happen to other people.) 

So my Passion Project this week? Making Orgonites:

I’m not going to go into what Orgonites are here, as they are not just a pretty thing to be made but put in the simplest way an energy balancing tool made of organic and inorganic substances, there’s a lot of science and intricacies behind it, which is very complicated to explain to anyone totally new to it so if you want to know more please feel free to look it up on your own – Dr. Wilhelm Reich is probably the best place to start. 

These are my first batch of Orgonites, which I have been researching for years before I attempted making them (as they really are that intricate and something you want to get right or you will have just wasted a lot of expensive materials). They are something that I have been excited about creating for a long time, dreaming up designs and staying awake all night with anticipation. Now I get excited about every project that comes across my path but to still be excited about creating something years after you first thought of doing it – that is a Passion Project. And every moment creating them was so absorbing hour by hour disappeared without me realising – another sign of a Passion Project.

And the project the Orgonites were helping me to create? My new Art Journal Playdate which incidentally goes live TODAY Woohoo!!

The Journal Playdate is a workshop consisting of ten video steps that are each five minutes in length or under so you can follow along then go execute, follow along then go execute. It is how I would teach you to create an art journal page WITH MEANING if I was with you.

You can check out the details of the Playdate here: http://journalworkshops.ning.com/page/journal-playdates

And if you join in the next couple of days you will get 25% off!! (I like to reward my Early Birders!)

The Playdate isn’t just about making art, it is quite a profound process where every element created has a reason and meaning behind it so it is only for you if:

You want to learn how to use symbolism more in your art to convey your thoughts and emotions.

You wish to use your art journal pages as a practical tool to remove blocks that hold you back.

You would like to spend time with me to absorb the art of creating an art journal page that has personal meaning to you.

If that’s you, click the image below to come on over:

Much love, I hope to see you in the Playdate if not have a great week xoxo

The Creative Instinct

Hi guys

I was going to write a post today (as mentioned in the video I made instead below) continuing on from the 'marinating' post I did last week and my Creative Instinct. 

Then I realised while I've spoken of the Creative Instinct a lot on this blog (I even have a tag for it on the right, and I'm not very good at keeping up the correct categories on this blog so I think that says how important it is to my creativity) I'm not sure I've ever fully gone into depth about what it is. I mean I might of given a description when I first started writing about it, but I never brought it up properly as a 'thing' to you guys, and yet I think it might be able to help one or two of you to identify this aspect of your Creative Self, so here's the full video version of 

The Creative Instinct:

click the image to be taken to the youtube video

I hope you have an awesome weekend 

PS If you would like another vid from me tomorrow be sure to open my email if you're on my newsletter list for an exclusive 'Ask Jennibellie' video all about writing in your art journals. 

If you're not on my list click on the image above to sign up or here: Jennibellie's Newsletter

 (it's free & I'll even gift you lotsa goodies for joining)

PPS If you are intrigued by the RAW Intuitive Journaling Class you can click on the image below to be taken to a page of the full details, watch a video, see what's included etc:

 Happy Halloween weekend 

xoxo

Marination and Videos

Hi!

I'm incredibly disconnected from online happenings right now and although my arty self just wants to chillax and say 'screw it' to turning the computer on and writing a blogpost, I wanted to hop on just to let you know where I'm at...as if you've been following me for any length of time you know I enjoy sharing the journey of being creative as much as all the glorious outcomes from it.

So the past couple of weeks I've been marinating!

Like crazy marination! If I were a chicken breast (or quorn fillet in my case) I'd be far too tasty and juicy for the taste buds to handle (and probably past my use by date now too lol). What I've been marinating in has been my creativity, my creative spaces, my future creative ideas, my current creative projects and my creative journaling.

The journaling I have been doing has been EPIC - I've done a lot of art journaling, junk journaling and spent a lot of time in my idea journals (video of how I capture and action my ideas is here). The kind of journaling that has been most useful, revealing and exciting for me though I've got to say has just been written journaling (video of me sharing my 'regular' written journal is here - there's two videos in this post, the written journal is the second one down) and gratitude journaling (I have a Gratitude Journal Kit which you can get here or by clicking on one of the sneaky peek pictures below if you would like a guide through the process) and I think both have greatly boosted all the work from the other journaling that's been happening - in fact I'd say they've turbo boosted it!

All this journaling has lead me to make a lot of decisions about my creativity and what I want to do/be doing in the future. I've found new areas of creative passion, from things I'd never thought I'd be interested in to new ways I want to get my hands dirty and it's just been great.

True, deep and meaningful marination though has required that I unplug from the internet. At the core of it it's been a re-connection to myself and I believe respecting your creative journey is all about listening to what you need in the moment. Sometimes being online is crazy inspiring for me and other times I need a hiatus (apologies for my hiatus from my Weekly Ramble - last week but I did see that I got a lot of visitors on Friday obviously expecting a blogpost, so I'm sorry for that but YOU are the reason I switched on this week, because I love you!). 

I'm still not ready to leave my delicious dish of creative juices just quite yet so here are some PRIVATE previous Weekly Ramble videos I have done (that you can only find if you go hunting through the archives). I'm sharing them here because all three kinda represent where I am right now - the first is about Relaxing in Projects, the second about a Creative Download and the third about Creating a New Space for your creativity to come through and right now I'm in a combination of all three. 

So grab a tea or coffee if you're feeling some creative chat time with moi and I can't wait to show you what it's going to be coming out of my marination, so exciting =)

Have a crazy great weekend!

Weekly Ramble's are blogposts I put out on Friday just to share whatever is happening in my art world, regardless of where I'm at in a process, or in my creative flow, or my studio etc the posts are more about capturing a glimpse of the middle than they are showing the shiny finish!

Where YOU Meets YOU: Making Meaningful Creations from Your Journaling

Hello

Today I want to share how wonderful it feels to create art pieces that feel incredibly meaningful to you before you've even begun creating them. 

But how can to you get a significant connection to something before it's brought into being? Before you've seen it, touched it or even thought of it? 

By pulling meaning directly out of your mirror, your reflection, your giant holder of all things meaningful to you - your journal, and smushing it together with your brilliant creative ideas of course. 

I'm working on a new class (well actually I'm working on several, and several other projects of all kinds, all at once - not very clever of me as it then takes aaaaeeeooonnns to get anything ready but my excuse must be that I have to go wherever the creative energy does, as you probably know by now if you've followed me for any length of time) and one thing that came up is how much I create from what appears in my journals - and how much those things mean to me as they hold SO much significance before my hands have even created them.

For instance I shared this dragon I created this week on social media:

and when I think about it creative dragons have come up a lot in my journaling lately (and blogposts too - click here to read 'What a visit with a Fake Famous Artist Taught Me About My Creative Dragons'):

When you create this way there is a connection already present between you and the creation and it is so POWERFUL it's palpable. So in the hopes of inspiring you to take up making some really unique and personal items to you, I thought I'd share some of the things I have made from my journals. 

So first up here's something I made a couple of days ago that is really easy to emulate...

as it is simply an atc I created (with scrap card I keep cut and collaged ready for when I want them) with a message on it that comes directly out of my written journaling (see my written journal right there underneath?)

These are great to keep around your journaling space as reminders of whatever is important to you at the present moment; right now I'm owning my power! We are insanely powerful beings, and through my journaling I've learnt to forego any thoughts of unworthiness that hinder that tremendous and beautiful brilliance from coming through. It's satisfying to say 'no' to all those pesky, niggly (and boring) useless thoughts & feels so good to whip out an atc, black pen and crayons as soon as those gems come up in your journal. 

Within couple mins BOOM: you have a lovely meaningful reminder of something profoundly important to you.

FYI: this journal space above is a big part of one of those new classes that'll be on Journal Workshops soon enough. Shhh! Don't tell!

Another creation was this doll I shared when I got a 'Creative Download' (aka My Raw Intuitive Journaling Class):

here's the journaling counterpart:

I actually covered this whole 'Creative Download' process/story/development in a couple of other Weekly Ramble blogposts with videos which you can find here:

How to Receive a Creative Cosmic Download

& Cosmic Download Chronicles Part 2 (aka I'm flyinnng!)

And finally I also realised one of the projects we did on Journal Workshops for my Birthday Bash (the 'Community Flag' project to be precise), also came about from the journaling I was doing back at that time about creative living (hence 'Creative Life' being on the flag):

If you want to see a video of the flag being created (and some other art technique vids thrown in too) then you can still check them out in the Birthday Bash Group [here] for free. There are many more creations I could share but hey, gotta hold something back for the class! lol.

So I hope sharing these projects has given you some inspiration. I really cannot stress enough how wonderful it feels to create art that feels significant to you before you even start. I realised writing the 'pull meaning directly out of your journal and smush it together with your creative ideas' sentence at the beginning why it feels so meaningful...

because it's where the unique meets the unique:

Important things in your journal = unique to you. 

Your brilliant creative ideas = unique to you. 

It's such a meaningful process because it's where YOU meets YOU!

Let me know if you give it a go, or if you already do this what have you created? Fill me in the comments below.

Have a wonderfully arty weekend

Much love

PS Did you see my latest video?? 

If not click the image below to watch:

Join Journal Workshops Art Community

What Are You Afraid To Do In Your Art Journal?

Hello Lovelies

My Weekly Ramble this week will literally just be a rehash of the only thing I've managed to do the last couple of days. I've felt pretty crappy and so the Monthly Challenge is what I'm going to be sharing here, but really I think it's worthwhile as it's a very important subject and something we should have more conversations about.

So the video this month I did a kind of tutorial on, so if you're feeling brave enough click the image below to open up the question 'What Are You Afraid To Do In Your Art Journal?'

Much love

Have a great weekend

Ways to Let Go in Your Art

Hi guys, happy Friday.

Today I posted a new bonus lesson in my RAW Intuitive Journaling Class. It is in an existing bonus section of the class called ‘Childhood Secrets to Your Intuition’ & this time is all about connecting with your Inner Child through the Raw Intuitive Journaling Process:

Click the image to be taken directly to the new bonus

I've added quite a few bonuses to the class now, I think this is the fifth...anyhow on a previous one I posted a student asked this question:

 'I am having a serious internal battle. When I am creating I am very analytical. Jennibellie do you have any tips for "letting go"? I've tried and it's really, really difficult!!!'

And I thought that the answer would be of benefit to everyone so I'm sharing it here. Of course the whole of the RAW Intuitive Journaling Class is really about this topic, but here is my response with a few tips I didn't share in the class - be warned it is long but hopefully worth it if you feel the need to let go more in your art, so here is my response:

I do actually have a few useful tips for letting go....but first things first, I want you to ease up on yourself! You cannot create something good from battling with yourself, and then beating up on yourself for battling with yourself (there, there is your first 'task' for letting go, release the beating up on yourself I hear all through your message; practising here will probably help you do it more on the page).

Second, I want you to acknowledge nothing is going wrong, and if you can, release that it's 'difficult'. I have realised over the last few months that I often come to the page with the same issues. They are cropping up over and over again, I was getting SO frustrated...but it wasn't till I released the idea that it's 'difficult' any shift happened. It isn't that I suddenly am no longer facing those issues, I am, it's just that I'm more ok with it. I understand now and it's part of the process. If we shifted through things at the rapid speed we often wish we could we'd miss what we are actually learning from them. So relax, nothing is wrong, it may be something that takes a while for you to work through, it's OKAY, have patience and appease yourself as much as you can with that (because that is how things speed up anyhow - Einstein said "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.", so let go of the 'difficult', you cannot see the solution when you're transfixed on the problem).

Three, I think is important to do for anything you want to 'be in the moment' with in a positive way, whether it be something angst ridden like an interview or simple like making an art journal page. It's really simple (but it works, don’t underestimate this!), and that is to get into the mental energy of being free/letting go BEFORE you even thinking of creating, or even step into your studio. Which means getting into the place of trusting, which means doing things that feel good and remove the mental chatter....because that's all your problem is honey, mental chatter, and don’t we all know it well lol. You are not deficient in any way, letting go is not reserved for others and you aren't lacking in talent to deal with it either. I think it truly comes down to focusing and practising, and the patience I just spoke of. Whatever it means to you to be in a happy, trusting place before you create, do – put on some music or meditate or walk or get the crystals & flower remedies you like or read…whatever gives you the good or holiday or carefree or non-work-day feeling juju to then take to your page. Abraham Hicks talks a lot about this if you want more, in Abraham terminology they’ll say ‘get into the Vortex and THEN…’ meaning get into your happy carefree place and then act from there, don’t attempt to create something you have ‘issues’/’resistance’ against and then try and get into your happy carefree place as you’re doing it as it’s so likely that you won’t. If you go to the page worried that you won’t be able to let go, because you couldn’t let go last time etc etc etc, you will be disallowing yourself to let go before you’ve even started. So basically in essence get into the energy of that which you want to create from, and then create, don’t leave it to chance that it may or may not happen on the page.

Four, give your mental chatter names (yep, you read right!). Identify them, so that when the mind starts overtaking the intuition you can acknowledge what’s happening and say ‘oh perfectionist percy is taking over, pipe down percy we’re trying this for now, we can always adjust it later…’ See? Might be crazy, but crazy might work. 

No.1 though whether you take any of my advice or not is to stop beating up on yourself, and especially in the moment when it isn’t going your way immediately. We’re all guilty of it. I have to remind myself of it too, then can beat up on myself for beating up on myself, it’s human nature…we’ve just got to do the best we can. You’re doing alright, better than alright, chillax and give yourself a hug more often! xoxo

As it happens today I also added 25% off of my RAW Intuitive Journaling Class price just for Journal Workshops members!! 

This class is about accessing and expressing your inner truth in your journaling. It is for those who wish to be more raw, more real, more connected in their journaling. 

So if you are interested in joining us for a mere £30 (yep, I've paid much more for singular video workshops & this is a WHOLE class with lots of content) then click the image below to be taken to the Class Homepage (and from there you just need to click 'Join' at the top right):

Or to join the class simply go here:

http://journalworkshops.ning.com/group/rawij

& Click the ‘Join’ button that appears at the top of the page.

Once you click the ‘Join’ button you’ll see a Premium Content message, which will already have the 25% discount included & where you can choose your payment method. Once done you will receive instant access to the class and can get started straight away.

FYI: I don’t know how long I’ll leave this discount up, but it will certainly no longer than a week so please do not to linger if you want this class.

Much love & have a great weekend

A Look into my Everyday Hartbags (Art Handbags) & Journals

Hi guys, a quick video post today to share a peek at my everyday Hartbags & take around journals. 

Click on the image to be taken to Youtube, enjoy:

Do you have a Hartbag or take around journals?

Share in the Gallery on Journal Workshops.

Creative Hangover

I'm bouncing off of the walls. I'm elated. I'm exhausted. I'm figuring out what's what. I'm having trouble focusing.

I've had an incredible week, an incredibly creative week. 

It's wonderful, beautiful things are happening. I can't tell you what they'll turn into yet...I've no idea.

I only ever feel this way, this INSANELY creative intense way, may be once or twice a year. 

It's delightful, and glorious, and wonderfully surprising, and humbling, and exciting, and blissful. It's also all encompassing, and addictive, and inconsiderate, and reckless, and completely draining. 

The past three nights I have had may be four hours sleep total. The intensity threatens to deny any and every peaceful second that may so happen to stumble unsuspecting upon my path.

So tonight I'm going to give it a limited time and tell my creativity 'once that times gone, so am I'. 

'I'm off to watch a movie and paint my nails and think on things NOT related to you, so please be good and respect my boundaries. You may continue to work on things, but please keep them to yourself until tomorrow.'

It's bizarre to me that we could ever need a self-care hiatus from something that fills us up so completely as what our creativity does. But creativity comes in many forms - sometimes it's the thing that IS the hiatus as we knit, or glue & stick, or paint away our crappy days. Other times it's the thing that pokes us awake again at 4am after it's only just let us close our eyes.

So I'm curious what other peoples replenishing self care practices are (whether to give yourself a break from creative rampages or something else). Share below if you want, a recent one of mine, believe it or not, is bird watching...those happy little chirpers going about their day relaxes me completely! Actually now I come to think of it I think that's one I've always had, but then it's only when you really need these practices you realise how useful they are (much like journaling itself).

As I don't have any goodies yet to share despite how busy I've been this week this is an old pic, but you can click on the image if you want to see the video on me painting it.

Have a great weekend

PS there's three days left to join the new Art Swap that's happening on Journal Workshops. Click the image below to get sending and receiving some fab art 

(it's free, go on get swappin')

Shadow Work Journaling – My Biggest Project This Year

Last night I made a discovery in my journal. I realised a lot of things, mainly why I’ve felt a lot of resistance to creativity….2015 has been the year I’ve done a lot of, what some people call, ‘shadow work’. 

Essentially I’ve spent more time looking at areas within myself that play a part in holding myself back, even sabotaging myself & my creative endeavours. The main reason why I’ve been doing this is as a reaction to the fact that they have been popping up all on their own – Jenny the Procrastinator, Jenny the Fed-up, Jenny the Fearful, Jenny the Lazy, Jenny the Angry, Jenny the had a Bloody Nuff - they’ve all been tea-guests recently! And I’ve learnt, thanks to a lot of journaling, that if you don’t compassionately identify with all of these (so-called) ‘ugly’ parts of yourself when they arise, then they will still arise, just not as your allies! 

Jenny the Sullen

We tend to look at these areas of ourselves as problematic, or even as the problem – for example ‘oh if only Jenny the Procrastinator would get out of the bloody way I could just get on and do this project’. But really, out of cause and effect these ‘shadow’ sides are never the cause, they are the effect; they are the by product, the response our personalities have to whatever the problem actually is. Think about it, there are thousands of reasons why we procrastinate – worry over what others will think, worry over whether we are good enough to fulfil our vision, fear of failure, fear of success and on and on it goes. Procrastination is not the problem (though it may feel like it at the time), it is the response to all the other problems (real or imagined) that are popping up around our projects. 

So getting to know my shadow sides has been the biggest project I have really done this year, and when I consider all the other projects I intended to do but am very behind on, my discovery last night that this is what I’ve actually been doing (& not just ‘flapping around’ as previously thought) makes a lot of things clearer, and easier! I now have a foothold, an understanding, a way to move forward.

tonights page - done by Jenny the Lazy

So if you've had the 'wading the treacle' feeling as I often call it (aka the 'I'm trying so hard and getting nowhere' feeling) recently yourself and want a journaling exercise to do this weekend that may just be illuminating ask yourself, & do some art around, these things: 

What areas of yourself have you may be looked at as problematic, or tried to hide behind the ‘good' parts, or ignored completely? 

And if you were to look at it differently & see it as an effect instead of a problem what might it actually be handing you a golden torch to look into?

If you're brave enough look into this I'd love to hear your findings below, feel free to share 

& have a happy journaling abundant weekend

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