Bunch of Backgrounds (Take Two)

So lately all I can be bothered to create journaling wise is backgrounds...you ever feel like this?

Much like I did half way through the Monthly Challenge video - using the same altered book too (click here if you haven't seen it: http://journalworkshops.ning.com/group/monthly-challenge/forum/topics/july-2015)

And they're taking me a while too, this one above for instance took two or three visits to the table.

Apart from journaling I did share this little make below on facebook yesterday of using jewellery box inserts as mini recycled canvases:

But as I'm really feeling the backgrounds I'm just going with it. I'm really enjoying the slowness of it too, as I normally journal so quick taking my time and coming back to pages is a nice change of page. So on I'm gonna crack with a bunch of backgrounds, here is a video I did titled the same if you feel like some background play too, much love and happy weekend xoxo

Meeting My Muse (aka a way to unstuckify)

I've been very busy this past week meeting my muse...or rather finding my muse, as my vlog below will explain, but either way she is BACK da-dah! You may have noticed I haven't been very alive online recently, well that's because my muse has been a little damped and so I took a little break (hence no weekly ramble last week) and low and behold she came with me! I thought she had taken a break of her own a while ago but the sneaky little mare hid in my suitcase (she must not have wanted to be seen with me lol) but still it's a 'whoop, whoop!' for me

Did a little video for my newsletter subscribers, and my newsletter subscribers only; so if you're not on my list, get on the list to see my travel edition, hitting inboxes in a few days:
http://jennibelliestudio.blogspot.co.uk/p/jennys-monthly-newsletter.html

I'm now ready to go again and wanted to share what has helped me release my stuckness in the vlog below, enjoy and have an awesome weekend, mwaaahhhh

The Power of a Question

{Warning: This is quite a long post but contains the best journaling tool I have discovered recently, and how you can use it too}

Well lately I've had a real case of the fuzzy-woolly head! I'm finding it difficult to focus, yet my head seems to be full of loads of stuff, but when I try to focus on any of it....poof! It's like a rabbit that's spotted an oblivious fox. Apparently it's been Mercury Retrograde, and while I would find it comforting to be able to blame it all on astrology I just cannot see a 'physical' reason for any of it which is making me even more frustrated. So I've been journaling A LOT to try and counteract....whatever it is that is going on with me. 

I've been writing more than arting because...well I'm finding that a struggle to, just like any of my bigger art projects, my classes, my shop, social media, this blog (I'd forgotten AGAIN that it was friday and so time to do my Weekly Ramble post and even as I'm doing it arrrghhh, it seems SO difficult to get my words out on the keyboard. Almost like there is a humongous block between my thoughts and me being able to acknowledge them). But thankfully I am having a wee mini break next week & plan on taking a big pile of art supplies and a picnic blanket with me to go find a park and unwind. I think a change of pace & scenery is definitely what the doctor ordered (if there were such a thing as a doctor for the fuzzy-woolly head syndrome).

Through all of my journaling though I have discovered something this week that has worked WONDERS for me, and I think it is most powerful tool when you are struggling with the fuzzy-woolly head. It is the Power of a Question. Not just any question, and unfortunately finding the question that you need to ask through a fuzzy-woolly head can be e-x-t-r-e-m-e-l-y exasperating, but if you persist something happens where you get over a hump and realisations you need suddenly start occurring to you, often in an avalanche.

I think this happens because a) to ask the question you have to take yourself out of your head, which is SUPER important for finding your revelations. As Albert Einstein said:

'We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them' 

b) When you give your mind a question it cannot HELP but try to find the answer for it. 

Here's a test, read these and try NOT to think of the answer: 

what's your name?

what colour is the sea?

what do you sit on?

Did you manage it? I'm guessing not, because our brains are answer seekers so if you turn your problem into a question it becomes something UBER POWERFUL!

So below is some tips on HOW to find a question from your problem/confusion/frustration/etc:

see, these hot tips are direct my journal!

1) Write at least two pages focusing on your 'issue', or if you don't want to do that just generally write about anything for 2 pages; you may find the issue naturally comes out. 

2) If you don't already use your journal like you were talking to a friend. Now imagine what a friend might say back to you after every paragraph or page - whatever feels right. This is to do that thing above and take yourself out of your head - try looking at what you have written from someone else's perspective.

3) Begin identifying your 'sore' spots, the parts of your writing that hits most to the heart of your issue & ponder what question or questions would a friend ask about this to a) make you open up more about it or b) to help soothe you about it. If you didn't write about your issue for example you could ask 'why did you avoid it?'

4) Remember the how, why and what's! I know it sounds silly but finding the question that will give you an answer, that will cause you to have your revelations can be really hard to come up with, as stated above it can be frustrating. So remember your 'how's, 'why's or 'what's, because as they are the beginning of a question, it can help prompt the rest of it while you are contemplating your page. Even try saying each out-loud - it can help.

5) Imagine you are a gold prospector and what you are doing is the digging part until you get to those big, fat, juicy nuggets! - it can help with the frustrating part mentioned in the last point. You are a prospector, and you are on a discovery!

6) If still stuck try on one of these how, why or what's as a pen-starter:

'How is this issue helping me right now?'

'Why am I reacting in this way & how can I react differently?'

'What use can I turn this problem into?'

and 7) OBVIOUSLY YOU NOW NEED TO ANSWER THE QUESTION. A question has zero power if it is not answered. Write another two pages answering your question, OR a page per question if you have more than one. You really do need to actually answer them babe, and usually the revelations happen right at the bottom of the writing so don't cop out and stop after one paragraph, you are only cheating yourself by doing so.

This is seriously the stuff that has helped me recently come up with the most shockingly beautiful realisations that I would never have identified had I not asked myself a question. Please try it, it's something that's magnitude of power can only be understood when experienced first hand. 

Warning: Expect flabbergasting eye-opening discoveries to occur!

Good Luck!

Love you lots!

Exclusive Class Video Share

Hello my loves!

I won't deny to you that I'd forgotten it was friday and therefore time for my usual Weekly Ramble post sooooooo I'm going to share an exclusive class video I shared earlier today via email as I have nothing else prepared lol (there I was earlier today sending out emails high-fiving myself and thinking 'yeah! I got something 'Jennibellie' done' & completely forgetting all about this). Because this shows my scattiness I also won't deny I've been feeling a little swamped lately, you may have noticed that I've been posting less online, it's not through any particular and I'm not looking for sympathy I'm just in a 'need replenishment' phase I think - and that's okay. We all need it those times. And that is what I shall be doing for myself this weekend! How about you?

So the video share is from my RAW Intuitive Journaling Class & I'm sharing it because it's all about how to deal with any 'icks' that come up through your art journaling - whether that be something deeply emotional or simply that you don't like how your page is turning out. This is something I get a lot of emails about/see get mentioned a lot so if this is something you're dealing with I hope this is of use to you. Click the image below or [here] to watch or download the video:

Please note: as this is obviously part of a class I mention other sections and tools that are available only in the classroom so just be aware of this if I talk about something you haven't heard of/know about. If you want to join class then it's still open and available for lifetime access, all the details of the how's & what's are here: http://journalworkshops.ning.com/page/raw-intuitive-class

Much love

Happy Weekend

Jennibellie

PS want to know what specifically what I'll be doing this weekend to replenish? I'll finally be carving out some me time to dive into my 21 Secrets Workshops, which is timely if you want to too as there is a fabulous sale of 40% off of 21 Secrets Spring 2014 & 21 Secrets Fall 2014 over this weekend

You can purchase both of these workshops for $58 each (regular price: $98) or buy the combo pack at $111 (regular price $170). Sale is only over the weekend, ending Monday I think so click the images or [here] to get them at this great price & spend the weekend with me creating secrets in our studios!!

Art as a way to get back on track

So last blogpost I'm all up talking about how I want to blog more...then I take a bigger hiatus from it than I have in ages lol oh well cest le vie.

I have taken an little hiatus from a lot of my 'regular' go-to creative things these past couple of weeks; for example art, the computer (sorry if you are follow me here or other places and have noticed), of books and audiobooks, of my enthusiasm generally for being creative or moving with projects.

It's just been a 

Mojo-NoNo time

but that's okay.

I just needed a break.

It happens to us all.

and for once I didn't allow the critic to freak out and go

'arrrrhhh your creativity's GONE! and it's not coming back. You're so unproductive, that's it you're stuck now and will never create again' 

because we all know that it will

(though that information might be buried deep down...deep, deep down). 

It's just scary for those days when you have nothing in the tanks (especially when they build day, upon day, upon day).

But as I just said it will come back. It has come back. And I have been working on my first project in ages; the new video for June's Monthly Challenge:

That is what I am doing right now:

I'm sat right here, right now, making the new video thinking about how much doing this has effected me. As artists we talk a lot about getting back to art when life gets busy, messy or hard. What mixed media techniques work best for starting again? How can you be creative for 5 minutes everyday? and so on and so forth.

But what about art helping us get back to life? What I am really thinking about as I sit here is how doing this art has brought me, bit by bit, back to myself...and it's what I shall be talking about/demonstrating in the new Monthly Challenge video, so be sure to check it out. 

(New Challenges are posted on the 1st of every month in the Monthly Challenge Group which you can join here:

http://journalworkshops.ning.com/group/monthly-challenge)

Here's a little preview of what it's about

(....though it might not be what you think):

That's all from me for now. I hope that you, no matter where you are, who you are or what you're doing are in a 

Mojo-Helllllooo time

Much love

Wish to be a Better Blogger

A couple of this weeks RAW Journal Pages.

The bottom is one I just finished in my outdoor studio. I'm feeling very philosophical this evening and like I'm searching for something. If I find out what it is, I'll let you know. For now though this ramble is going to be a kind of weekly sum up, as apart from a couple of random pages such as above I haven't done much art this week due to being under the weather. 

The said under the weatherness prevented me doing a tutorial I reeeeeeeally had my heart set on doing for the Art Swap Group on Journal Workshops. Fortunately however I felt well enough yesterday to be able to still do some sort of video, so I'll post it for you here in case you haven't signed up to the Art Swap yet and might want to - I think you should, you'll enjoy it =)

If you'd like to join in this months Swap click here, or on the image below:

http://journalworkshops.ning.com/group/art-swap/forum/topics/may-art-swap-2015

A couple of days ago I also posted a Facebook Giveaway to win free access to four of my classes, you can enter yourself by clicking on the image below:

A book was delivered today, that I'm in...or at least my art is. I like hundreds of other awesome artists have had work published in Dawn Devries Sokol's new book:

A World of Artist Journal Pages

here's my art journal pages (sorry for the bad pics - it's a mobile only post today apparently lol):

On receiving it I felt quite bad, as I've been feeling a terrible pull lately to post more on my blog. Especially when I think back to when I made these pages in the book (they're probably over two years old now) & how much I used to blog, and be part of a blogging community - joining in blog hops/linky lists and such (for instance I know there's like a million that happen on a friday that despite doing a Weekly Ramble blogpost every friday I just don't link up with....so perhaps this week for the first time in a few years I'll link with Paint Party Friday & Art Journal Every Day to dip my toes into the waters again). I suppose that's what happens when you create an online community, you then lose access to others when you realise that just because you've added more to your days the cosmos still sticks to a solid 24hr regime. But no repining, Journal Workshops is my biggest online achievement & perhaps a biggest one in general & I would not change it for the world. I shall just resolve to do better at blogging!

Thank you (once again) for reading my rambings, 

much love

[Private Video] You Are All Right

Hi guys

Hard pushed for time today, so I took the intuition and did a video, which is right .......... 

.................

.................................

.................................

..........................

here......................

Much love

Jennibellie

Wanna RAW Journal?
Click the image below for further details
(or this link: http://journalworkshops.ning.com/page/raw-intuitive-class)

RAW Intuitive Journaling is a class about accessing and expressing your own inner truth in your journaling & unlike anything I have shared before. Class is open with instant access to the classroom, downloadable content, work-at-your-own-pace lifetime access and a very affordable price, click here for full details and preview etc:

 http://journalworkshops.ning.com/page/raw-intuitive-class

It's What-Day?

I just realised it is Friday....yep, I know, been living it all day and only just noticed? well no, not really, I just mean I realised it's Friday in relation to this, that it is Weekly Ramble day and I haven't gotten anything prepared... forgive me, it's been a rough day. I'll spare you all the details but essentially been battling a migraine for a couple of days, so this is what the evening hours have looked like to me:

my cosy spot of quilts and cushions, my vintage nearing antique copy of Pride and Prejudice (brought from Jane Austens house none-the-less - there's a bookshop in it, not sure that's exactly original haha), chocolate etc

Reading Austen's sentences (that are really whole paragraphs) isn't especially easy going with a waning migraine, but nothing else will work when I felt like I did, it's gotta be p&p (at least it's not Sense and Sensibility, geez those sentences would send me into a complete meltdown - ok, I'm probably only talking to die-hard Austen fans at this point lol moving on). Anyhow I must be feeling increasingly better or I wouldn't be on here horrah! And somehow I have miraculously managed to still post the Monthly Challenge, click the image below to be taken to the new Challenge(s) and video:

The only other news I have is that RAW Class starts in a few days. Woohoo!!

And the Early Bird Bargain Price is still around but only until TOMORROW!

So please ensure you purchase it before then if you want it at a lovely 1/3^rd off, you can sign up by clicking the ‘Join Raw Intuitive Journaling’ Button on the top right of the group page here, or click the image below

Sorry I haven't a more substantial a-Ramble, I shall try especially hard to remember that it's Friday next week lol

Much love

Have a great weekend