This Month's Crush(es) - 2nd Edition
February 2024
Welcome to the 2nd edition of “This Month’s Crush”, where every month I like to share something I’ve been crushing on. This can be anything from an app, a recipe, a plant, a book, a human, a local business, etc.
Art Journaling
Last month I picked up the book: “Creative Wanderlust: Unlock Your Artistic Potential Through Mixed-Media Art Journaling Techniques” by Kasia Avery. I love the process of vision boarding, and Art Journaling didn’t seem too far off from being the same. Not only do I enjoy the aspect of cutting, gluing, and making; but I primarily enjoy the weaving of intentions & dream envisioning through visual art.
See, In January I participated in the Reset & Refresh Challenge 2024 (another month’s crush!), hosted on Insight Timer. On Day 16-17, Stuart Sandeman, invited us to visualise ourselves in the energies we wish to cultivate. We were even invited to create a vision board. That’s when it hit me: “When did I stop believing in my innate ability to manifest the life I want?”. In my journal I wrote…
“When I first started my business, I had this deep knowing that change starts within us and then ripples outwards. I knew that by inspiring others to slowly make shifts within themselves, that it’s bound to benefit the collective as a whole. I knew this because I witnessed the effects first hand - within myself, my family & my surroundings. Somewhere along the way - through grief & loss - I forgot what that felt like. This meditation/invitation brought me back to the wonderful dreams & accomplishments I had realised through this, in my past.
Over 3 years ago I had created a workshop called “The Art of Manifestation”. A dozen participants took it and saw great results, following. This workshop was based on my own lived in experience; actionable steps I had taken; visualisation & affirmation techniques I swore by; utilising nature as support; and crafting. That was the only time I offered it - mostly because ever since, the word “manifestation” no longer resonated with me (and maybe i’ll share more about this in another post, another day) - but, also, because I got swallowed by the grief of loosing everything I had manifested & received prior. I went through a long period of having a hard time finding the strength and energy to swim through troubled waters & my emotional turmoil - let alone get clear on what I wanted for my life.
Here I was, taking Stewart’s invitation. Wanting to believe in myself again. Wanting to get out of my own way. Wanting to get back into intention setting & getting clearer on my current desires & the energies I wanted to cultivate for this current life phase. And doing it how I knew best - visualization, journaling, nature, and art!
I was looking for support - a little nudge on how to get started. I had prerequisites:
Art that didn’t require much intellectual effort. I wanted to create a ritual for myself that didn’t require a perfect end result. Something I could get lost into and do out of pure enjoyment.
Art that gave me lots of flexibility without feeling overwhelmed by the blank page staring at me. Ever feel like the very beginning of an art project is always the most daunting part? That blank canvas - with all your tools laying around - ready and waiting for you to go for it? “Just breathe” my visual art teacher, Steffi, always says.
Art where I could add layers of intention & magick. As a practicing Witch, I weave intentions in subtle but specific ways. Some days it’s as simple as stirring my day’s affirmation as I mix my creamer in my coffee. Other days, it’s through words on paper in my journal. But, why not also ‘vision board’ on a weekly basis?
I never considered myself a visual art creative. As someone who cannot for-the-life-of-her draw from imagination beyond simple kinder outlines … [I can make a mean drawing of a half sun, with clouds in a blank sky, shining above two hill bumps with a tree on top. Otherwise, I’m stumped!] I really appreciated Kasia Avery’s approach to Art Journaling. Her tips; the detailed projects we are invited to do; her thought prompts for inspiration; and the pictures throughout that shows such an array of different types of Art Journaling pages, all make me feel capable, at ease, and at times quite playful.
See, I might not be a visual artist per say, but I do find that expressing myself through my hands - whether that’s writing, knitting, embroidering, painting, gardening, and art journaling - brings me back into the present moment, into my body, and grounds me. Instead of living in my head, I’m in the now, focused on the task.
I appreciated how Avery reminds us that we can do this practice with little money spent and with scrap materials laying around. Heck, Avery even shows you how you can make your own journal from scrap papers, with scribbles and all, because: Gesso (#IYKYK)! I loved how she invited us to create a ritual that goes along with the act of Art Journaling. For me, that sets me up for excitement and purpose before even picking up my scissors & glue, and adding to the blank page.
Since, Art Journaling has reignited that spark of belief - in myself and in the power of intention. It has given me a hobby & ritual I look forward to. One that has zero expectations - of performance or productivity, or of money needing to come from it. As Justin Michael Williams says: “What is one tiny step you can take today towards that desire?”. For me, Art Journaling was/is it!
Have you tried Art Journaling?
What makes you reach for Art?
I’d love to hear your take & experiences.