Art and Healing Journal

Since reading Art Journal and Creative Healing I’ve been doing my own healing journal.  Many have seen the benefits of using art as a means of healing and you can allow the journal to carry all your private thoughts that can be worked though.  In Creative Interventions I share taking part in Art therapy sessions and dealing with my role as a carer.  

I always find that working in a journal allows your work to be transportable and flexible.  I used a fabric cover made from recycled clothing.  The interior pages were made with lining paper which comes in a roll for decorating and is really cost effective.. 

I have decorated the front page further with modelling paste both inside and out, and sewing a trim along the edges.  It is a work in progress and each change is part of the healing process.  I decided it would be a place where I would write down raw emotions, beliefs, and thoughts using the art as a way of addressing experiences that I might not have dealt with in any of my other journals.  Anyway, it’s another tool that we can allow ourselves the space to be expressive. 

Beliefs

Secrets page addresses secrets of the past and how they always find their way of coming to the surface.  We can often try and hid things from ourselves only to wonder why we respond in a particular way to something that might have been said.

Secrets have a way of coming out......

On this page I allowed myself to be totally honest about an event from the past and wrote it all down, how I felt, what I said and then once it was out, faced it and decided to move on.  I then painted over the words allowing some to show through, forgiving myself in the process and acknowledging that I am a different person now.  Sometimes we can let go of past things, yet still carry them around as baggage.  The worlds say ‘you did the best you could’ which is true for a lot of us as we try to move on and then beat ourselves up over our shortcomings that we perceive to being bigger than they are and let them rule our lives.

Value and self esteem

Self esteem/value page is about listening to the negative things that other people say which in turn lowers your self esteem, and what is most important is that you value yourself and show others that you do.

Using your time wisely...

I enjoyed creating and using this journal which has loads of pages to play in.  It is also a reminder to treat myself with compassion knowing that there aren’t any perfect people in this world,  we are all just trying to get on, live and be a blessing.  If inspired why not give it a go and check out Art journals and creative healing while you’re at it!

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Gratitudes - Art Corner

I am so grateful for the corner that I spent a lot of time being creative in the early days.  I worked on the edge of the kitchen table and for years wished for a studio.  I am now blessed to have the small box bedroom as a space of my own - that dedicated space I can create and express my heart. 

What are you grateful for this week?

Book Review - Art Journals and Creative Healing - Sharon Soneff & Art Cards

I came across this book purely by chance and after reading the introduction knew I had to buy a copy.  Art Journals and Creative Healing is a lovely book with a wealth of contributions and photos shared by many artists.  It follows on from Sharon Soneff's previous book entitled Faith Books and Spiritual Journaling which is on my wish list!

The book is split into two sections, Health and healing for the emotions - which looks at finding peace in the midst of turmoil and Health and healing for the body - finding comfort in the midst of physical challenges.

Each contributing artist shares a piece of their story, how they have used their journals for healing and how you can incorporate them for yourself.  There are a wealth of great ideas for approaching areas that can be quite sensitive, and you work at your own pace.

Dotted throughout the book are a series of worksheets written by Mindy Caliguire to help you recap on the previous chapters prompts and to help you overcome any blocks there are also creative tips.  How deep you choose to go is up to you as you reflect about your journey in your journal but you will find strength and support in the process.  You will also find a great list of resources and biography with contact details of all the contributing artists.  I think it is definitely a book to have on your shelf.

Art Cards

I have also continued to produced my art cards as part of the 21 day Art Challenge with Motley Soul, here are some more of the cards I have done.  It has been really great to do the smaller pieces of art, and try different ideas and styles.  The cards are 4 inch x 6inchs and you use whatever card you have, I have used card that I had used for other backgrounds and then added a new design ....more to come!

Crochet flowers

I learnt to crochet at school. Learning what seemed a skill that died out only to see it resurfacing over the past few years as something quite popular alongside other traditional crafts.

When we were younger mum used to make these intricate circular table place mats using the finest of needles. By my teenage years crocheting and knitting seemed to be what older people did... how the tables have turned. Over the past few years I started to give it a second glance, and have come across so many who not only crochet, but knit and make felt products. I had held on to the needles I had inherited for my mum and over the years I think I made a scarf once. But saw some flowers recently on you tube and decided to give them a go.

The basic flower is pretty easy and you can have as many layers as you wish or add rows to make the flower bigger. I’ve decorated mine with some buttons and beads. Armed with your flower you can use them to go on a number of things. I made a couple of wrist cuffs, and I will do a tutorial on how to make a a broach, hair accessories, decorations for journals even a mini bag. 

There are some great patterns out there if you want to be more adventurous. If your a beginner check out you tube for some easy how to steps, just type in what you want to learn and it could be a great skill addition to your creativity.  Blessings!

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