free creative journaling workshop is an ongoing creativity workshop that i will be posting here on my blog. you are welcome to join in at any time and follow along at your own pace. for complete workshop info and catch up on everything that has happened, visit the creative journaling page. i do creativity workshops because i have found creativity to be an incredible force for my own healing, transformation and empowerment and i would like to share that with others. our creativity is our uniqueness, radiance and beauty, it is connected to our intuition and is a way to access the deepest and wisest parts of ourselves.
yes! now we are ready for our first creative journaling exercise. i wanted to start with something fun, something with a lot of energy that gets us excited about our creative journaling. i am imagining all of us generating creative journaling jet fuel.
creative energy is like jet fuel, it sparks new ideas and brings us to new places. what i want to start with is nurturing that creative energy and inviting more of it in. like building up a storehouse of creative energy that can carry us through the dry spells. so here is what we are going to do:
creative journaling exercise: noticing, creating and expanding creative journaling fuel
we are going to journal about what fuels our creativity, creating a page that inspires us and reminds us of how to re-fuel.
step one: meditation. i always start my creative journaling sessions with meditation. a little quiet time to get focused and centered, open and allowing creative energy to flow through. if you want to do this, simply get comfortable, close your eyes and take some deep relaxing breaths. really feel your whole body relax. feel your mind relax. bring your awareness into your heart as you continue to relax deeper and deeper, and invite your creative energy out to play. think about your journaling focus – what fuels your creativity – and open your mind, allowing throughts and idea to flow through. don’t try to hold on to any of them, just stay open to new ideas flowing in and keep breathing deeply and slowly. notice any colours, textures and images that may come to mind. take whatever time you need to do this. when this feels complete, take one last deep breath as you open your eyes, feeling refreshed and ready to journal.
step 2: listmaking. listmaking can be a powerful creative journaling tool. in this case, we are going to start with a list of everything that nurtures our creative energy and inspires our creative spirits. creating this list sets our intention to nurture our creativity more deeply in our lives. it helps us notice and remember all the little things we can do to nurture our creativity and gives us new ideas of things to try.
spend some time making your list, trying to make it as big as possible. if you’re not sure where to start, start with things that inspire you and things that make you feel good. as you work on your list, really get into your creative energy and let it flow. come up with your own title for your list and put it on your page. create your list in your journal however you feel inspired to, with paints, glitter pens, markers, crayons, stickers, stamps, collage… anything! you may want to illustrate or decorate your list.
if you are following the creative journaling guidelines, you will find your creative voice speaking to you and guiding you throughout the exercise. i find when i am really in tune with my creative voice, i can feel which art supplies to use, which colour, which texture, how much to use, where to put it, etc. it all becomes intuitive and expressive, instead of me trying to create something specific. you may find your creative voice guiding you in a different direction, away from the list and into something else. go with it.
i decided to go with hot pink paint first. hot pink is one of my favourite colours, my whole art room is painted hot pink. so i made my page pink (with glitter, my creative spirit loves glitter!) and then wrote out my list on tiny scraps of paper from various art projects (i always keep my scraps to use on other projects) and collaged it onto my page.
i am really enjoying this process, my pages feel really good so far. i am not finished. i know there is more for me to add to my list, and i feel like i want to do something different on the other page but am not sure what it is yet. but i am going to post this here as my work in progress, and i will share again as i continue to work on it.
creative energy generator list (in progress)
creative energy generator close-up (in progress)
i am so excited to see what *you* do with this. share your pics and thoughts in the comments section!
in june 2009 i had an exhibit of my paper dolls called “let’s all live happily ever after”. i am now showing the dolls here, one at a time, and telling their stories. check out my art page for more. dolls are available as art prints and cards through redbubble.com and printed on tote bags, mugs and magnets at zazzle.com
i swirl through life
life swirls through me
together
we create amazing things
really, this one is one of my favourites. at my paper doll art exhibit, so many people asked “which one is your favourite?” and as i looked around the room they’d say “oh i guess that’s like asking which is your favourite child…” well maybe it is but this one really stands out for me. she’s got a different energy than the others. her face felt different even while i was painting it. her hair has so many layers. the legs are so cute!
with this one, it’s like all the art supplies in my art room just magically swirled together to create this beautiful being. it felt like how life works when we’re open. we don’t know where it’s going and we certainly can’t control it but holy man sometimes things can just come together in amazing ways that we would never expect or be able to plan for ourselves.
and i love that she’s also moody and messy. the parts don’t go together perfectly. i completely love the scribbles and messes.
she reminds me about being open, to allow life to swirl through and that amazing things can come out of messiness and moodiness and being real. there is so much power in that.
what a gift it is to know that life itself is on my side.
available here as an art print or card.
available here printed on tote bags, mugs and magnets.
free creative journaling workshop is an ongoing creativity workshop that i will be posting on my blog. you are welcome to join in at any time and follow along at your own pace. for complete workshop info and catch up on everything that has happened, visit the creative journaling page. i do creativity workshops because i have found creativity to be such an incredible force for my own healing, transformation and empowerment and i would like to share that with others. our creativity is our uniqueness, radiance and beauty, it is connected to our intuition and is a way to access the deepest and wisest parts of ourselves.
at the beginning of every creativity workshop that i do, i go over these simple guidelines. i find using these guidelines helps to create a space of possibility and true connection to our creativity and intuition. honouring these guidelines creates an opportunity for new creative energy and ideas to emerge. of course i will not come into your home and enforce them, but i do find that the more you can stay within these guidelines while doing you creative journaling, the more powerful the experience will be for you.
creativity workshop guidelines
i move bravely forward is all dressed up complete with glitter eyeshadow and hearts hidden in her hair. she is a mixed media collage featuring watercolour, acrylic paints with various mediums, pencil crayons, markers, oils and beeswax.
i love having this girl around. she doesn’t just remind me that i can also move bravely forward, she shows me the way. you can see it in her face, though it’s much more than a firm resolve to move forward regardless of obstacles. there is a softness and an opening, a willingness to be guided. she is not forcing her way forward without regard for anything but meeting her goal. she is present in her own heart and summoning the courage to move forward to a place of greater openness.
life is always moving forward. i move bravely forward is about aligning ourselves with that and moving forward regardless of our desires to hide, make excuses, or keep ourselves busy with other things. when we are present in our own hearts we know what needs to be done and we find the courage to do it. i’d love to hear where you are moving bravely forward, please leave a comment with your story.
follow the links below to invite i move bravely forward into your home or give her as a gift:
i move bravely forward on high quality art prints and art cards
i move bravely forward on mugs, magnets, stickers and tote bags
closeup:
i move bravely forward is one of about 45 mixed media prayer dolls i created for my art exhibit called let’s all live happily ever after. i will be featuring most of those paper dolls here, telling their stories and offering them for sale.
the illustration friday word for today is worn.
i was thinking about “worn” and what that means to me and where i am at right now as i started making this little paper doll.
when i make paper dolls, i always start with the face. as i worked on her face in watercolours i started to get a sense of what kind of hair and body she wanted to have, what came to me is the feeling that my excuses are becoming worn out. they’re still there, there is still great comfort in knowing that they are there for me to go hide behind any time i want ~ however, they are beginning to wear thin, that’s for sure. the time is coming to just let them go. when i put all the pieces of the doll together i got a real sense of the strength and vulnerability of being in this place of allowing the excuses to wear thin. what a beautiful place to be.
welcome to the very first posting of my creative journaling workshop. my name is andrea and i’m really glad you are joining me on this new adventure 
. this is me with one of my creative journals:
i have been creating and facilitating creativity workshops for over 2 years, using ideas and techniques that i have developed over the last 12 years. my background is in fashion design, interior design and textile art but in my workshops i focus on creativity itself.
i do creativity workshops because i have found creativity to be such an incredible force for my own healing, transformation and empowerment and i would like to share that with others. our creativity is our uniqueness, radiance and beauty, it is connected to our intuition and is a way to access the deepest and wisest parts of ourselves. to me, there is a distinct difference between creativity and art. i am an artist, i love art but in my workshops the focus is on creativity.
what is creative journaling?
creative journaling, for me, is a tool i can use to allow my creative energy to flow freely. i can apply it to any subject in my life, for any purpose i want to use it for. most often, i use it to work through uncomfortable feelings or situations. creativity brings ideas, solutions and a sense of wellbeing. creative energy is soothing and nurturing. can you think of any places where this may come in handy for you?
i combine free-flowing creative energy with written journaling exercises designed to help generate new ideas and healthy perspectives. our creativity is our genius and we are genius enough to solve our problems and create anything we want in our lives.
i created this little paperdoll who will be our creative journaling workshop cheerleader, cheering us on no matter what:
the energy and feeling on this doll sums up what it is i want to share through this workshop – the knowing that YOU can do it. and by “it” i don’t just mean creative journaling, i mean anything. creative journaling is a tool that opens you up to create more in your life and as you progress with it you will find you are becoming more confident, more sure and more willing to give a voice and a life to those little dreams that live inside your heart. it’s important that we let those dreams out, they nurture us and they nurture others.
how will this workshop work?
my intention for this workshop is to be putting a new post up each week. however, since this is a free workshop and i have many creative interests and activities, that may not always happen. if you are looking for a more structured workshop that includes feedback and support from the facilitator, you can check out my creative visioning and creativity for healing workshops. my creative journaling workshop posts will have me sharing different ideas and techniques, and may include photos and/or videos. i welcome comments, and encourage you, if you are doing the exercises, to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section. if you have a blog or website, you can post about your creative journaling experiences there and then share a link in the comments section so we can all check it out. if you don’t have your own site but would like to share your work, you can get a free photo sharing account (i like flickr for this) to post photos on so that you can share them with us.
getting set up for creative journaling
the first part of any creativity workshop is creating the creative space. i like to put art supplies out everywhere in fun coloured containers, and have plates of cookies, dried fruits and chocolate and pots of tea. the idea is to create a space that is nurturing and inspiring where you can feel free to express. since you are doing this in your home, you can create this space for yourself in any way you want.
you probably want to start with whatever art supplies you have on hand, as these will be the ones that you are most comfortable with. as you progress with your creative journaling, you may want to go out and explore the world of art supplies. i like to go to the art supply store to try new things and come home with whatever feels inspiring to me. do not feel intimidated if you don’t really know how to use art supplies. they are toys to be played with, there is no right way to do anything and if you experiment you can create your own ways of working with them.
to start out, all you really need is paper and pens. however, our creative spirits can be nurtured by colours and textures and your creative spirit may have certain art supplies that it really wants. i encourage you to listen to that and treat your creative spirit to whatever it is asking for. for me, it is a certain type of journal with a certain type of paper, certain kinds of markers. my creative spirit is quite specific about what it wants. i also feel freer when surrounded by lots of different materials. i use:
watercolour pencils
water soluble wax pastels
chalk and oil pastels
lots of different widths of markers
pencil crayons
rubber stamps (especially alphabet stamps)
collage materials (magazines, calenders, photos, etc)
different textures/styles of handmade/scrapbooking/origami papers
gouache and acrylic paints
inks
glitter
the creative journaling game
as i explored creative journaling and developed my own exercises for creative journaling, i began to put them together into the creative journaling game. this is a game that i play in some of my creative journaling workshops and i do plan to use it here. the game consists of three decks of cards. the first desk contains different life aspects, such as: relationships, self-care, career, health, etc. the second deck consists of creative journaling techniques and/or exercises, which i go into more detail as we work through the workshop. the third deck consists of energies and ideas that can support us in moving forward, such as inspiration, love, relaxation, etc.
how you play the game is totally up to you! you can use one, two, three or none of the decks and choose as many cards as you like from each, put them together however you feel inspired to and see what comes of it in your journal. what i normally recommend is choosing one of each, unless you have come to the creative journaling session with a specific issue you want to journal about, in which case you do not need to use deck #1. what i will be doing in this workhop is choosing one of each and presenting them as one exercise. in time, i will be offering the game for sale, so if you enjoy the workshop, you can get the game and play with it on your own.
your first assignment
i really believe in moving at a comfortable (which usually means slow) pace in life in general and certainly in creative explorations. so in that spirit your first assignment is to get ready to begin. what does that mean? prepare your creative space, nurture your creative spirit. how i begin creativity wokshops, after setting up the space, is to do a guided meditation to get us all in touch with our creative spirits and get that juicy creative energy flowing. how can you get your juicy creative energy flowing?
setting an intention to participate in this workshop is getting your creative energy flowing already. maybe all you need to do is get a journal or a few new markers, maybe you want to clear out some space in your home to create a creativity workshop space for yourself, maybe you need a nap or a trip to the beach. if you’re not sure what your creative spirit needs, then i suggest making a title page for your journal. if you’re not sure how to start your title page, start with a collage and have fun with it.
i also encourage you to post a comment here introducing yourself and sharing your thoughts about the creative adventure we are embarking upon.
see you next week.
i love illustration friday. every week they put out a new word and everyone illustrates it in their own way. i love the way it gets me thinking in new directions, and creating art i would not have otherwise created. it’s a fun friday activity. this friday the word is drifting.
i thought of a little being in a little boat, drifting along the stream. when i do guided meditations i often have this theme… floating gently down the stream, allowing the stream to carry you, knowing you are floating in the perfect direction, towards everything you want. knowing everything you need along the way will be provided. there is nothing for you to do but float in the stream.
so in that spirit here is a sweet little being drifting along in her boat:
i thought i’d make a little video of the show for people who couldn’t get out to see it:
i am really really really really glad i did this!
i’m so happy that so many people were able to come out and see it, it was such a great experience to show my art and to talk to so many different people about it. the last time i did a show (almost 10 years ago!) i was not as comfortable talking with people about my art. this time it was fun fun fun and i met so many amazing people too. thank you so much to everyone who came to see it, i really appreciate your support.
it’s pretty cool to be in a room full of people who are admiring your work and believing in you and your success!
it was a great party. in the days leading up to the opening i was starting to get nervous about feeling too exposed or misunderstood, but when the time came i felt great and had a lot of fun. it feels powerful to be able to make something so personal to me and be willing to share it so openly. like i am really fully standing in myself and my centre.
the day of the opening i made a doll who looked a little unsure and her prayer was something like:
even though it’s uncomfortable sometimes
i am still willing to bloom
i feel a letting go of my desire to have others understand/approve of me or my art or the meaning behind it. obviously i can’t control what other people think or feel. i have to be willing to share the real me - my ideas and creativity and feeling - regardless of the reaction i get. that can be scary territory at times.
but i find that each time someone really does “get it” it’s like a gift, and more people “get it” than i would have thought.
the art show continues this week and i will be at the gallery every day. busy! it’s a little overwhelming too, so i am being extra gentle with me this week. it’s like busyness, expansion and possibility wrapped up in a nap and a trip to the beach.
i have so many ideas for what i want to do next, feels like this summer will be an explosion of creativity, ideas and play. i will soon be offering paper doll prints (complete with moving parts and sealed in beeswax) and greeting cards (with small paper dolls attached). excited! i can’t wait to see my little dolls going out there into the world like little beacons of light to inspire and remind us all to live happily ever after.
also my free creative journaling workshop will be starting soon. i have been doing all sorts of creative journaling workshops for 2 years and really really love them. there is so much power and healing in creative journaling and i look forward to doing more of it and sharing more of it, with more people, through this workshop.
a little something i am working on:
let’s all live happily ever after art show is opening tomorrow night!
i think i will have about 40 paper dolls on display. it’s going to be so sweet! a whole room full of nurturing, inspiration and reminders – let’s all live happily ever after! we can do it.
once i’ve got these beauties all ready and the art exhibit is underway, i will be sharing the prayer dolls here, telling their stories with photos and videos and offering them for sale as art prints and printed on greeting cards, postcards, magnets, tote bags, etc. you can check back for updates, or subscribe to my blog to have new posts delivered to your inbox so you don’t miss any of the fun.
