a window into my soul
in my art journal:
a window into my soul
Hello beautiful soul,
How are you feeling today? How is your heart, your soul? Often, we don’t take the time to ask ourselves these simple questions, and yet, when we pause and turn within for a moment, it helps us realign and makes life so much fuller.
In the rush of everyday life, we sometimes forget how precious and beautiful our inner soul is, this part of us that’s infinite, magical, mysterious, fierce and tender all at once. We forget it, and we forget to care for it.
What does it mean? Maybe simply to take some time to breathe, slow down and remember who we are, deep down. To give ourselves a chance to reconnect to our essence, our truth, our dreams. A little bit everyday, so we don’t forget, so we don’t wait until it all feels like too much.
I’m not great at meditating, but magic truly happens when I open my art journal and give myself a few minutes to play. Suddenly, I drop into my soul, my inner artist, the youthful little fairy who dances right below the surface, and it makes such a difference to my day!
That’s why I always leave my art journal on my table, open at a page in progress. As the days go by, the layers build up, inspired by whatever I’m thinking and feeling in the moment, a creative outlet to process life with all its ups and downs, a few square inches of sacred space, where I can connect to my soul, and listen to whatever guidance she wants to give me.
I don’t create in my art journal every day, but I try to give myself this time more & more often. Some days, just knowing that the page is here, open on my table, gives me comfort. I’ll look at it for a second or too, and it’s enough to give me a little spark, to put my mind in creative mode.
I guess that’s the reason why I make art: this sense of magic and connection, the aliveness that comes from channelling your imagination, your thoughts and emotions, everything you would otherwise hold tightly within… and let it pour out of you, give it form, make it visible and somehow, more real.
For that, you don’t need a lot of time, a whole painting session where you can finally let it all out. Instead, it can be a form of daily self-care: simply leaving the page (or the canvas) on your table with a few art supplies, so you can add a layer from time to time: scribble, doodle, glue an image, add a touch of color, write down random thoughts or the lyrics of the song that’s playing in your head.
You don’t need to have any preconceived ideas about what it will look like, what it will tell, if it will make any sense or if it will “look good”. What matters is to just show up and do it, layer by layer, with simple honesty, trusting that whatever needs to come out will, and that because it comes from the most authentic and beautiful part of you, then it will end up authentically beautiful too.
As I was creating this page, I was juggling the various little challenges of life right now: our upcoming move to another house and the dozens (hundreds?) of things I need to plan, the emotions it stirs up, not all of them comfortable. The uncertain timeline of selling our current house, the rush of tidying everything up whenever the real estate agent calls for a viewing. The need to keep my creative biz and current projects on track while my overactive mind is completely engrossed in something else, miles away from it all.
Excitement, joy, guilt, worry… it’s a very strange mix at the moment, and that’s why it’s particularly important to give myself the creative self-care that my heart and soul need.
How does art help you navigate yourlife? How does creativity nurture your soul? Tell me in a comment at the end of this post.
Don’t forget to give yourself some creative time today, tomorrow, this week… Even just a few minutes of play can make such a big difference. And if you need a little nudge of inspiration, you will find all my online classes here. All of them are as much about learning art than nurturing your soul and cultivating your wellbeing through the magic of creativity. I hope to see you there!
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art journal journeys
awaken your imagination!
What if your journal were a magical portal into imaginary lands? These 3 art journeys will take you into an Enchanted Forest, a White Wonderland and your own Secret Garden… The perfect class to complement The Artist & the Journal!