Hello lovely creative!

I have a new page from my art journal to share with you today and it’s all about a dragonfly, and daring to open your shiny wings.

This page is full of light, texture and beautiful neutrals. As I often do, I started by journaling some thoughts all over the page, then covered them up with a layer of paint. After that, I gathered a small bundle of materials (see more about this process here), including plenty of botanical images, text and painterly papers from my stash. I spread them on the page intuitively and instantly it started taking shape, around an image of a dragonfly. The story started unfolding…

I’ve been very much drawn to dragonflies lately. They keep showing up in my art journal, so I’ve taken a moment to look up their symbolic meaning. It’s close to my favorite symbol, the butterfly, in that it invites us to:

• embrace change, transformation and our creative power

• have the courage to express our true colors

• dare to open our wings and fly!

But the symbol of the dragonfly has another beautiful meaning: its wings reflect light, and so it asks us to reflect our inner light and dare to shine. Even more intriguing is the fact that a dragonfly is born underwater. It lives in the dark before rising up to the light. When it first emerges, it is colorless and transparent, but when light hits its body, it transforms the dragonfly, so that it becomes beautiful, colorful, and magical!

I love this idea and, in the current times, the symbol of the dragonfly feels very relevant and supportive to me. I am “an optimist by choice”. Daring to dream, believing in hope, love and joy: this is a daily, conscious commitment. Spreading inspiration, making beauty and sharing the positive power of creativity: this is the life mission I have chosen. It’s my job.

But these past two years, keeping the good vibes up has become harder, demanding so much more energy from my heart and soul. I’m sure that many of you feel the same. And yet, staying focused on positive change is more important than ever!

There’s been so much craziness in the world with covid, war and politics, but somehow, I’ve managed to keep enough distance that I could still do what I’m here to do, and keep inspiring and uplifting others. But what has really broken my heart this summer are the very real and tangible effects of global warming, with one heat wave after another, and the unprecedented fires in France, so close to home that even though we were safe, we could smell the smoke and see dirty clouds drifting by. And day after day, the suffocating feeling of staying shut up inside, in semi-darkness with shutters closed, knowing that outside, beloved trees and plants were suffering, and we were not allowed to give them any water.

There’s a woodland fairy somewhere inside my soul and she’s been crying her heart out for all the trees lost, the animals, the plants, and the feeling of helplessness.

In those moments when we feel lost, symbols are more powerful than words. They show up in magical ways, and speak directly to our soul. They infuse wisdom, strength and hope, they lift our spirit and remind us of who we truly are.

The dragonfly supports me by helping me focus on light wherever I can find it, encouraging me to shine it back around me. It also reminds me that this is a natural process. It doesn’t take any effort from the dragonfly to shine. All it needs to do is keep its wings turned towards the light, and they will reflect it, like they were always meant to, in a beautiful rainbow of color.

And now the rain has come back, bringing life and hope again. Clouds are rolling in the sky and the morning air is fresh and crisp. A thunderstorm has filled our water tank so that next week, if/when the heat strikes again, we’ll at least be able to water our youngest and most fragile plants, and I feel so grateful for it.

Staying creative, especially through art journaling, always helps me navigate life and reconnect to my inner light. The process of making this page, during this distressing time, took my mind away from the worries and helped me become playful and joyful again. Working with white felt cooling, like inviting a bit of winter on the page. Using textured materials always gives me a sense of connection, especially textiles, and here I used bits of lace and fabric, and even stitched a button, a feather and a few stitches directly through the page.

Journaling my thoughts, emotions and wishes for better days, I felt supported and heard, reconnected to the Universe and the pure, positive energy we all come from. And that’s huge. That’s why it matters so much to stay creative, not only when we feel inspired, but especially when we are struggling. That’s how we can find our beautiful wings again, and take flight towards the light with renewed joy and strength.

What symbol feels uplifting to you these days? Has a favorite animal or plant/flower shown up for you lately? Look up its meaning and tell me!

Art journaling is so good for the soul and if you need a little nudge of inspiration, then I have plenty of free resources and inspiration for you to explore here:

I hope that wherever you are, you’re able to connect to nature and nurture your creativity. Keep trusting your beautiful wings and turning them towards the light!

A magical adventure through art journaling and mixed media painting. Build your personal art journaling practice, grow your wings and take the leap from the page to the canvas!

Leave a comment for me!