Wednesday, August 3, 2016

For the Love of Creative Art Journalling

What a great weekend my students and I have just had, creating our bright and beautiful sketchbooks ready to map our way through life!
I have come away with some very interesting discoveries through this process.

Firstly we are all different! I love how some of us got so absorbed in applying the colour. Such as Helen’s book above. The vibrant colours really show her love of colour. Others were fascinated at their choice of color. They took the opportunity to explore colours they would not normally paint in. I encouraged everyone to see their sketchbook as their practice playground which gives us permission to play, make mistakes, and explore. Without the pressure to produce!



Others enjoyed browsing through magazines to find words or images that resonated with them, sometimes choosing and gluing in things in their books without knowing why. This element of the unknown enables an intuitive trusting that often be comes clear later. Weeks, months or even years later!
Some, who were practicing visual artists, took the opportunity to think about new ways of creating their paintings, using their sketchbook as a springboard for new ideas, subject matters, ways to apply paint and more.
Some were intent on writing. The beauty of using sketchbooks is that they can be used in a way that is tailored to the individual. Some want to journal as a way to process past events. Others use it as a way of planning future events, business growth, bringing dreams into reeality, artwork development and even as a space to vent! The applications are endless.


The emphasis was on curiosity and exploration, a fun way to discover new horizons that could take us in unexpected directions.


Whilst I will be doing more of these and other similar workshops locally, I do plan to put together an online version so as to be able to share this process with more creatives globally. In the meantime if you have any comments, suggestions or questions, let me know in the comments or contact me through my contact form and I’ll get back to you.
I would also be thrilled to offer this process to you in an individual 1 on 1 coaching setting where you would get support from me on all levels, either through online means or in person, depending on your location. Feel free to get in touch with any questions.  IMG_20160731_162537