THIS IS WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN CREATIVE JOURNALING FOR SELF CARE
CREATIVE JOURNALING CAN BE A POWERFUL TOOL FOR SELF CARE - BUT DON’T MAKE THESE MISTAKES
STOP DOING THESE 3 THINGS TO TAKE THE PRESSURE OFF AND MAKE CREATIVE JOURNALING ENJOYABLE AND HEALING - PLUS 3 THINGS YOU CAN DO TODAY TO START JOURNALING FOR SELF CARE
3 THINGS YOU SHOULD NOT DO WHEN CREATIVE JOURNALING FOR SELF CARE:
DO NOT TRY TO CREATE BEAUTIFUL OR PERFECT ‘ART’
Creative journaling is ALL about the process and not the end result.
The magic, the art, the personal revelations, and transformations happen there, in the process, in the doing, not in the pursuit of a perfect page or beautiful drawing.
Do not aim for perfect pages, aim for release, for play, for experimenting, for messy handwriting, spelling mistakes, paint spills, ugly art and healing creativity.
More often than not the pages that I think are awful when I am creating them turn out to be the ones I treasure the most, the ones I am drawn to and look back at again and again. They are definitely not perfect, or beautiful, but they are raw, they are real, and that is art.
DO NOT COMPARE YOURSELF/JOURNALS TO OTHERS
It seems a good idea to look to other artists and the beautiful planner and journal imagery all over Instagram and Pinterest for inspiration, but this can be a really counterproductive way to get your creativity flowing.
In reality this leads to comparing their work to yours. Comparing yourself and what you create in your journal to anyone else really is a major block to creativity. More often than not we are viewing someone else’s best work and comparing that to our everyday art, leaving us feeling as though our creative work is not good enough.
If you must compare, compare yourself to yourself. Compare today’s journal page to yesterday’s. If you have grown, if your journaling and art-making are improving, you’re winning!
DO NOT BUY LOTS OF EXPENSIVE ART SUPPLIES
You do not need to buy expensive art supplies. Especially if you are a beginner. Expensive supplies can give us immediate paralysis because we are too scared to use them in case we 'muck it up' and waste our money (how many completely blank journals with gorgeous covers do you have sitting on a shelf that you don't want to 'ruin'!?) Our nice expensive things just sit on the shelf or sit in the box.
Buying cheaper supplies give us permission to wreck them! Permission to play, to experiment, to create from a much freer place.
You do not need lots of art supplies. If you already have a lot of supplies and a lot of different techniques you want to try, you will probably be familiar with the paradox of choice creeping in - stopping you from actually getting started.
Too many supplies makes it hard to choose and enjoy the process. Often we try to use all the things and do all of the techniques in one sitting and putting that much pressure on yourself is not enjoyable. Lift some of that pressure by limiting the number of supplies you have within your reach.
HERE ARE 3 THINGS YOU CAN DO TODAY TO START CREATIVE JOURNALING FOR SELF CARE:
GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION
Write it down. Write your own permission-giving mantra inside the cover of your journal to remind yourself of why you want and need this practice, why you are worthy of creative self-care.
GIVE YOURSELF SOME SPACE
Set up a little nook where you can leave your journal and few art supplies readily available, make this space inviting and special, a sanctuary for you to visit and create in.
TAKE OUR FREE CLASS
Enrol in our free class, it will guide you through doing all this and show you how to bring an element of mindfulness to art journaling for some deeper self-care.
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