Art journaling spread with an important lesson

I recently watched an online lesson from Deepak Chopra about how to handle inner and external chaos. It was something that I wasn’t expecting to be so helpful and I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how much I have used these 4 sentences to get myself through chaotic situations.

What am I observing? (Non judgmentally) It’s important to simply identify what is happening without placing judgment on it. This is harder than it seems.

What am I feeling?

What do I need?

What is the best way to fulfill this need?

I used this new learning as inspiration for a 2 page art journaling spread.

I used the May Mixed Media Monthly kit and this add-on from The LilyPad for most of the items on these 2 pages. I did add a piece from the August and April sets from 2015. For my journaling, I used the playlist script font (free). You can read about my size choices here. I spent a long time playing around to get the final results, but it was time that I enjoyed. That’s the interesting part of art journaling for me - I don’t feel rushed. I enjoy the process just as much (or maybe even more than?) finishing the actual creation.

Here’s a look at each individual page:

My mom and I were discussing art journaling the other day and she asked me if I use a template when I scrap this way. I don’t, but I do like to pick some great layered papers to give me a good base. I really appreciate when the designers include those.

As I’ve been evaluating my creative activities lately, I have been reminded that mixed media and art journaling are definitely bucket fillers for me. They make me happy!