Everyday Bliss: Self Discovery in Creative Journaling

It started with a color, an idea and not much else other than I knew I wanted to create a collage in the same style as Kelly Rae Roberts. So, after choosing one of my favorite colors and some snippets of decorative papers, away I went . It is incredibly liberating to create for the purpose of exploration and enjoyment of the process rather than striving toward a polished, finished piece. I can always go back and create a more detailed piece based upon what I've learned here in this study.

I must have painted this face 3 or 4 times and even at this point, I could contemplate for days the depth I see there already. What I discovered in this exercise alone is how much I love the forgiving nature of oil paints but that there are ways of achieving those effects with a medium that dries as fast as acrylics. While this is still a work in progress, I can honestly say that I am in awe of how this is turning out so far and I had absolutely no idea when I started that my collage would resemble anything like this. I am truly grateful to the universe for showing me what is possible simply by embracing a start.

I Am Not Afraid to Take Flight ~ Creative Journaling

I spent this past week being "present" in my body and asking myself what it feels like to be me in this moment. What I discovered were mild feelings of anxiety running through me like an electrical current. How long had this been going on? It's curious. I really have no idea because up until now I realize I have lived my life trapped inside in my own head. I have literally been swinging my way through this jungle of life one thought stream at a time, each one leading to the next but never really taking me anywhere.


Putting this in writing helps me to see and understand the ways in which I choose to ignore what my creative whispers have been so desperately trying to tell me, that I am enough right now. I see the ways in which I mask and try to soothe my own discomfort with TV, busy work, mind created excuses in various forms and yes, sometimes even alcohol so that I don't have to face those demons now. But, until I do, my dreams will remain trapped in a future that can never come.


The anxiety is about my fear of confronting my own inner critic and taking action in spite of her. Or, perhaps it's more about loving her enough to push through the fear, that I might actually set my heart free and lead the life I have always dreamed. In my now, I give my heart the space to release thought and trust my wordless soul to carry me through upon the silent winds of beingness. I send love and light to that fearful girl inside who wants only to feel safe and know she'll be okay. I am not afraid to take flight. I am loved. I am safe.


Weekly Journal Challenge: Be present in your body this week. You can do this by focusing on your breathing for a moment or two. What feelings come up? Do not analyze or judge, just FEEL. Ask yourself, what are you using as your excuse for not taking action today? Create a journal page about what you discovered. I would love to visit any blogs that take me up on this. Just leave your invitation via a comment and link.

Birth of a Le Jardin Fuchsia

Today is day 2 of my Creative Awakenings journey. While in the throws of my 20 minutes of everyday bliss, I received instructions for something new. My delightfully creative mind gave birth to the dimensional fuchsia. Before I go further I must confess a perplexity over the spelling of that particular word - fuchsia. Its elusiveness sends me to the dictionary every time while one question runs through my head like a ticker tape. Why that spelling? Eckhart Tolle would simply say, stop thinking, it's not important. I like that advice.


That zone of creativity where there are no words is truly a blissful state indeed. I find myself putting things together that I may not have otherwise thought of and it makes me feel like the queen of originality, at least for a moment or two. Working small and detailed is the person I have identified with for so long. I wonder to what extent that will change while on this journey. Maybe it won't. What powers do the fine details have over me that make me unwilling to let them go? It might be nice to venture beyond them, to step back and focus on the panorama instead of the bulls eye, if only for a little while right? The answer is yes, just not today.

Everyday Bliss Day 1

Today is day 1 of my Creative Awakenings journey. This chick has taken flight with 38 others from The Artful Paper Doll Ning network and charted a course of discovery into our inner selves through creative collage and journaling.


Everyday bliss is about doing something, anything that brings me total enjoyment for 20 minutes a day. Today was about working on this background for a new dimensional collage that will incorporate one of my fairy dolls. I loose all sense of time when I am creating. In the moment that happens, I know on a level of being that can not be explained by words or thoughts, that I am fully connected to the infinite.

Collage Style Patterned Crepe Paper

I have yet to see anyone embellish their crepe paper before turing it into something beautiful like those rosettes you see gracing vintage and cottage style art work everywhere these days. After playing around with stamps and inks, I decided to draw rose buds on a butter yellow crepe paper I planned to use to create my fairy tale style paper doll dress.


I have posted a video on the technique which is simple and can give you some stunning results. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it. If you like it, please link back to this post or leave a comment. I think it is nothing short of magnificent, if I do say so myself.

Rose Garden Promises

I bless your garden with fairy kisses and grant to thee your promised wishes.

A fairy, ornament paper art doll creation.

Happy Pink Saturday everyone! Be sure to visit Beverly at How Sweet The Sound to find out more about Pink Saturday and how you can get involved.