Grace is Overrated

Good things

2013-05-17T15:31:00.000-04:00

What's on your list?

Perspective

2013-05-14T15:52:00.000-04:00

So, there I was last week, humming along, feeling like things were okay, thinking that everything was mostly under control. I may have even had a few daring moments of, "Oh yeah, I've got this." (You know, in reference to life and stuff.)

Then someone I admire offered a bit of unexpected, unsolicited advice. It caught me completely off guard and within about three minutes, I was second guessing my entire existence.

Since then, as the sting gradually fades, I've been thinking about how often I turn to journal writing as a way to sort through my insecurities. There is a helpful distance to be found in the act of turning worries into words and placing them on the page. Once there, I can contemplate them almost from a third person's point of view. I can walk away for awhile if I like. (They'll keep.) When I'm ready, I can think about how to move forward, from a place of perspective. I can get back to humming along with life (and stuff).

Lightning round questions for you

2013-05-13T16:18:00.000-04:00

I'm right in the middle of work on the next five journal pages. They'll be available via instant download, just like the last five. To pass the time until the new batch of pages is ready, how about a quick lightning round?

futuristic or prehistoric? spinning round and round or jumping up and down? coat check or valet parking? cliff or canyon? footprint in the sand or pawprint in the snow? missing a deadline or forgetting a birthday? carrot cake or banana cream pie?

Bridging the gap

2013-05-09T14:53:00.000-04:00

When my daughters were quite young, a wonderful teacher once suggested that I could try to lessen any apprehension they might feel about spending the day at school by bridging the gap between drop-off and pick-up. I could remind them that even though we'd be apart while they were at school, we'd be together again soon.

Such a simple thing, common sense really, but it made such a difference that I find myself doing it all the time now, making a conscious effort to fill the void between now and later. Instead of ending conversations with "Goodbye," I'm much more likely to say, "See you tonight," or "See you next Tuesday," or even, "Talk to you soon." My friends and family may not even notice it, but I love the sense of continuity that a few words can evoke.

It occurred to me today that journaling is another excellent bridge for life's gaps. In addition to being a boundless repository for past and current events, journaling offers a remarkable opportunity for forward thinking. Writing about my plans, the future I envision, and always reminding myself that there are successes, big and small, just a few steps ahead, are my ways of using journaling to bridge the gap.

New pages in progress

2013-05-08T15:04:00.000-04:00

Thought I'd share one of the prompts from a new set of pages in the works:

One place I love to visit in spring: the arboretum on campus at our local university. There are always brand new baby ducks taking dips with their parents in the vernal pool that forms after the spring thaw.

One thing I love to eat in summer: anything fresh off the barbecue!

One thing I love to do in fall: set new goals. The beginning of the new school year always feels like a great opportunity to make grand plans.

One sight I love to see in winter: snow-covered cityscapes.

How about you?

Writing it down

2013-05-07T15:53:00.000-04:00

I've recently taken up regular exercise and, wow, do I have a long way to go before I can make any claims about my general fitness. At about the halfway point this morning, I was seeing stars.

It's no surprise, I guess, that my prompt writing and journaling today have veered toward themes of perseverance and goal setting. There's something powerful about turning goals (and setbacks) into words on a page, isn't there? Goals can be whittled down to their essentials, then divided into manageable, achievable steps. Possibly even more importantly, setbacks become part of the story rather than the end of the story.

Daydreaming

2013-05-06T14:40:00.000-04:00

I've been working on lightning rounds for the next batch of pages in my new journal collection. Have I ever told you how much I adore writing lightning round questions? Of course I have. Too many times to count, probably.

It's pretty awesome indeed to have a legitimate excuse for daydreaming, right in the middle of the day, for letting my mind wander as far as it will go and back again.

From today's wanderings: getting dressed for the day ahead or undressing after a long day? walking arm-in-arm or hand-in-hand? toothpaste or soap? napkin or coaster? menu or mail order catalogue?

One thing I know for sure

2013-05-03T14:54:00.000-04:00

I'm almost certain that's a journal prompt I've used before: One thing I know for sure. It sounds quite familiar. (I don't look back on old pages very often, have I ever told you that? It's because I've set myself the goal of generating new prompts for each new project and I'm almost superstitious about avoiding completed pages when I'm working on new stuff. There's bound to be overlap here and there and occasional unintentional duplication, but even then, I try to approach core themes and ideas from as many different angles as I can imagine.)

Which brings me to my latest project and the title of this post. One thing I know for sure is that creating guided journals (and keeping journals, too) connects me to all the things I think are important in life: the people we share our lives with, the day-to-day events that become our adventures, the goals we set, the accomplishments we celebrate, the failures we try to learn from, the challenges we overcome.

I love the ever-evolving sense of discovery that journaling affords. I love that journaling can be deadly serious or completely ridiculous. It can be honest and heartbreaking and silly and soulful -- each in turn or all at once. I love the depth and breadth of journaling -- that it can be whatever I need it to be to help me make sense of myself and my world. I love that I can keep my journals forever.

Lately, I've been working on new pages. Five of them. I stopped numbering them as I have in the past and gave them titles instead. Here's Wild and precious life (from Mary Oliver's quote) for example:

And The bright side:

I've decided to discontinue revisions of my original collection of journal pages and work on new ones instead. I've kept the outer borders from the first six revised journal pages, but the insides are all new.

The new pages have been posted in my shop, both individually and as a multi-page set of five. They're instant downloads now, so that you can start journaling right away, and each page includes two files - one with colour and one without - so that you have the choice of whether to add your own colour.

I have several more pages in the works and I'll list them soon, too.

It feels so good to be back at it. That's one thing I know for sure.

One creative thing - Part 20

2013-04-09T14:52:00.000-04:00

Today's creative thing: Letters of the alphabet.

I wanted to paint words, but I couldn't decide which words, so in the spirit of doing rather than endlessly thinking, I started with the first several letters of the alphabet. So much fun. Definitely more letters to come.

On the journal front, a batch of new pages is slowly coming together. And new ideas, too. Can't wait to share.

Prompt writing

2013-04-05T12:06:00.000-04:00

I've been writing prompts this morning. Lightning round questions are the most fun to dream up. I love how silly they can be. Lovely or lively? An itch or a tickle? Bongos or castanets? Those are a few from today's wonderings.

Other prompts require deeper reflection though. Sometimes, like today, the thought process is tinged with a sense of . . . I don't know. It's sadness, I think. Do we talk enough about how very difficult journaling can be? To try to be completely honest with ourselves. To try to put into words the parts that hurt. For me, writing the prompts first offers a small sense of perspective - that there is good along with the bad.

One creative thing - Day 19

2013-04-04T15:08:00.000-04:00

Today's creative thing: Rectangles and squares.

I've been writing prompts and lightning rounds. Words and phrases and queries and conundrums are swirling before my mind's eye. I felt like I needed an abstract image today. It was quite nice, typing away while I waited for each layer to dry. Blue is such a cool, calm and collected colour, don't you think?

One creative thing - Day 18

2013-04-03T15:16:00.000-04:00

Today's creative thing: Scissors.

One creative thing - Day 17

2013-04-02T15:36:00.000-04:00

Today's creative thing: A little flower.

Not much time for painting today, so I used a little scrap of leftover paper and painted a tiny detail from a photograph that I took of this plant a few years ago.

Lots of learning left to do, but one creative thing at a time, right?

One creative thing - Day 16

2013-03-28T16:00:00.000-04:00

Today's creative thing: A mortar and pestle.

It's a little scary how much I am enjoying these mini watercolour experiments. I love mixing the colours and swirling them around on glistening paper. I love wandering around my house, trying to decide which object to select. It has been delightful. I will have to get back to journaling at some point, possibly next week. I have several revised pages ready and waiting to be launched, but I want to make a few changes before I do. Change is in the air.

For now though, we're on the cusp of a holiday weekend around here. My girls have arrived home from school for the day and aren't due back until Tuesday, so one creative thing will break for a short intermission.

Happy weekend, friends. See you on Tuesday.

One creative thing - Day 15

2013-03-27T15:50:00.000-04:00

Today's creative thing: A hole punch.

One creative thing - Day 14

2013-03-26T17:06:00.001-04:00

Today's creative thing: An old-fashioned cake server.

Years ago, my grandmother gave me one of her silver cake servers. We use it all the time around here. (Mmm, cake.) This morning, while I was fishing through the utensil drawer in the kitchen looking for something to paint today, it was the first thing that caught my eye.

One creative thing - Day 13

2013-03-25T14:40:00.000-04:00

Today's creative thing: A cookie cutter.

The original cookie cutter is a shiny tin one from my cupboard, but I've found that it's such fun to paint things in alternate colours.

It feels like there's a theme emerging here. It feels wonderfully familiar, I think, because it resembles the themes that are at the core of my journal pages: celebrating the little things, noticing the overlooked things, and finding beauty in the ordinary things.

I'd really like to turn the idea of these tiny paintings into a new journal project. I think I know how, but it's going to be a little unconventional. Possibly, it's a bit too unconventional, but I'll never know if I don't try.

One creative thing: Day 12

2013-03-24T18:41:00.000-04:00

Today's creative thing: Still knitting. Can't help myself. Back to watercolour tomorrow, I think.

One creative thing - Day 11

2013-03-23T15:37:00.002-04:00

Today's creative thing: Knitting up the Purl Bee's lovely leaf lace.

One creative thing - Day 10

2013-03-22T15:18:00.000-04:00

Today's creative thing: A honeycomb. I was looking at photos of honeycombs this morning and noticing the individual cells. Some were rounder than others. Some a little rough around the edges. None of them quite perfect, but nonetheless creating an amazing structure.

I thought they might make a neat watercolour experiment, with a colourful twist.

One creative thing - Day 9

2013-03-21T15:57:00.002-04:00

Today's creative thing: A clothespin. It didn't turn out exactly as I envisioned it, but it was fun to play around with dots of colour.

One creative thing - Day 8

2013-03-20T12:49:00.000-04:00

Today's creative thing: a colourful chair. And a new journal idea, surprisingly. I'll have to do a little research, but I can't wait to give it a try.

One creative thing - Day 7

2013-03-19T15:10:00.000-04:00

Today's creative thing: a bit of hand lettering. In the form of a prompt!

This is one of my favourite early prompts. A variation even appears on the back of my business cards. How 'bout this? I'll tell you my one reason to smile today and if you feel like sharing, add yours in the comments!

My reason to smile: With a lot of hard work on her part, my oldest daughter left for school today totally caught up on her homework. Recently, academic interests have begun to emerge where previously there was mostly disinterest. It feels as if we may have turned a corner and that puts a huge smile on my face.

Your turn!

One creative thing - Day 6

2013-03-18T12:44:00.000-04:00

Today's creative thing: A balloon.

One creative thing - Day 5

2013-03-17T13:13:00.000-04:00

Today's creative thing: Remember that Grecian Rib stitch from Day 2? I wondered how it would look if I knitted it into a little pouch. Et voila! The beginnings of a little pouch, probably destined for my youngest who will no doubt fill it with a carefully curated collection of tiny treasures. I'll post a photo of the complete project as soon as it's finished.