Grace is Overrated

More good things . . .

2013-06-10T15:38:00.000-04:00

Making slow progress on a new set of journal pages and working for a few moments on my letters.

What are you up to?

Practice vs. Practise

2013-06-06T11:53:00.000-04:00

I love a good grammar dilemma!

Yesterday, I wrote about my efforts to improve my hand lettering.

I posted the following photo of my ongoing attempts and wrote that I had taken a quick break to practice, practice, practice my lettering.

Now here's the dilemma: The lovely Margot/NZ left a very kind comment about the use of the words practice and practise. Practice is the noun and practise is the verb.

Which I totally agree with . . . except I think it depends on where you live.

When I was a kid, I was taught exactly the same rule that Margot/NZ described. I grew up in Southern Ontario, Canada, where I still live. I've noticed in recent years, however, that the s just isn't used around these parts anymore. Which is why I went with practice instead of practise in my post. Also, I understand that in the U.S., practice serves as both the noun and the verb.

After a bit of brief research, however, I've discovered (thanks to Margot!) that the distinction is alive and well and in regular use outside North America.

So, I was going to rewrite my page for Margot as practise, practise, practise. Except that now I'm confused about whether that would be the correct course of action.

I get that I should have written: I took a quick break to practise, practise, practise my lettering (the verb), BUT on my page, I think it should still be practice, practice, practice (the noun). Right? I think? Ack, I'm not sure.

For example, the phrase practice makes perfect is totally clear. In that context, practice is the noun.

But I only wrote the word practice three times, so it's not as clear. Was I referring to the noun practice or the verb practise? Help me out! Which is it? If it should have been practise, I am totally going to rewrite that page!

P.S. Thank you so much for all of the comments on my last two posts. I have stopped by and replied to each of them!

Practice, practice, practice

2013-06-05T14:45:00.000-04:00

It has been a quiet sort of day around here, which gave me the chance to start the next batch of journal pages. Mostly, I've been working on lightning round questions - my absolute favourite thing. I'll post a few tomorrow!

Also, I took a quick break to practice, practice, practice my lettering.

How is your day going?

5 Ways to follow through on your goals

2013-06-04T13:47:00.000-04:00

Okay. So. Wow, I'm a little nervous, guys. This is the finished graphic that I mentioned here and here:

For ages, one of my goals has been to improve my lettering. I absolutely adore anything handwritten and I would love to be able to add more hand-lettered variety to my guided journals. This graphic came about not only as a way to work on my lettering, but also as a reminder of some of the ways I can continue to follow through on this goal.

1. Divide and Conquer - I know my lettering won't improve without a lot of practice. So far, I am nowhere near the level I hope to achieve some day, but the best way to get there is to take it one step at a time, i.e. find one little thing I'm keen to write about (goal-setting definitely fits the bill!) and do it, then pick another little something and write about that next. And so on and so on. I have faith that I will see improvement if I just keep at it.

2. Put Fear in its Place - As I write this post, my heart is thumping and my palms are clammy. There's a little voice in my head suggesting not so gently that I probably shouldn't post this. The composition is not what it should be, the lettering looks amateurish, the colour scheme needs work, . . . But whatever, stupid voice. I'm posting anyway. This is the place where I try stuff out. This is where I come to fail, if necessary. If I wait until I'm not scared, I'll never post again.

3. Expect Setbacks - Yep, stuff gets in the way. Available working hours are few, interruptions are many, crises of self-confidence are frequent. That's life. The only imperative is never to give up.

4. Learn Along the Way - This has been the best part so far. I finally figured out how to scan a drawing and colour it digitally in Illustrator. I have lots more to learn on that subject, but it feels awesome to add a new tool to the kit.

5. Shout if From the Rooftops - And here we are. This is my rooftop. This is where I pledge to make my goals a reality.

That's my story for now. What goal have you pledged to follow through on?

On my desk . . .

2013-06-03T16:22:00.000-04:00

On my desk today: hand lettering a few thoughts about following through on goals. Almost done!

What are you working on?

New journal pages in the shop

2013-05-30T15:08:00.000-04:00

I've just posted five new printable guided journal pages in the shop!

The first two look a little like this:

You'll find all five here, where they are available individually or as a set, and all pages include both a colourful and colour-free file. I hope you'll love these pages as much as I do.

For my next project, I think I'll switch gears for a bit, just to take a quick break from journal writing. I really want to try creating an infographic. It will give me an opportunity to practice my hand lettering and to try to distill an idea down to basic components. I'll let you know how it goes!

After that, it's back to journal pages. I've got a bunch of ideas for two new sets -- one to continue the current series in my shop and one for kids! I have lots of fun, new ideas and (as always) tons of prompts. I'm really excited to see where these new adventures take me.

What are you working on these days?

More good things

2013-05-23T14:12:00.000-04:00

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.