I have been working on another spread in my art journal dedicated to self-care. This adventure launched a few weeks ago, as a safe space for me to explore some trauma informed concepts and creative resources related to the topic of self care.
My first couple of pages focused on gratitude, as well as creating a self-care proclamation, and these new pages explore affirmation as another tool for self-care.
My inspiration and resources for these pages came from Jocelyn Paige Kelly’s interview with author Janet Nestor (Pathways to Wholeness and Nuturing Wellness through Radical Self-Care) and her reflections about the benefits of affirmations on our well-being, as well as this Life Book art journaling prompt from Dawn DeVries Sokol about identifying positive self words. I also re-visited Lesson 2 from Lani Gerity’s Happy Artist’s Life (showing gratitude to our strengths!).
Reflecting on positive thoughts, inspiration, and strengths is always a valuable process for me to return to. I think the expression and viewing in a visual, artsy form, (i.e. my art journal) that I can keep handy & accessible increases this benefit. This process helps re-focus and re-frame the challenges of my day to day practice with good vibes and intention important to my professional self-care.
Janet Nestor shares these thoughts in her Realizing Your Creative Life interview:
“Affirmations help us develop and maintain a positive lifestyle. We can create new brain neuropathways with our positive thoughts, and affirmations speed up the process. “Neurons that fire together wire together” illustrates what happens when similar thoughts are repeated over and over again.”
Here’s to the power of positive thought and art-making combined! And the awesome impact this can have on our neuropathways for self-care!
creativity in motion 
beautiful pages!
Beautiful art journalling -love the way you’ve added stitching, and the colourways you’ve chosen! =D
Reblogged this on sexinthekitchensink and commented:
Awesome blog post by fellow art therapist Gretchen miller.