2023 Artful and Intentional Living

I have just finished my 2023 altered book of intentions and wanted to share the pages and intentions I identified for this year. This year marks 15 years of this creative practice!

The process begins with preparation, including finding the children’s board book I will be using, getting the book ready to create, gathering materials, and prepping the creative space I will be working in. I then direct my focus to intention, which includes creating a list of words I want to guide me throughout the new year ahead with meaning and purpose. From this list, I shift to creation, crafting a page inside my altered book that symbolizes or embodies each intention.

This year I chose the intentions: Meaning, Resolve, Respite, Anchor, Tempo, and Artistry. I primarily used material from my paper stashes, magazine photo collage, dictionary pages, ink, paint pens, washi tape, handmade paper, and oil pastels in a 5×5 children’s board book.

Meaning

Resolve

Respite

Anchor

Tempo

Artistry – The heart piece was done with the handmade paper I made in a BlendJet blender I recently purchased— I wrote on small pieces of paper things I wanted to let go of/transform, ripped them up, put them in the blender to pulp, and then formed new paper from it— other pages/intentions also include hearts with the same handmade paper….

As the year unfolds, I revisit my altered book of intentions to reflect on and witness their transformation. I am grateful I am also able to participate in this process year-round within an inspiring digital community of women who are engaging in this creative practice as part of Prepare.Intent.Create.Transform workshops.

What are some intentions you have for this year?

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Creative Destruction and Transformation in Art and Therapy

I am super excited to share that this article I co-authored with art therapy colleague Mindy Jacobson-Levy was officially published in the recent issue of Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association (Volume 39, Issue 4): Creative Destruction and Transformation in Art and Therapy: Reframing, Reforming, Reclaiming.

For a limited time, you can download the full article for free. This access is available until March 31, 2023.

In February, Mindy and I are also teaching an all-day, online workshop as part of the Expressive Therapies Summit Singular Sessions inspired by our article. Join us on Saturday, February 25, 10am-5pm EST for this 6-credit continuing education offering.

Participants will explore key concepts surrounding the role of creative destruction and transformation through the lens of altered book making. This will include dismantling the book’s pages and reframing intentions within a safely contained construct. As we take this metamorphic artistic journey, this workshop will spark your creative spirit through extensive art making, embellishing methods, and group discussion. Case material will be shared to demonstrate the value of the create-destroy-reform process. To register, visit here to learn more.

How have you used concepts of creative destruction and transformation in your art or therapy practice?

Prepare. Intent. Create. Transform. 2023 Creative Offering

As many of my creative friends & followers know, in 2008 I started an annual end-of-the-year creative practice where I would create an altered book or art journal identifying intentions I wanted to focus on, invite in, and give to others during the new year ahead.

Last year, I launched an updated ebook and virtual workshop & group opportunity to inspire and discover the hopes and aspirations of intention through this creative practice. It was fun and inspiring to gather together in this special way to artfully work on this process together. It is hard to believe another year and another book has transformed. It is that time of year I begin to do a final look at my year through the lens of my intentions.

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Shortly, though it will be time for this artful process to begin anew – Preparing, intending, creating, and transforming a fresh book, a new space and art for a new year ahead. Year 15 of this awesome creative practice.

For 2023, I am excited to offer the workshop again!

I hope you will join in if it interests you:

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• 1 copy of my Prepare, Intent, Create, & Transform eBook. 10 full-color pages describing how to engage in this creative practice.

• 3 live virtual eWorkshops focused on developing, making, and reflecting on your 2023 altered book & intentions. January 8, 15, & 22, 2023 7-9 pm EST

• 4 additional quarterly, live virtual eWorkshops throughout the year to check in about our 2023 intentions & make art together for further exploration & insight. March 5, June 4, September 3, & December 3, 2023 7-9 pm EST

• Recorded slide presentations of the eWorkshop content in case you cannot attend one of the events or want to save the information for your future reference.

• Access to the eWorkshop’s private 2023 FB group to stay connected to Prepare, Intent, Create, & Transform participants and creative motivation all year long!

$74.99 USD

Purchase Link

or Scan the QR Code below:

Those who purchased my 2022 eBook or attended 2022 eWorkshops, are eligible for a $25 discount off this year’s package. Look for more information about this in the 2022 FB group and in email communication to past participants.

Please note: eBook purchases are automatically sent to the email used to make your purchase. Please check your junk/spam folder if you do not receive your eBook once your purchase has been fully completed. All sales final. Email gretchenmiller@cox.net with any questions.

THANK YOU!

Wishing you an artful 2023!!

Creative Manifesting Mojo

This week I finally finished this year’s revo’lution book! Yay!

I used another children’s board book as the book’s foundation with a combination of acrylic paint, watercolor, gel pens, stamping ink, and text transfer sheets on each of the pages.

The intentions I chose for this year are Patience, Readiness, Agility, Faith, & Sincerity:

This past week I also enjoyed facilitating a fun evening of revo’lution art-making, where the room was filled with creative manifesting mojo, hot chocolate, and good company! It was bitterly cold outside (brrrrr!), but inside lots of creativity & good intentions warmed the space!

It’s always a pleasure to share & experience this art-making with others who are also interested in inviting new energy & possibility into their life, work, relationships, & more!

I hope that you are also able to work some creative manifesting mojo into your New Year as well! 🙂

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Related Posts:

Ready for Revolution Art Journaling eBook Now Available

Ringing in the New Year with Revolution Art Making

 Handmade Revolution Making Meets Art Journaling [VIDEO]

Hot Chocolate Savoring & Creative Pausing

As fall gives way to winter and the year begins to finish out its final month, I find myself wanting to slow down while I adjust to colder weather, holiday anticipation, thinking ahead to planning for 2015, and reflecting on the adventures of 2014.

Here are a few things from this past week helping me take time out for some pausing….

I’ve embarked on a hot chocolate challenge 🙂 :

Fear’s Confections Hot Chocolate

My friend Lori and I have decided to enjoy this list of Top 10 Hot Chocolates in Cleveland by attempting to try each one throughout the winter.  It’s a great reason to get together, warm up from the cold, and savor some chocolate. Win, win, win! Our first stop on this hot chocolate tour was Fear’s Confections. I recommend splurging for the gourmet homemade cinnamon marshmallow to accompany the drink- Yum!

I also started prepping the children’s board book I’ve chosen for creating a new revo’lution altered book, one of the creative rituals I enjoy taking time to reflect on as the New Year approaches…  2015 will be year/book #7 in the series…. Yay!  If you’re in the NE Ohio area, I’ll be hosting a cozy Ready for Revo’lution art-making gathering (with hot chocolate available!) on January 7 that you can check out here.

Beginning a new revo’lution

Things are also winding down with this year’s 365 project, as my 3×5 art journey moves forward into its last month.  Incredible that 11 months and have already gone by, with only one more to go…. It’s an ongoing reminder time and time again to slow down in each creative moment.

3×5 art filing (2014 365)

Day 331

Here’s also a few blog posts to help embrace your pausing spirit & manage this time of year:

14 Tidbits to Stir in your Coffee (or Tea) when the Sloth Visits | Rebelle Society

Go Out and Have a Free Adventure: #104 of 1,000 Ways to have a Happy Artist’s Life | Lani Puppetmaker’s Blogspot

Be Still. Distill. | A Big Creative Yes

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Related Posts:

Prepare > Intent > Create > Transform: ready for revo’lution [2014]

In the Presence of Now: Creating One 3×5 At a Time

Ringing in the New Year with Revolution Art Making

Values, Virtues & Vision: Creative Exploration into Covenant Caregiving Continues

I’ve slowly been working on the altered book I started for exploring the theme of covenant based care giving.  Here are some work in progress photos:

I’ve been using a lot of acrylic paint on the raw surface of the chipboard page that I’ve stripped of its glossy coating and its former life of a children’s board book. Over the dried acrylic paint I’ve also been using some white colored pencil.  It’s been a super liberating process.

Each of these beginning pages are forming a visual pledge connected to my professional and creative work… to instill, engage with, and honor.

Live creatively.

Continue the journey.

Believe in art.

Be resilient.

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Related Posts:

Journey to Resilience: Takeaways & Creative Offerings

Exploring Covenant Based Caregiving with a Creative Twist

Self Care through Creative Practice & Intention: Vulnerability

 

 

 

Prepare > Intent > Create > Transform: ready for revo’lution [2014]

ready for revo’lution 2014

 

[prepare…intent…create…transform]

I’ve spent the first few days of January working on the pages of my 2014 revo’lution book, transformed & altered from a small children’s board book.

My 2014 intentions for this year are Grace, Tranquility, Mercy, Blithe, Soul, and Openness:

[Inward grace calls me here….]

Grace

 

[That tranquility you call peace… lives in my heart]

Tranquility

 

[Your mercies are new + begin again everyday…]

Mercy

 

[Boundless + Free…]

Blithe

 

[Listen to + trust the voice of your own soul…]

Soul

 

[Abundance everyday…]

Openness

Revo’lution making for the past 6 years has taught me how important intentions are for new beginnings, change, growth, challenge, and transformation.

I want to share another annual revo’lution making tradition that always inspires me–this year Lani created a Create Happiness Revo’lution and transformed her board book pages into a downloadable PDF that you can find here. I am also excited to read that AJ who was an active participant in my 2011 21 SECRETS revo’lution workshop continues to engage in this creative practice and will be working on her revo’lution book throughout this year. Having just finished my 365 revo’lution and taking time throughout the year to focus on this intention manifesting process, I love that AJ will be spreading out her 2014 revo’lution love this way!

If you’re interested in creating your own revo’lution, check out my ready to revo’lution e-book or consider joining in on this year’s 6 Degrees of Creativity where I’ll be offering an art journaling workshop dedicated to revo’lution making (includes the e-book!) as one of 6 online workshops dedicated to concepts of connecting, collaboration, art-making, and creativity into an engaged community of artists exploring transformation and using art for good. Registration goes on sale in a couple of weeks (stay tuned!) and will be open until July 31.

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Related Posts:

Heart Space: 365 Days of revo’lution making

A Simple Reflection on 5 Years of Revo’lution Making

Handmade Revolution Making Continues @ 21 SECRETS Art Journaling Workshop

Getting Ready: Gluebooking, Paper Swapping, Page Exchanging & More

I just finished up my video tutorials and PDF download  for my 6 Degrees of Creativity 2 workshop Creative Goodness with Gluebooks.  It was a lot of fun to put all the content together and get it ready for its July 1st debut.   This online workshop not only includes an introduction to making gluebooks &  gluebook prompts to work on, but also an August paper stash swap and November gluebook page exchange with other workshop participants.

Gluebooking Fun Begins in July!

In preparation for this workshop I’ve been collecting even more paper stuff to use as a way of documenting my activities, interests, plans, and inspirations through the concept of gluebooking.  I’ve been a lot more mindful of the paper around me (even the most mundane and ordinary scraps, notes, & clippings) and how I can transform these into sharing an experience, memory, feeling,or something special I want to remember through gluebooking.

One of the gluebook spreads I worked on yesterday included a lot of the findings I brought back home from my travels last week such as local maps, a farecard ticket, baggage tags, images from a visitor guide, handmade paper, and more.   It was a creative way for me to continue to process the experience, as well as create a meaningful representation through all the various things I saved.

Stash Swapping & Page Exchanging!

I am so looking forward to seeing what gluebooks & gluebook spreads are created by others involved in this workshop, as well as exchanging some gluebook pages and stuff from our paper stash!    Lots of creative goodness!

The creative goodness doesn’t stop with this workshop either: there are five additional workshops and instructors part of the 6 Degrees of Creativity 2 experience!    Yay!  Join us starting in July for our 6 month virtual art making adventure & creative community.   Registration is open until June 30, 2012.

Gluebook Goodness

The workshop reveal for 6 Degrees of Creativity 2 was just announced on the Art Therapy Alliance’s posterous– Woo hoo!

Check out the workshop that I will be offering at 6 Degrees of Creativity this summer:  Creative Goodness with Gluebooks!

This workshop invites participants to learn all about the creative goodness of gluebooks!  The foundation is pretty simple: gluebooks combine art journaling and collage- all you need is a book/journal, some glue, and stuff to glue.  Participants will be introduced to simple, fun, and unique ways that gluebooks can be created with repurposed and everyday materials.  This workshop also includes an exchange I will be organizing of gluebook pages created by participants of the 6 Degrees of Creativity community, a paper stash swap, collage sheets to download/print for gluing inspiration, and fun ways to develop, collect, and use your paper stash!  Fun, fun, fun!

And there’s more!  Check out all the creative goodness that 6 Degrees of Creativity 2 will be offering this summer through the end of this year with this awesome new line up of instructors and workshops:

6 Degrees of Creativity 2 goes on sale starting April 1 until June 30, 2012- All 6 workshops for only $49.00 USD!  I hope you will be able to join us!

What Does Your Revolution Look Like?

Ready for Revolution Flyer [PDF]

Wow!  There’s only a month left to register for 21 SECRETS! Registration ends May 31, 2011 @ http://bit.ly/gY9WFs

What does your revo’lution look like?

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21 SECRETS is an ONLINE, self guided, art journaling workshop where participants will receive the opportunity to learn different techniques, methods, and approaches to art journaling from a group of 21 artists through July 31, 2011.

My workshop ready for revo’lution will empower you to use art journaling to  explore concepts of transformation, creating change, and invite intentions of new possibilities through the power of collage, mixed media, journaling prompts & more.  Embrace your revo’lutionary spirit to imagine, create or reclaim your ideas into action!