December is here and my Doodle Journey e-course has finished. As I worked through the course myself,  my inner critic tried to interfere with my doodle journey discouraging my loose and somewhat “messy” style.  It was a practice in letting go of judgement, though  even as I write this post and prepare to upload some of my doodles I can feel that awful self-conscious feeling that my doodles will look silly, “not professional”.  But that’s ok, it’s an ongoing process of self-reflection, accepting and releasing.

This year I was working on a much smaller scale which has been a challenge for me because I tend to like working on a bigger scale.  I chose a tiny journal so that I would be more mindful of my process.  It has been interesting to examine my own response to this change and pushing past my own barriers of working. This is what we do in art for self-expression: create, release, express, witness process,  pause, become aware, process, integrate and continue on the journey.

The journey is always different. Sometimes when I create my focus is on slowing down and being mindful, not getting so caught up and carried away in my thoughts.  Other times I become more introspective, seeing what feelings and thoughts come up so that I may reflect on them before letting them go and releasing them into the container of my artwork. Yet there are other days where the process is key to shifting perspective and attitude for me.

I have found that my doodle journey, as with my art-making in general has been an exploration of process. Examining our responses while creating under certain circumstances can inform us about ourselves and the way we interact with the world.  When I originally decided to make #DoodleJourney into an e-course, I had no idea how I was going to come up with so many doodle prompts that were meaningful. Once I began writing them though, they just began to flow. The metaphors were abundant.

Non-dominant hand drawing can be frustrating if you let it. Like anything else, we may not have complete control over what life deals us, but we do have control over what we make of it.

Art is a journey that can take us many places but we must be willing to take the chance to explore.  Art can take us on a journey into self, offering us insight and refuge, expression and release, but we must be open to receive it.  Art can be a state of mind, nurturing, soothing and grounding.  Art-making as a journey is a choice.  Are you ready to embark? 

Join me on an adventure in Toronto or online: