Yesterday in my Visual Journal Journey workshop I introduced participants to art journaling and getting their art journal ready for expressing themselves in.  For many of them it was their first art journal entry ever!  The blank page was daunting to say the least.  Knowing where to begin was difficult but as the two hours of this first part of the 4 part workshop flew by, they realized that it was not impossible to begin to fill the pages with their own creations.

Sometimes we can talk ourselves out of beginning for fear of “spoiling” the pristine pages of the new art journal.  I remember a while back in one of my ArtTherapist.ca e-courses, one of the members confessing that she had bought a cheaper art journal to start with even though she already had a perfectly good art journal.  She had convinced herself that it needed to be saved, fearful that her mucking about in it while expressing herself would ruin this more “fancy” art journal.  Of course the newer one brought it’s own resistance with it to start, for it too had neat, pristine, blank pages.  Once she realised this she laughed at herself and took a chance by making a mark in her journal.  Not just any mark, it was her mark.  And so her journey began.

This is the journey, we need to make that first mark, trust in ourselves that we are not only capable but are worthy of taking the space to create and express ourselves.

Sometimes it helps to just quickly make your mark, without thinking, without judgement.  Yesterday Visual Journal Journey participants were in full swing doing just that.  Preparing backgrounds quickly so that they may also have some ready for throughout the week to play with.  This was an important step; getting past the inner critics and that urge to be perfect.  It also meant that they set the stage for more creative expression through the week with partially begun pages that are less daunting.

Are you in the Toronto area?  Great news! I will be running anouther round of Visual Journal Journey in May-June.  Check it out!