Aug 12, 2016 | Art Tutorials
The Blues is a musical form that knows a lot about creative self-care. The blues takes a sad, hopeless, dark feeling, and expresses and transforms it through the music with gusto and style. Today we’re going to be painting the blues, and hopefully,... 
Jun 3, 2016 | Art Tutorials, Creative Self-Care
[bctt tweet=”Children ALL express their feelings through art. You can too. #artjournaling”] Dear Wonderful, Creative You: Even non-artists can learn to express and explore their inner worlds and release stress through some simple art techniques, it’s... 
May 24, 2016 | Art Supplies, Art Tutorials
Hello Wonderful, Creative You: It’s always fun to know what art journaling supplies other artists are using, isn’t it? Working with new art journaling supplies gives me such a kick of inspiration. Does it work that way for you too? And if you are new to... 
May 16, 2016 | Art Tutorials, Creative Self-Care, Mindfulness
[bctt tweet=”It’s amazing how making a tiny art piece can help you with such big feelings. “] The BIG power of working small is that it gives you permission to experiment. If you’d like to learn more about working this way and finding your... 
Apr 28, 2016 | Art Tutorials
Hey There Wonderful, Creative You! Today I got my shared journal back from Cait Sherwood and I can’t wait to show you what she’s done! I’ve been taking you along on this journey as much as I can, so I’ve opened this sweet little package on... 
Mar 30, 2016 | Art Tutorials
Part of the beauty of art journaling is that its an art form that is interactive – the journal doesn’t come alive until you open the book and turn each page. Including dynamic elements like windows and pop-ups calls you back to the playful books of... 
Mar 21, 2016 | Art Tutorials
A few weeks ago, I wrote about my first shared journal experience with Maryland artist, Cait Sherwood. Art journaling is an important part of my creative self-care practice, and collaborating on a journal seemed a wonderful way to keep me going. We each started with a... 
Mar 1, 2016 | Art Tutorials
Dear Wonderful, Creative You, Recently, a wonderful artist named Cait Sherwood contacted me. She said she’d seen my Instagram feed and felt that our styles were similar. When she invited me to make a shared journal, of course I agreed. Cait suggested using an... Feb 17, 2016 | Art Tutorials
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: As you may have surmised, one of the things happening in my Year of Creative YES is that I was invited to be one of the instructors for 21 Secrets Spring 2016 session. I’ve been prepping my video lessons for months and... 
Feb 12, 2016 | Art Tutorials
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: It feels important to sometimes just share my art with you. My hope is that you will find art journaling inspiration in seeing another artist’s work. Perhaps you’ll try new techniques or materials. Just looking at some... 
Jan 20, 2016 | Art Tutorials, Creative Self-Care
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: I am waaay excited to be sharing this free online class with you! A while back I did a post focused on embracing the imperfections in your art. I showed you my “ugly” art journal pages, and you spoke loudly about how seeing... Nov 24, 2015 | Art Tutorials, Mindfulness
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. You don’t need to worry about gifts or extraneous obligations, and all the focus is all on family, food, and all the good things happening in your life. In the United States, it’s also the most widely celebrated holiday... 
Sep 28, 2015 | Art Tutorials, Creative Self-Care
Over the last few weeks we have been talking about different ways to use your art journal for self-care. (You can find the posts on Simple Drawing Techniques for Anxiety, The DIY Adult Coloring Book, and 10 ways to make your own art journal by clicking the links.)... Sep 24, 2015 | Art Tutorials
DISCLAIMER: This coloring book is a tool you may use as art for self-care. It is not art therapy. If you are experiencing overwhelming emotions, please seek support from a professional in your area. You can find a listing of wonderful art therapists here. [bctt... 
Sep 17, 2015 | Art Tutorials, Creative Self-Care, Favorite
Dear Wonderful, Creative You, I don’t normally like to engage in “telling secrets,” but today I will, because I want to share three artistic secrets with you. Don’t tell anyone. Unless you like them. Or find them useful, or fun, or... 
Aug 31, 2015 | Art Tutorials, Favorite
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: Handmade art journals inspire me. They offer so much creative control and choice. You can determine the shape, size, and density of your art journal, and whether, and how, it is bound. You may use traditional bookbinding... Aug 6, 2015 | Art Tutorials, Creative Self-Care, Mindfulness
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: I love all the challenges, but of course today’s challenge is my favorite, because I want to encourage you to get in touch with you inner artist. Today is going to be a fun day. We’ve got some 5-minute art prompts for you to... 
Aug 5, 2015 | Art Tutorials, Creative Self-Care
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: I’ve been really excited to share this post with you because writing is one of my passions, and I haven’t shared it much here yet, so now is the perfect opportunity. What’s your first memory of writing or journaling for... Aug 3, 2015 | Art Tutorials, Creative Self-Care
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: Welcome to Day 1 of the 5 for 5 Self-Care Challenge! If you’re not sure about the rules and what it’s all about, find out more here. Today is one of my favorite challenge days. We miss SO MUCH BEAUTY in our rush, rush,... 
Jul 1, 2015 | Art Tutorials, Mindfulness, Spirituality
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: I’m so excited to introduce you a very special artist, and now friend, Maria Mercedes Trujillo A. I first became aware of Maria’s gorgeous work through Pinterest as I searched for mandalas and nature-based art projects.... Jun 16, 2015 | Art Tutorials, Creative Self-Care
I recently read a thought-provoking post from Lisa Mitchell at Inner Canvas, Warning, adult coloring books could do more harm than good. I’ve been grappling with my thoughts and feelings about adult coloring books, paint nights, and other... Jun 4, 2015 | Art Tutorials, Creative Self-Care
By: Amy Maricle Hello Wonderful, Creative You! Do you have a portable art kit yet? I love them, especially when I have decorated the pouch with fun patterns, designs, and colors. Portable art kits facilitate art for busy people. For more on portable art kits, click... May 29, 2015 | Art Tutorials
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: Lately I have been learning about the value of letting go. Art has a way of teaching you lessons if you are willing to listen. Watching very young children make art is instructive. They have no concern with whether or not they are... May 23, 2015 | Art Tutorials, Mindfulness
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: A few months ago I did a post called Can You Meditate Through Art? where I shared a tutorial on mandalas using art as a way to meditate. So many of you told me how inspiring it was, I’d like to talk more in depth about... Apr 16, 2015 | Art Tutorials, Wellness
By: Amy Maricle Why is Making Art from Natural Materials Grounding? Nature is evocative, intoxicating, invigorating, fascinating. Experiencing the varied textures, scents, colors, and sounds of natural materials helps us to slow down our bodies, minds, and breathing.... Apr 1, 2015 | Art Tutorials, Creative Self-Care
Come Make Art with Me! I want you to know that even if you think you are “not creative” you can make art. I want you to experience the connection and founding that comes from using natural materials. I want you to know the... Mar 27, 2015 | Art Tutorials, Creative Self-Care
I recently had the opportunity to have an artist date with the lovely and inspiring Sara Roizen, the artist and art therapist behind the Art Therapy Spot blog. If you’ve ever trolled around Pinterest for inspiration for mandalas, you’ve almost... Feb 26, 2015 | Art Tutorials, Creative Self-Care, Wellness
Dear You: I came across this amazing TED talk and just had to share it with you. I love it because it speaks to so many of the things that we love to talk about here: finding courage, recapturing creativity, and embracing our “weaknesses.” So many of the... Feb 9, 2015 | Art Tutorials, Creative Self-Care
By: Amy Maricle The Creativity Challenge #2 is to make an artist date. What is an artist date? It’s making a time to get together with another creative soul to make some art. That’s it. You can mix things up by giving yourselves an artistic... Feb 5, 2015 | Art Tutorials, Creative Self-Care
Got anxiety? (This post is for informational purposes and should not be considered a substitute for medical or psychological evaluation or treatment. For more on this, please see the end of this post.) What Is Anxiety? Anxiety and fear are normal... 