art journaling ideas Archives - Mindful Art Studio

Art Journaling When You Feel Sad

11.08.2018 by Amy Johnson Maricle // 8 Comments

Dear Wonderful, Creative You:

One of the questions I get asked most is how to art journal when you feel sad. My art journal has been a great source of comfort and self-understanding for years. I’m blessed to be able to share my techniques here. I’m hoping this post will help get you started when you want to art it out in your journal, but you’re not sure how. Even if you’ve never made art, or never thought about making expressive art, I want to assure you humans are uniquely creative beings. We have been using the arts to process our feelings, and mark important moments in our lives since the beginning of time. Art as a coping tool belongs to me, to you, and to us all.

As an art therapist, I’m lucky to have a lot of training in how to use art for self-expression and healing. While I no longer practice art therapy, I still use art to help myself feel better, and I love teaching these age-old techniques to others as well.

Art Journal Your Feelings TIP #1: PROCESS OVER PRODUCT

One of the blessings of my art therapy training was learning to focus on art process over product. Of course I know you are art journaling because you’d like to make art, but getting overly focused on it can tighten you up and ensure that you won’t express your feelings or make anything you like. That’s a lose-lose.

As many artists know, the more you create, the more you open up space for exploration through your art materials, the more the process of art making becomes a balm to your soul. Funny enough, the more you do this the more your product improves too. It’s weird the way that works, isn’t it? That’s a win-win.

Art Journal Your Feelings TIP #2: WORK IN LAYERS

The other thing I’ve found that really helps me to loosen up, create, and express myself is working in layers. I find layers give me lots of permission to make mistakes, try out new things, and not have to know what the finished product will be. This helps me express myself. When I art journal because I’m feeling down, I don’t want to have to think too much, so I’d like to share a sort of art making formula that has helped me. You can use some of it or all of it, depending on what feels good to you.

Art Journal LAYER 1: Write About Why You Feel Sad

You can approach this in many different ways. Art journaling when you feel sad is a super flexible activity. Here’s some ideas for writing when you feel sad:

Write a letter you’ll never send. This helps me clarify my feelings and get them out.
Describe how feeling sad makes you feel in your body.
Create a poem about feeling sad.
Honor your sadness: “Talk” to sadness as though it were a person. Honor it. Give it some room to speak back to you, perhaps even in a dialogue you write in your journal.
Sarcasm: Have a mock conversation with someone and be as sarcastic as you wish!
Imagery: Describe, with words, the images that come to you when you feel this way.
Flip the table: Write about how you wish you were feeling right now.
Conceal your feelings: Write over and over your own writing until you can’t read it. This helps create texture on your page, in your own unique handwriting style. I find this very cathartic too.
Reveal your feelings: Write in white gel pen on a white page, and then paint over it with high flow acrylic paint. Some colors also cover the writing more than others. This is a fun “magic writing” technique you can use either to reveal or hide your writing.

Art Journal LAYER 2: Paint Your Feelings

With this next layer, we move form words and texture on the page to flowing paint. Art journaling when you feel sad gives you opportunities in paint to use the colors to express how you currently feel, or how you want to feel. For me personally, I find I often need to shift to expressing what I want to feel, or I end up wallowing in negativity. You will need to be your own best judge of what helps you. There’s no right or wrong in self-expression. There are no rules, just do what feels right to you. Here are some options for the painting your feelings layer:

Paint with brushes, sticks, kitchen tools, rocks, shells, or plastic wrap
Finger painting for adults: Put on gloves and push and pull paints with your hands
Use colors that express your sadness, or colors that express how you want to feel
Create a grid over your writing and paint each one a slightly different color
Paint a repetitive pattern over your words
Black page, white stars: Paint your page black, then use gel pens to create a galaxy of white stars.
Take my class, Art Journaling 101 for more guided lessons on using art and writing in transformative ways.

Art Journal LAYER 3: Transform Your Feelings

Write out a poem that expresses what you’d like to feel. I love Rilke and Mary Oliver. What about you?
Write hope, love, or joy in block letters. Then write inside about what gives you hope, love, or joy.
Gratitude journaling: Write in block letters something you are grateful for, then write about why in a circle going around your letters.
Fold your own envelope, paste it to the page, and put a letter inside to someone you love.
Creative writing: Write a story or poem about what you wish was happening right now.
Use a script liner brush and paint to write down a message of encouragement.

Art Journal LAYER 4: DRAWING LAYER: Slow Down and Tune Into the World

I also like the invitation to slow down and observe something closely enough to draw it. Even when my drawing is kind of wonky, I try to embrace the practice in the moment. I also REALLY find the repetition of drawing patterns soothing. This frequently helps me feel better. Here are some ideas for your drawing layer:

Draw an animal that symbolizes protection, freedom, or strength for you. You can draw it cartoony or realistic. I like to find a photo and work from that since I’m not good at brining the image clearly enough in my mind.
Draw a repetitive pattern with a paint marker, gel pen, or brush. Use dots, circles, dashes, or wiggly lines. Imitate something in nature or make up your own based on what feels good to your hand. On light backgrounds, you can use a Micron pen too.
Use a photo to draw someone you love. You can also paste it into your journal if you prefer not to draw.
Illustrate a place that makes you feel happy.
Be sure you are on my mailing list for more art journaling ideas and inspiration!

Remember, I’m sharing ways I use my art journal in my own life to feel better. This isn’t art therapy, and in no way should be seen as mental health treatment or advice. If you are facing overwhelming feelings or mental health struggles, I hope you honor your pain by getting the support you deserve. If art therapy feels like the right option for you, you can find a local art therapist here.

Creatively Yours,

Amy

The links shared in this post are affiliate links. That means if you choose to purchase something after clicking the link, at no extra cost to you, you will support the work of Mindful Art Studio to empower the artist in everyone. Thank you!

Blending Art & Writing In Your Intuitive Art Journal

04.05.2018 by Amy Johnson Maricle // 6 Comments

Dear Wonderful, Creative You:

I’ve been thinking about how to give you some of the goodies that I’ve been developing for my Diving Deep: Intuitive Art Journaling class, and I’ve got a sweet idea. The PDF that I’m developing for the class is THOROUGH. I love being able to develop solid and inspiring resources for you. I know that not everyone learns the same way, and I’ve realized how helpful a written guide is. With that in mind, I wanted to share some of the lessons about blending art & writing in your intuitive art journal. I think blending art and writing doesn’t come naturally to all of us, but can be so cathartic and beautiful in art journal pages.

So my gift to you today is an excerpt from the Diving Deep class PDF. I hope you enjoy these techniques and share them on social media with #mindfulartstudio so we can all inspire each other!

Using Text in Your Art Journal

The text on your page is not just writing, it’s a part of the art piece. Of course, you can always leave things more loose, letting them evolve naturally. I do this often as well. It’s important to make space in your journal for the ugly stuff too.

Sometimes I NEED to just let go of the aesthetics and do what feels good, regardless of how it looks. Other times, it’s a blend of following intuition and thinking about it as “art.” What helps me decide what I need that day is to tune into my body before I begin to create, and set an intention to honor my needs in the moment.

Having said that, let’s talk about using writing as a part of your artistic composition on the page for those times when you want to blend your intuition with aesthetics. You want your writing to look like a natural part of the piece, not something you slapped on top of it as an afterthought.

I use writing in several different ways. Try them all, and then experiment with your own ways as well:

Use writing to create a textured background.

I frequently write on a blank journal page and then draw or paint over it, covering some or all of my words. The first image with the triangles shows writing with triangles drawn over, and then a layer of smoky gesso, and then collage. The second image shows writing, smoky layers of high flow acrylic paint, collage, and gel pen for the branching lines. I love how layering art techniques in this way allows me to transform my feelings on the page. I can go from feeling stressed and confused, or even icky, to relaxed – like I have a handle on things. Sometimes the symbols that emerge – like with the fish and bird in these two pictures, have powerful metaphors that help calm my feelings.

Use text partially hidden in the imagery.

The image on the left has writing in the white “smoke” that surrounds the figure. It doesn’t jump off the page, but rather is a secret to be discovered. I like this element of mystery and how it matches the feel of the piece. The blue piece on the right uses the writing almost as part of the line work on the page. It’s hard to read in many spots. That suited me well in this piece, as I didn’t want others to easily read it.

Use text as a supporting element to the focus imagery.

I like to create images and colors on the page without a plan, see what comes up, and write a few phrases that encapsulate the thoughts and feelings that emerge. I find this process very cathartic.

Use writing as the central focus of the page.

With this, you want to be sure that your writing is placed in a way that marries well with the imagery on your page. It can’t ignore the imagery, the colors, and the rest of the piece, but needs to play nice with it.

I can’t wait to see what you create with these ideas. I hope you dive deep into your intuitive process. And if you are longing to dive even DEEPER, we have just 5 spots left in our live class, Diving Deep: Intuitive Art Journaling and we would love for you to join us. You can learn more here.

Creatively Yours,

Amy

Don’t Make Art, Make Marks

03.09.2018 by Amy Johnson Maricle // 2 Comments

Dear Wonderful, Creative You:

Happy March! I’ve been deep in content creation mode, and I cannot wait to spill the beans about my new class! It’s going to be such an adventurous and beautiful experience for so many of you, who will dive deeper than ever before into your art practices. Stay tuned for more information on that class.

In the meantime, last week we had a wonderful Facebook Live workshop: Simple Marks & Creative Sparks, where I shared tons of art journaling ideas and some inspiration: stop trying to make art, and focus on making marks. I wanted to inspire you to get beyond the need to always create a “product” and get into the mode of exploration, like a deep sea diver – let’s just see what’s down there, and what we can create. If you missed the workshop and want to take it, I’ll be offering a mini version of it soon, so be sure you are on my mailing list so you don’t miss out.

Mark making, whether with a brush, your hands, or random objects, is the basis of most 2-D paintings. The more we understand about the marks and effects we can get with the tools at our disposal, the more fun we have and the more we can say with our art. I find it’s just a ton of fun to explore with repetition, variation, and pattern with mark making.

You really don’t need to make anything prescribed in your journal, just explore and enjoy. That’s what your journal is for. See the sea foam green piece? That has some very subtle marks scratched into the paint, and then I glued one of my mini masterpieces on top. And the black and white pieces? I’d like to try that several different ways to see what happens. If this process of simple mark making and play is speaking you to you, I have a new, live format class that’s open to a limited number of people: Diving Deep: Intuitive Art Journaling. We will be learning to dance between artistic technique and using impulse and imagination to create your own intuitive style. The class starts April 23rd.

This piece has a lot of marks scratched into paint. I haven’t played with etching in years and it was such fun. I’m excited to do more.

Don't make art, make marks. #markmaking Click To Tweet

Sometimes a really simple page is so pleasing to the eye. It’s restful and rejuvenating. That’s how I feel about this one.

Curious about the supplies I used? Here’s a list with affiliate links:

Strathmore Watercolor Journal

Moleskine Art Plus Sketchbook Large

Moleskine Art Plus Sketchbook, Pocket

Liquitex heavy body professional paint, black

Liquitex heavy body professional paint, white

And the small tubes with the super fun colors are from Dick Blick matte acrylic paints line. While I love the colors, I have to say I’m not a huge fan because when you use a larger amount they smell bad, even once they are dry. You can learn from me and take a pass on these, unless you want to use them on tiny areas. Sorry Blick! I’m a huge fan generally.

Tell me, where has mark making taken you? And if you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for my mailing list so you can join me on the next webinar, be inspired by the next post, and share your wonderful new work with the community.

Creatively Yours,

Amy