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Inspiration Over Manipulation Art Journal Project
The idea of inspiration over manipulation has been on my mind this week and I wanted to share this art journal project with you. The concept of inspiration over manipulation is something I learned from the book Start with Why by Simon Sinek which I did a book review on last week. I really like the concept of inspiration over manipulation. It’s about how we can make the choice to live our lives in a way that allows us to inspire others over manipulating others. I think it’s a great reminder to live authentically and in a way that shows respect for others and for their values and beliefs. The…
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4 Lessons from Start With Why
This week I wanted to share with you 4 lessons from “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek. This book is part of my 2020 reading challenge, where I have chosen 12 books to read in 2020. I believe an important aspect to self-care is learning and seeing things from a new perspective. This book in particular has been very helpful for understanding my why, not just for this website but in my personal life. Why I Chose “Start with Why” Start with Why was a book recommended to me several years ago by a friend. It was also part of the recommended reading from my husband’s company. I had also…
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3 Ways To Use Tombow Markers
As I was thinking about which art technique I would like to share with you this week as part of my Creative Foundation Series, 3 ways to Tombow markers in an unconventional way came to mind. What are Tombow Dual Brush Pens? If you are unfamiliar with Tombow Dual Brush pens, they are a great tool to use in art and papercrafts. They come in 108 colors and are useful for coloring, illustration, sketching and brush lettering. I often use them for these purposes, but also use them in some more unconventional ways. This week I will be sharing 3 ways that I use these markers in a more…
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Learning to Trust Ourselves
The importance of trust, especially in learning to trust ourselves is a topic that has been coming to mind lately. Trust is not an easy thing to build and it can be damaged very quickly. So how do we learn how to trust others, and even more, how to trust ourselves? Building Trust Building trust sounds like an easy thing, but with trust really being part of our emotional being, how do we build trust that lasts? I’ve been reading “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek this month and I’ve been re-evaluating the way I look at trust. Building trust isn’t an easy thing, especially if you’ve had past trauma…
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How to Paint Watercolor Backgrounds
Have you ever wanted to paint watercolor backgrounds but didn’t know where to start? Do you feel intimidated about trying watercolor painting techniques? In this week’s Creative Foundations video I will be showing you how to effectively paint watercolor backgrounds. Watercolor as a Self-Care Activity Watercolor painting is an excellent self-care activity. It is a great foundational technique to use on cards and in journals. I often start cards and journal pages with a watercolor painting. Watercolor makes a great base layer. Not only is it quick and easy to do, the effect is very pleasing to the eye. Watercolor painting is very relaxing and meditative which helps foster self-care. The…
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4 Things I Learned from Failing Forward
This week I wanted to share 4 things I learned from and about Failing Forward. If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ll know that one of my goals for this year was to read 12 books that would help my mental well-being this year. My goal is to read one book every month and to share my impressions with you. I decided to start with one of the more difficult concepts for me, the idea of failure. Failing Forward by John C. Maxwell was a very enlightening read for me. His insight and personal awareness of how many of us are not equipped to fail successfully is…
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Creative Foundations: How to Blend Ink
Building a self-care habit is not that easy, especially a creative one. Taking the time for rest and restoration can be difficult. Our pace of life often doesn’t allow us to be able to take the time to slow down and make time for creativity. Creative Foundations With that in mind, I’m starting a new video series called Creative Foundations. In this series I will be exploring a variety of simple art techniques that are foundational to starting an artistic self-care habit. What is useful about these techniques is that they can build on each other. When used together, they end up being the foundation for creative mixed media art.…
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How to Start a Self-Care Habit
How do we start a self-care habit? This seems like an easy question but it’s not so easy to answer. There is often talk of self-care and how we need self-care. The question is how do we apply it in a personal way to our lives? How do we reduce the “noise” in our lives enough to allow us to find personal self-care? What is Self-Care? According to the dictionary self- care is defined as “The practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress.” That sounds simple enough. Take an active role in protecting our health, well-being and happiness,…
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Art Journal Project “I’m Feeling Blue”
Today is Blue Monday and it is considered one of the most depressing days of the year. Instead of looking at Blue Monday as a depressing day, I believe that there are many reasons to have hope on this day. Yesterday I wrote an article about Blue Monday and the tools and strategies that I use to stay positive when I’m feeling blue. Being Blue As I was thinking about Blue Monday, I had a great idea for an art journal project. Instead of “being blue” as a prompt for depression, why not have it be part of something playful and joyful? I wanted to do an art page that…
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Blue Monday: Reasons to Hope
Tomorrow is the third Monday in January, also known as Blue Monday. This is considered one of the most depressing days of the year. How do we find reasons to hope and have joy on one of the most depressing days of the calendar? What about the other times that we feel depressed or sadness especially during the winter months? What is Blue Monday? Blue Monday was originally created by a public relations company. Using a rather unscientific formula, they determined why Blue Monday is one of the most depressing days of the year. The formula brings in factors of debt, weather, time since Christmas, time since failing New Year’s…
The Art of Self-Care
