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The Importance of Creativity
In a world where creativity is somewhat embraced, but isn’t seen as nearly as important as money, power, or status, how do we respond to this? Is creativity just an emotional whim that is meant as part of our private lives, or is it something more? I would like to delve into the importance of creativity to the spirit, how it’s critical to our lives and should be part of our self-care habit and not an afterthought. Why is Creative Expression Important? A few days ago I saw a Ted Talk about art, it was called “Stop Making Art and You Die” by Rich Theroux. I found it very inspiring,…
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Embracing Self-Worth: Connecting Values and Identity
Have you ever had moments in your life where you have felt lost? That sense of who you really were as a person felt so uncertain and you felt so alone in that moment? If you have ever been there, you are not alone. I have been reflecting on the idea of identity, what it means and why we allow people to undermine our sense of self; that worthiness and confidence that we are ok just as we are. Not long ago I had to walk away from a toxic work situation. I knew if I didn’t make a serious change soon the consequences would be severe. Not just to…
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Finding Joy in the Little Things
Happy Friday! In Calgary it’s a rainy Friday- we’ve had some storms rolling in and we’ve gone from some hot spring days (27C or 80 F) to a much cooler, wetter weekend. Instead of lamenting about the weather, I have been thinking about how we can find joy in the little things and learning to build the habit of gratitude even if the weather isn’t great or our situations aren’t optimal. Finding Joy Takes Effort It would be nice to say that finding joy is easy and that it comes naturally. Sometimes, it feels like an uphill battle to find peace and joy in life. To choose joy is to…
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The Art of Self-Discovery: An Art Journaling Project
As part of my weekly rejuvenation time, I pulled out my art journal to do some reflecting. I was thinking back to the article I wrote last week on Self-Discovery and wanted to record some of the things that I want to remember about this season and these moments. Why Art Journaling? My journal not only lets me get my feelings down and helps me to be able to move past them, but also provides an opportunity to remember the important things and the important lessons. As I flip through my journal, each page brings me back to the emotions and the feelings that I had at the time when…
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The Season of Self-Discovery
At the moment I’m in a season of self-discovery. I’m not sure if you have had moments like this in your life where you have given yourself permission to try something totally different and new. Allowing yourself to try something new without fear and with no expectation of the outcome. It’s a bit of a scary place, because it means letting go of those expectations and ideas of outcome, having no real control and accepting that you have no control. I’ve been in this place of discovery for a while, working on regaining a healthy body and a healthy mind and with that have been thoughts of future employment. I…
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Art Journaling Project “How did I end up here?”
After posting the article last week “How did I end up here?” Finding Awareness in our Everyday Lives, I was working in my art journal to find a way to express my feelings about awareness and my journey into awareness in artistic form. I’d like to share this project with you in hopes that you find some inspiration through it. My Design Process My intention with this piece was to convey the emotions of feeling confused and conflicted to becoming aware. The darkness on the left hand side is to represent the darkness I felt in my spirit, the feelings of being trapped, confused and feelings of despair. The raindrops are to…
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“How did I end up here?” Finding Awareness in our Everyday Lives
Have you ever had moments in your life where you’ve asked yourself “how did I end up here?” I had one of those moments just over a year ago. It’s amazing how we end up in places that we never meant to be. It feels sudden. In reality it is every little decision, every seemingly insignificant compromise and all of the sudden you’re somewhere that you never intended to go. When the realization of the situation has really set in, the question is how do we move on from this place? You may feel broken or be broken, but in that brokenness there is an opportunity to grow. Experiencing Burnout…
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Welcome to Hop-A-Long Studio
Over the last few years I’ve come to understand how pivotal art and creativity has been to my own self- care. Having spent most of my working life in a corporate environment, I have always found it hard to “turn off” at the end of the day. How did I deal with the pressure and stress of the workplace? I found artistic and creative expression through mediums such as mixed media painting, art journaling and photography. They have been especially helpful to be able to express my feelings, to understand them and to move past them. In 2018 I hit a crossroad. I was on the road to serious burn…
The Art of Self-Care
