Self-Care Videos
Self-Care Videos with synopsis of self-care articles
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Why You Should Try an Art Retreat
If you’ve never experienced an art retreat, this can be a fantastic way to boost your creativity and reset your creative practice. I recently returned from an art retreat and many people had questions about my experience. Today I’ll share with you what I learned and why an art retreat might be the perfect experience for you. What is an Art Retreat? Most simply, an art retreat is a chance to get out of your regular environment and take time to create art. These can be structured, instructive classes, or just a quiet place for you to get away and work on your art. A lot of professional artists do…
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What is Art Journaling and Why Should I Try It?
If you’re new to art journaling you may be asking yourself this question: “What is art journaling and why should I try it?” Today I’d like to share with you my thoughts on the importance of art journaling and the three reasons why I think everyone should art journal. What is Art Journaling? Art journaling, also known as creative journaling or visual journaling, is a way for us to express our thoughts and feelings in a creative manner. Think of it as a journal not only using words but also imagery, color, and texture. Art journal pages can be very complex or simple depending on what you want to get…
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Neurographic Art with Pan Pastels
If you haven’t tried neurographic art, this is a great self-care exercise for your creative practice. I was recently introduced to neurographic art by a subscriber on my YouTube channel and wanted to show you how to do this easy technique using blendable Pan Pastels. Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more. If you are new to art journaling or a creative practice, knowing where to start can be half the challenge. The beauty of neurographic art is that you don’t have to have art experience to enjoy this technique. It is…
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Hoppy Christmas from Hop-A-Long Studio
It’s hard to believe that another year has come and gone. I wanted to take a moment to wish you a Hoppy Christmas from Hop-A-Long Studio! All puns aside, I hope that you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Whether you are alone or with family over the holidays, I hope that this time brings with it peace, happiness, and many beautiful memories. Thank you for those who have been following me on my website and on YouTube. Your support means so much to me and thank you for following along! I am currently working on my plan for 2022. I’m very excited to share projects…
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Lessons in the Creative Process: My Adventure with Book Binding
Do you ever want to learn a new art skill or technique but don’t know where to start? I had that experience this last weekend. I wanted to learn how to rebind a used book and add new paper and I wasn’t sure how to go about it. Today I will be sharing with you lessons in the creative process and some of the things I learned through my adventures in book binding. I’ve been dabbling with book binding on and off over the last couple years. Once or twice a year I’ll play around with book binding but with very mixed success. The books I have made up to…
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Feeling Stuck? 5 Ways for Moving Past Creative Blocks
Have you ever had those moments of feeling completely uninspired? Do you ever struggle with the creative blocks that many of us experience? If so, you are not alone. Creative blocks come and go but they feel impossible to overcome in the moment when you are experiencing a block. How to Move Past a Creative Block Moving past a creative block is not always easy, but there are things that you can do to try to spur creativity and move past these uninspired moments. Here are some ideas of things you can try to move past a creative block. Creative Play Give yourself time for creative play to move past…
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Merry Christmas from Hop-A-Long Studio
I wanted to take a moment to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I know for many of us 2020 has been a challenging year with many ups and downs, but I hope that it ends on a high note for all of you. Many of us are not able to visit with our families this Christmas. In my city, we are not allowed to meet in groups outside of our family unit for another few weeks. This can make for a challenging time for some of us. If you are having challenges this time of year and need to talk to someone, I have…
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Preparing for a Pandemic Christmas
I have been reflecting on how preparing for a pandemic Christmas does not have to be sad. Christmas is going to feel different this year due to the pandemic. Many of us have felt the effects of this pandemic on our holidays and traditions. So how do we find ways of enjoying the time and perhaps finding joy and happiness despite the disruption? Preparing for Christmas I really enjoy the Christmas holiday season and my preparations usually start around mid- November. Preparing for a pandemic Christmas has been very different. With no work holiday parties, Christmas plays or concerts to attend, it leaves a strange feeling to the season. As…
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My Experience with Therapy
With World Mental Health Day coming up on October 10, I wanted to share about my experience with therapy in improving our mental health. There are some strange beliefs about therapy. Such as you only see a therapist when you are mentally ill or an emotional mess. I do not believe that this is true. I believe strongly in psychotherapy; it has done wonders for me in my life. My Biases towards Therapy I should start by saying that for many years I had a personal bias towards therapy. I believed that only mentally ill people or people seeking attention and drama went to see a therapist. Some of the…
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Mental Illness Awareness Week
With Mental Illness Awareness Week coming up next week I wanted to talk a bit about how we can make the most of this time. Perhaps mental illness is something that you don’t struggle with, but many people do. In my city, since the pandemic there have been a lot mental health issues. There have been more suicides, domestic violence and other mental health issues. Mental illness is not an easy thing to talk about. I believe that it is a topic that is avoided in our society, something that should not be discussed. There is a lot of stigma regarding mental health and mental illness. But that does…
