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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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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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How to Find Rest During COVID-19
As I have been connecting with friends online this week, it has made me think about how to find rest during COVID-19. It is easy to say that since many of us are not working now that we are having a period of rest. I do not believe that is necessarily the case. Being a driven person, I have found that finding actual restorative time and learning how to rest is easier said than done. Busy for the Sake of Busyness It is easy to fall into being busy for the sake of busyness. The habit of always doing something and going somewhere is not an easy one to break.…
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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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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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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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12 Books to Read in 2020
January has come very quickly and many of us have set New Years Resolutions for the coming year. One of my personal goals was to create a book list of 12 books to read in 2020. I love to read but I don’t always make time for it. My goal was to read books that would help me with my mental health and challenge me in the area of personal growth. As a way to help me with accountability, I will be sharing my impressions of each book with you. My hope is that these books can help you in your journey towards self-care this year. Choosing Books for Personal…
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Realistic Goal Setting and New Year’s Resolutions
As 2020 is just around the corner, the topic of realistic goal setting and New Year’s Resolutions comes up in conversation. Goal setting can be a struggle for me, but not because I’m unmotivated. On the contrary, one of my strengths is achieving. I tend to set impossible goals or have too many goals. For goal setting to be effective we must set realistic goals in a way that does not bring stress or guilt. Instead it should bring inspiration and motivation. Goal setting does not have to cause anxiety or be discouraging. It can be a powerful tool to help you meet your goals without punishing yourself. Hop-A-Long Studio…
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Why I Killed my Ego
This week my thoughts have turned to the concept of ego and moving past fear based living to acceptance. Have you had moments where you have said things you didn’t mean and felt instant regret? Have you had moments of wanting to hide something that you’ve done because you were too ashamed to tell the truth? All of us in some point in our lives look at our actions and ask “What in the world was I thinking?” This is why I killed my ego. What is Ego? Ego can be defined as your personal identity or sense of self-worth. In Latin, ego translates as “I.” By nature, our ego is…
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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,…
The Art of Self-Care
