Art-journaling is a wonderful and easy way to ignite your creativity! It helps you relax, find your center, reflect on what you've learned, recharge your energy, and wipe away stress. Give it a try because you might just love it!
My goal is for you to use art-journaling to take daily play breaks. Why?
Because the world is only getting crazier. And all the unreal things are piling up on each other, making life too overwhelming to deal with. And that is EXACTLY WHY you need to boost your life energy. It's a matter of your vitality to self-regulate and reduce stress. Nothing’s gonna get better if our gas tanks are on empty. Play refills that tank faster than anything else.
Play is an energy source, not a luxury. So why not use play as a strategy to reset yourself?
Let me show you how to use art-journaling as a creative self-care practice. Let’s go!
Part 1. Why arranging colors and shapes will shift your perspective.
Collage is a type of art and an artistic technique that’s been around for ages. Creating a collage is such a fun way to express yourself. Whether you're aiming to craft a stunning piece of art or simply just messing around, it's all good!
Collage-making is a right-brain activity for using your intuition to tap into your unconscious mind. It’s a back-and-forth process of right-brain input and left-brain insight.
In other words, it’s a way to give your analytical side a break and let your intuitive side drive the bus.
Every collage begins with your collage fodder. Some people make their own. Others collect images and keep them in folders. And some people may have a whole drawer full of scraps they’re saving.
What you use to make your fodder is up to you. Pretty much any kind of paper can be used as collage fodder: magazine images, photos, words, texts, origami papers, journal pages, doodles, scraps, tickets, notes, tissue paper, sewing patterns, maps, etc.
The fun begins when you pull out your collage fodder and start composing a new collage. The creative process of arranging your favorite bits and gluing them down feels easy and free. And it’s precisely this intuitive process that unlocks a flood of new ideas and perspectives.
Collaging creates something beautiful from fragments. When you're focused on cutting shapes or choosing colors, you're not rehashing yesterday's argument or tomorrow's presentation. This gives your brain a break and helps you look at problems with fresh eyes.
But that’s not all! Collage-making is by far the easiest artistic technique out there. Yep, it’s impossible to get it wrong.
Part 2. The best thing ever about collage-making.
Okay, so the worst thing that can happen when you’re making a collage is that you don’t like what you made. And it’s also the best thing that can happen. Seriously.
If you don’t like what you’ve made, you’ve now got an opportunity to start a new collage. No sweat. Cut it up and use it as fodder to begin a new collage. And thanks to all the momentum you’ve already got going, it’ll take surprisingly little effort to finish your new collage.
So the great thing about collage-making is that you simply cannot fail.
Because if you don’t like what you made, you just cut it up and use it as collage fodder. The process is the joyful part. The results of your efforts, that’s the cherry on top.
Part 3. Your prompts for art-journaling with collage:
Most of your resistance lives at the beginning of a task. And there are two ways to get past that resistance:
1. You shrink the task.
You’ll feel a lot less resistance to spending a short amount of time.
2. You simplify the task.
You use prompts as on-ramps to get started. Prompts keep you from overthinking.
Prompts set you up for an easy-peasy play break:
• No big prep
• Easy to start
• Easy to find a stopping point
• No big clean-up
Does that sound good? Alrighty then. Let’s do this already!
Here are your prompts for art-journaling with collage. You’re going to play with an accordion book format that you can put together in just minutes by using envelopes. And you can even quickly make your own collage fodder. For both making the accordion book and making collage fodder, check out the fun video links below.
Okay, so you’ll be adding collage bits to the FRONT of your accordion book, and then journaling your thoughts on the BACK.
SET-UP:
• Fold and glue 3-5 envelopes together to make an accordion book. I’ve got a video that shows you how here: https://youtu.be/ysv9AyxeM78
• Collect papers you can collage with. You’ll need small pieces of collage fodder. Think about re-purposing old doodles, using magazine pages or old coloring pages, scraps of colored paper, etc. You can even take a play break and make some fodder to stock up. I’ve got a video about collage fodder here: https://youtu.be/O4OIO1xi_lU
STARTING RITUAL:
STEP 1. Center yourself:
Put your hand on your heart and take a few nice, long, deep, relaxing breaths.
STEP 2. Gather your supplies:
• A folded accordion book
• A pen or pencil
• Your collage fodder
• Glue stick and extra scrap paper
• Scissors
15 MINUTES TO CREATE:
STEP 3. Tune in:
How are you feeling right now? What would your self-portrait look like if you were to use fodder bits in different colors and shapes to create a composition? Choose the fodder you’ll be working with.
STEP 4. Create your collage:
Turn your accordion book to the FRONT side. Choose ONE page to make your abstract self-portrait collage. When gluing down your bits, think about whether you’re feeling light or heavy. Expansive or tight. Bright or dark.
Optional: Sometimes it’s easier to jump in and create if there’s already something on the page. So you could begin with randomly pasting down ONE BIT of collage fodder on each page of your accordion book.
CLOSING RITUAL:
STEP 5. Journal Your Thoughts:
Approach your creations with gentle curiosity. Don't get stuck trying to finish in any pre-conceived way. Practice focusing on the joy of simply creating something. And not on how it turned out. Because it's about what you learned through the making, not what you made.
Now tune in to how you’re feeling again and WRITE your thoughts freely and continuously on the BACKSIDE of your collage. Don’t worry about grammar, just keep your hand moving and let the words spill onto the page. Don’t filter. This is just for you.
Optional: Give your collage a TITLE. What words come to mind?
Optional: Give your collage a VOICE. Does it have a message for you?
STEP 6. Prep for next time:
Make it super easy to come back for more collage-making. Remember, you can always expand your accordion book by adding more envelopes.
Keep your accordion book and your supplies in a big folder or shoe box. And schedule your next play break into your planner or calendar.
More for you:
If you love the idea of collage-making I’ve got a great course for you. Here's the link to learn more: https://twinkiwinki.com/products/paper-collage-play-time-online-workshop
Want me to show you how to art-journal with a simple accordion book format and easy-peasy prompts? If yes, I’ve got a series of videos made just for you:
• Art-Journaling With Collage (Envelopes-Accordion-Fold, #1)
CLICK HERE to check out my video: https://youtu.be/p3eNpEdI0I8
• Art-Journaling With Collage (Envelopes-Accordion-Fold, #2)
CLICK HERE to check out my video: https://youtu.be/PH2NX6qJIJQ
• Vision Board With Collage (Envelopes-Accordion-Fold, #3)
CLICK HERE to check out my video: https://youtu.be/K3BPyrNyqow
• Art-Journaling With Mandalas (Envelopes-Accordion-Fold, #1)
CLICK HERE to check out my video: https://youtu.be/DDrPiblfiRc
• Art-Journaling With Mandalas (Envelopes-Accordion-Fold, #2)
CLICK HERE to check out my video: https://youtu.be/uPdL-U1fvUA