I lit a candle and cracked the first page of my art journal. Propping my phone upright, I watched a few video tutorials to learn some techniques; exploring mixed media collage, stenciling and gel printmaking. I started with an idea for the theme and pondered how it could be expressed with colours, images and textures. New thoughts, shapes or designs emerged through layering and I reveled in discovery. Details, words and sayings were then added to bring meaning and a focus to the spread.  

Dwell in possibility.

Over the course of the pandemic, art journaling has become an evening meditation and weekend ritual for me. I have found it to be a way to focus my mind and often, make order out of chaos (both inner, and outer). Playing and dabbling, often making mistakes, if the design doesn’t look quite right, I can just add an extra layer - and this in turn, results in more depth and interest to the page. I often find myself in a state of flow where hours would pass without noticing, and my mind always seemed less agitated then when I began.

With art journaling, there’s no need to share your work, so that is also quite freeing. Still, I have enjoyed connecting with an incredible positive community of art journalists on social media, all generously offering techniques, inspiration and encouragement for each other.  

This community of journal artists particularly rally at the start of the year. Many journal artists create a word for the year, though the act of doing so is not limited to this community or art form, alone. It is an alternative method to setting resolutions that often seem to fall by the wayside. A chosen word (or set of words) can stay with you for days, months or the full year and can represent a feeling or energy you’d like to experience in the year such as: freedom, confidence or kindness. It can be a verb or a noun (or both)! It can easily be posted on your desktop on your computer, printed, or journaled and referred to, as needed.

In 2021, I chose the word INSPIRE to both guide and motivate me. The word INSPIRE acted as a reminder of what I wanted to accomplish in that year. It was a verb - a call to action - that motivated me to share knowledge, creativity and tap into what motivated those around me. I found a colourful sign with the word INSPIRE part way through the year that I propped up in my garden as a reminder.

And I’m still working out my word of the year for 2022. I have nearly landed on the word FLOW. I’m contemplating the way that it supports the domains of my life such as: family, health, work, career, friendship, and leisure. I am considering how I might tap into a state of flow (at least at times), in these facets of my life which, for me, means that I will find the balance between challenge and skill, as referred to by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Flow, The Psychology of Optimal Experience, 2008). Perhaps, this call to action for me is to stretch, even while the outer circumstances might be limiting or uncertain, I hope to still seek ways to enhance the quality of my life.

Does this process resonate for you?  If so, here’s some questions to leave you with:
   • What are your hopes for this coming year?
   • What word or phrase would inspire your own personal and/or professional growth?
   • What word or phrase would best capture your intentions for 2022?

Inspired by Effy ‘bird’ Wild’s Book of Days series, this page was created following a tutorial called Succulent Stacking and using the word ‘Thrive” as a jumping off point (https://effywild.com/bod2022/)