Art Journaling! 

Expressing myself through art has always been one of my favorite forms of journaling. I have been Art Journaling since I was in high school. One of the things I love about this practice, and actually art in general, is that there are NO RULES! I often find that my art pieces speak more from my soul than my words ever can. If you don't consider yourself an artist - don't worry, no skills required for this! You can use whatever medium you like from stickers, to print-offs, magazine clippings, crayons, paints and markers! Today I wanted to share with you some ways to use art as a form of journaling and incorporated it into your Mindfulness Practice!

How to start an Art Journal Page In your Journal:

1. Create a Background

A background is a great place to start not just because it's the beginning but because the background is very easy to do and doesn't require much planning or thinking. You don't need to know how you want your page to  look or what to say at this stage just put something on the page. Mixing colors together is relaxing, calming and satisfying. 

Some ideas for backgrounds to get you started: layer multiple patterns with different stencils and different colors, doddle lines and random shapes on the page with a black pen, attach pieces of paper from to create a collage. 

2. Add layers

Here is where your page starts to take direction. Add textures with modeling paste and stencils, spray different colors, play around with different colors with paints! Simple shapes are easy to add to an art journal page. They fill the page and give it more layers of interest. 

Here's some shape ideas you can add: cutout shapes from scrapes of paper, magazines, or other memorabilia. Cut then scissors or tear them for a interesting look. Stamped shapes, or use of stencils can also be used. 

3. What do you want to say

One of my favorite ways to start is with a quote I like. It can be a line from a song, a proverb, or quote from a book. Find words that speak to you. Quotes are usually universal and everyone can relate to them. You could also create lists like things you're grateful for, a goal, or a vision and add parts of it or all of it to the page. Once I now what I want to say it's much easier to build a page around it. 

Here's an example: Use the quote "Home is where the  heart is" You can add house shapes to the background with drawing, cut images, stencils etc. You can layer by adding grass, sky and trees. Finish the page with writing the quote somewhere on the page. 

Art journaling takes practice, it's a form of artistic expression that doesn't always come naturally. You need to make a few pages before you feel it comes more easily. But don't be afraid to try and experiment! Art journaling is personal and individual so everybody does it differently. It's a practice that is both fun and relaxing! I hope this week you embrace this challenge, get your hands dirty and pull out those scissors and paints! 

Thank you for joining me for this weeks Mindfulness Challenge! Can you believe we are moving into Week 5 already! 

Much love,

Katie