Art journaling has been a transformative practice for me in many ways and I am passionate about sharing the benefits of art journaling with others. It’s one of the workshops I enjoy teaching the most! I believe EVERYONE can benefit greatly from keeping an art journal and it requires zero artistic talent!

I keep many different types of art journals - nature, sketch, scrap/junk, collage, “everything”/commonplace and my sacred art journal. Below is a sampling of some of my journal types and pages. You can see more on my Instagram page.

Here are some of the benefits I have experienced with art journaling:

• My art journal is a place where I can process difficult thoughts or emotions when words are too hard to speak or when I don’t have words. I believe that ‘if the body keeps the score, our art doesn’t have to’

• My art journal is a place where I can play, explore, and make discoveries, not just in my art, but in life, my faith, and in my thought patterns

• My art journal is a sacred place where I connect with Jesus and allow him to meet me on the pages, with any emotion I’m experiencing, and co-labor with the Spirit to bring the page to life through my creative expression. It’s a place where I can praise, pray, worship and thank my Heavenly Father.

• Art journaling has been one of the best self-care practices I’ve ever had. I can arrive in a terrible mood or filled with anxiety and dread, spend some time art journaling, and leave with a complete sense of peace and calmness in my soul and Spirit.

• Art journaling has helped me learn to ‘let go and let God’, surrender, and defeat the perfectionist Spirit in me

• Art journaling is fun and playful - who can’t use more fun and playfulness in their life?

• Art journaling allows me to record my life, and express my interpretations of the world around me. It allows me to remember good moments creatively and artfully, and appreciate ‘the art of noticing’

• Art journaling, and particularly with my daily intuitive collage practice, provides insights into my subconscious mind, which often provides answers to questions that have been lingering in my mind