Dreamtastic Creative Journals is an ongoing (free!) e-course about using your journal as a tool for transformation, healing and dream-growing.

If you?re playing along in your journal, share your photos and/or blog posts on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter using the #creativedreamincubator hash tag so we can easily find YOU!

 

How do you start the creative dream journaling? By meditation, by having a theme in your head?. How do you connect to your inner self?

I have been doing your Rainbow~licious Creative Healing Circle (still am) and there the guided meditation (by you) is the start. But I feel that to bring my dreams to live something more is needed. Maybe more practice…

Well, yes, the answer is in the question: practice.

As you explore and develop your own unique creative journal practice you’ll find what works for you.

You can watch the 30 Days of Creative Journals series to see how I approach this from day-to-day.?? I don’t have a specific starting process, it totally depends on where I’m at and what I need in the moment.

It’s less about finding a starting technique that works and more about developing a relationship with your practice.

This way, your journal can meet you where you are and help you get to where you want to be.

Some ideas for ways to start:

• You can ask yourself: What do I need? as you get started and let the answer direct your explorations.
• You can make a list of Things That Look Like Fun To You from my 30 Days of Creative Journals series? and try them out, one by one.
• You can write about your day, complain about your boss, describe your dream in all it’s technicolor glory or write love letters to all the things you want to invite into your life.

Experiment and play.? The more time you spend journaling, the more you’ll learn about what does and does not work for you.

The way I approach my journals is so different today than it was just a year ago, it’s changing all the time.

And, sometimes education is needed.

Bringing your dream to life is usually a bigger job than anyone can do on their own.? I’ve worked with TONS of teachers and mentors in the process of bringing my dreams to life.

There is something extra-magical about working with a transformational program.? Programs create a container for the magic to happen in, they lead you through the process so you can play and explore with confidence knowing that you are headed towards where you want to be.

A good teacher will introduce you to whole new worlds of possibility and show you how to create Creative Dream Momentum.

But it’s your commitment to your own personal practice that determines how much you and your dreams are going to thrive.

Dreamtastic Creative Journals is an ongoing (free!) e-course about using your journal as a tool for transformation, healing and dream-growing.

If you?re playing along in your journal, share your photos and/or blog posts on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter using the #creativedreamincubator hash tag so we can easily find YOU!

Today’s question:

What type of music should one listen to while journaling?

The whole point of journaling is to get in touch with what’s going on in your inner world.

If you’re listening to music or watching tv, you’ve got someone else’s words/thoughts/ideas/stories floating around in your head!?

This totally defeats the purpose.

Journaling is quality time with yourself.? Surround yourself with things that support this.

For some, instrumental or new age music is helpful.? When I do live workshops sometimes I create specific playlists of different styles of music for each part of the workshop – focusing on rhythm, energy and emotion and using instrumental or non-English/French music so my participants wouldn’t be able to understand the words.

But usually – SILENCE.

Even new age or classical music puts you in a certain energy space.? If that certain energy space is not the right space for where you’re at emotionally – well, you’re just fighting your own process.

Dreamtastic Creative Journals is an ongoing (free!) e-course about using your journal as a tool for transformation, healing and dream-growing.

If you?re playing along in your journal, share your photos and/or blog posts on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter using the #creativedreamincubator hash tag so we can easily find YOU!

Today’s question:

I’m incredibly busy, where can I look for inspiration?

Busy or not, there is only ever one place to look for inspiration: inside you.

The point is Creative Dream Journaling is not, EVER, to make pretty pages, because making pretty pages is NOT the same process as using a journal as a tool for healing, transformation and dream-growing.

So, when you have time for your journal (and you really don’t need more than 5 minutes) write about what’s happening in your inner world – write about how you’re feeling.

Write about what you want.? Give your desire space to express itself in your journal!

Draw your soul.? Collage your dreams.

Let yourself be your inspiration.

You’re fascinating!? Let your journal be a testament to how amazing you and your dreams really are.

Today’s post is a Dreamtastic Creative Journals? post.? Dreamtastic is an ongoing (free!) e-course about using your journal as a tool for transformation, healing and dream-growing.

By far, the question I am asked the most about Creative Journaling is “How can I make sure it will, you know, look good?” usually followed by “I’m not an artist but I really want to play….”

And I always talk about how it’s not (AT ALL!) about how it looks and it’s ALL about how it feels. It’s about the process.

And people say they get it, but still, you know, they want their journal pages to be cute.

If you need your journal pages to look cute, or funky, or any other way – you’re NOT doing Creative Dream Journaling.

That’s practicing art, keeping a sketchbook. That’s a great thing to do, it’s also totally different from what I am talking about.

Creative Dream Journaling is 100% about the inner process.

If you are focused on how it looks,? you’re missing out on the magic.

This is the thing people really struggle with.

So while I was on my Creative Retreat, I had a chance to take an intuitive painting class with Chris (which is something everyone should do!!!!).

And wouldn’t you know it – I struggled with this very thing, ALL NIGHT.

I was enjoying the process but then I’d step back and look at my painting and wish it looked cuter.

Chris?kept coming around to talk to me about it and I kept feeling flustered. Like “Hello! I’m having fun but I want to also LIKE my painting!”

Which is exactly the opposite of the point.

Then the next morning I was sitting by the lake near the studio, enjoying a latte, smiling at the ducks and geese everywhere and playing in my journal. I grabbed what I thought was a pen, but was a brush-marker, so when I went to draw something I was using pen pressure, instead of brush pressure, and my drawing came out really odd.

I smiled. I was enjoying it. I did not care, not one bit, what any of the marks on my page looked like. I was too deep in enjoying the process.

I was just delighted to make marks on the page. Did not matter one bit what the marks were.

It struck me, how this was the opposite experience of the one I had the night before.

I noticed how freaking good it feels to be in the inner process and how freaking tangly and uncomfortable it is to want your creative expression to be different from how it is.

I want you to know that YOUR creative expression is perfect and inspiring, exactly the way it is. That you don’t have to learn how to do things “right” before your creations will be perfect and inspiring.

And if you find your creative expression to be anything less than beautiful – you might need a new perspective on beauty, more than you need art classes.

Here is the painting I struggled with so much:

Now that I’ve got a little distance between it and me – it’s kind of funny to remember how frustrated this made me!

Now when I look at it I remember the joy and freedom I felt while I played with the paints.

I remember stumbling and then finding my truth and then stumbling again and then finding my center.

I remember the dance of it all and how awkward I felt. I remembering hearing some noise in the kitchen and thinking “I hope?Chris is making us cookies because I have really earned a cookie!”

I remember, when?Chris made me stay present with the part of the painting that I hated the most, when I really looked at it, how much PURE SPARKLING LOVE I actually had for it.

Every single mark you make is precious because it’s YOUR unique creative expression.

That’s a part of you, on paper for you to see and adore and celebrate.

The fact that you are alive and can create is a miracle.

Celebrate it, as it it. Honour it, as it is.

Even if you think it’s ugly, honour it for what it can show you about yourself and your perspective.

And then imagine how this changes your whole LIFE.

What if you could delight in every mark you made, without judgment, in your journal, on your canvas, and in your life??

You know how when you see a baby kicking it’s legs, it’s just soooo adorable?

And how when your cat sits a certain ways it’s just soooo adorable?

What if you are just soooo adorable just because of whatever you’re doing right now?? Because you’re expressing your unique self in some way and it’s the most amazing thing ever.

Obviously, this is not an easy thing to do.

This is advanced, advanced practice.

So if you’re thinking “Oh no, I could never do this!” – that’s great!? Because you don’t just DO it, you PRACTICE it.

And I dare you to practice this kind of radical self-acceptance today.

Today’s post is a Dreamtastic Creative Journals? post.? Dreamtastic is an ongoing (free!) e-course about using your journal as a tool for transformation, healing and dream-growing.

I get a lot of questions about how to approach creative journaling when you’re not artistic, like this one:

One of my questions would be about using a journal in this way if one is not artistic. For example, I’ve noticed you have a lot of cool lettering and sketches in your pages, but that is something that would be difficult for me. I’m not sure how I would overcome that.

First of all, I want to say… really?? You look at my work and think you can’t do these kinds of sketches?

It’s likely that you can draw stick people if you give it a try!? Or bubble people, as I prefer.

But your journals won’t look like my journals.

They’ll look like your journals.

So if sketching isn’t your thing, you might not do it.? Maybe you’ll do collage:

Or, if you want cool lettering without writing it yourself, you can use scrapbooking supplies in your journal – stickers, rub-ones, stencils, alphabet stamps, collage.

And you can check out this post I wrote about how to draw mandalas (REALLY, it’s easy-peasy).? And once you get started you WILL develop your own drawing style if you stick with it.

Or you can not use art supplies at all if that’s just not your thing.

The CREATIVE in Dreamtastic Creative Journals is about claiming your power to CREATE your WORLD.

I promise – being creative in your journal is NOT about being artistic.? It’s about:

• learning to act on your creative impulse
• being willing to make your mark
• trusting yourself
• creating your own way instead of following the beaten path
• dealing with the voices that say “you can’t” and “you’re not good enough”

… this is the stuff of Creative Dreaming!

This is how you build up your Creative Dream Muscles!

Today’s post is a Dreamtastic Creative Journals? post.? Dreamtastic is an ongoing (free!) e-course about using your art journal as a tool for transformation, healing and dream-growing.

Art Journal Supplies List

Just use what you want to use.

Thinking that you need the right journal, the right markers, the right paints? these are all excuses that keep you from getting started. (More here about how to get started with your Creative Dream Journal)

1. Start with what you have.? Even if it’s just a pen and a sheet of paper.
2. Grow your creative supply stash however and whenever you’re inspired to grow it.

You can paint, draw, collage, scrapbook… it’s about being in the energy of WILD CREATIVE ABANDON and PLAYING with this stuff, it is NOT about learning how to use it “properly”.

Play play play play play play play play play play.

Everything is a toy.? Use the toys that you’re inspired to use.

If you have NO art journal supplies at all and do not know how to start – go to the grocery store or the dollar store.

Get whatever looks fun in the kids school supplies section.? That stuff is cheap and fun so you can experiment to find what kinds of things you like playing with.

The only rule is to be somewhat aware of what kinds of paper work with the media that you want to use.? If you want to use paints or thick markers, a cheap journal with thin paper isn’t going to hold up very well.? Strathmore makes a line of affordable mixed-media and watercolour sketchbooks which are great for when you want to get messier with art journal supplies.

How does your creative spirit want to express itself?

Some ideas for things to play with:

• glitter pens/markers
• crayons
• oil pastels
• chalk pastels
• acrylic paints
• pencil crayons
• collage (old magazines, books, ephemera)
• scrapbooking supplies
• stamps
• stencils

Should I limit the amount of materials/colours I’m using at once?

No!? Listen to your creative spirit and do what it says.

This isn’t about making great art (though really, all art is great!), this is about being present with your inner process.?

As you do this, you’re learning how to listen to your creative impulse and act on it.

This is the art of bringing dreams to life: listening to your creative impulse and acting on it. ?The art of letting go of what other people think and what you’re supposed to do and following the rules.? The art of making up your own rules.? The art of honouring your intuition.

That’s where the magic is – it’s NOT in having the “right” art journal supplies.

Today my Dream Loft becomes MINE.

I know.? If you’ve been following my blog for the last 2 years you know that this is TWO YEARS in the making.? I stopped sharing the story of it because it got too stupidly complicated.? For the past year I have not known if this was going to work, or if I was even going to be able to get back the money I’d put into it.

A few photos of the Dream Loft… more to come as the construction crew finishes up…

Even though I’m not feeling ready to start, since this is a Big Day for me and my dreams, today seems like like the perfect day to start my new thing: DREAMTASTIC Creative Journals: Inspiring videos (every week!), helpful tools + a heartfelt invitation to share your journey with us.

I’m reminding myself that you can’t wait until you feel ready, sometimes you’ve just got to start. So I’m starting.

In today’s video I’m talking about the FRUITION stage of Creative Dream Incubation, the internal process of inviting a dream into your life which is a LOT more complicated than simply receiving your dream come true and then living happily ever after. (If you want to explore this more deeply, there is a whole module about FRUITION in the Creative Dream Incubator kit.)

VIDEO:

PS: You’re all signed up for the FREE Creative Dream Coaching Circle next Monday, right?

This is a chance to get answers to your questions, get help dissolving obstacles and to simply fill up on love, magic and creative dream superfuel.

Sign up today!

This post, and the whole 30 day journal challenge, is a part of my free art journal class.

This is my favouritest creative journaling technique: hello dream.? It’s fun and magic and helpful and amazing.

VIDEO:

As I said in the video… YAY!? I did it!? I did 30 creative journaling videos in 30 days!? I’ve really loved doing this and am so glad you joined me for the adventure.

If you’re looking for more journaling + dream-growing classes, join me in the Creative Dream Circle!

This post, and the whole 30 day journal challenge, is a part of my free art journal class.

Today I just needed some space to myself.? Physically, this was not possible, so I made space for myself by playing in my art journal.

VIDEO:

If you’d like a supportive + encouraging space to play along, filled with all the best tools for accessing + activating your magic, join me in the Creative Dream Circle!