Art Journaling: A Fresh Beginning

My art journaling shuddered to a grinding halt a few weeks ago.  I was going through some dark stuff when I really began to find solace in journaling this way.  And now that dark stuff is slowly making way for the blahs which translates into uninterested, unmotivated and just plain blah.  I know this is all part of the process, but everything in me wants to just get busy and get over it already.  In my  mind, that is how you move on.  That's what I've done in the past.  But I just haven't been able to.  And my inability to do it has really started to mess with my head.  One more thing that has "failed".  "You can't even cope and move on"  "You are being selfish - get over yourself."  "Stop grieving for what you thought you had."  Nonsense, I know.  But the longer I 'hear' something like that, the more I start to believe it to be true.

And then this morning, a post from Mary at A Splendid Adventure Studio (and the leader of the art journaling sessions I attend).

"I am experiencing a rough patch on my journey, we all have them. There may be many of you who are living a rough patch too. Or coming out of one.  Or going into one. May I tell you not to run from it or deny what is...may I tell you not to numb or cover up the pain with activities or busyness...we need to go through it, not around or over it. It's not easy friends, a lot of the time it just plain sucks and it's easy to begin to lose hope. Let's not lose hope. There will be a day when the rough patch evens out. It may not be tomorrow, but it will come."

Well, fine then.  I will listen.  It was what I needed to hear.  To keep plodding through, even though it just seems wrong.

Back to art journaling.  I was struggling to open that journal I worked on for so long during the dark time. And now I think it was because those pages held everything I was trying to move past.  Pain and sadness. Rejection.  Last Saturday, Misti and I were talking about my lack of motivation and she said "maybe you just need a new journal".  Simple as that.  She had no idea what was going on in my head, really.  But that was really all it took.

I like the idea of working on a larger surface so I splurged on the Dyan Reaveley's Dylusions Creative Journal by Ranger.

 A fresh start.  Distress inks on acrylic blocks, then stamped.  I love the way the colors blend. Raindrops because rain is my favorite.  And it makes things clean and fresh.

This is my favorite page so far for lots of reasons.  The colors, the cleanliness, the quote cut from my Silhouette...

More watercolor fun.