As previously written about in my blog What is creative reflective practice?, I explained that creative reflective journaling brings together formal reflective practice and art journaling.
It is well known that the primary purpose of art journaling is often self-care and it is something that creative reflective journaling offers you too. It is an important part of creative reflective practice.
In these times of great change and uncertainty it is important to be able to create spaces that allow us to de-compress and re-connect with ourselves. This not only enables us to build resilience but also to find out what is important to us and how we want to shape our lives as we adapt to the world today.
Connecting to your creative energy
Connecting to your creative energy is one way of practising self-care as it helps reconnect you to you as well as renew your inner self and recharge your energy.
Making time for art helps you to reconnect to yourself, renew your mind, body and spirit and recharge your energy – for you, for those you love and your clients.
Making time to set aside concerns and worries
Through making time for creating art in your journal, or elsewhere, you are also giving yourself a space to set aside your concerns and worries, immersing yourself in an activity that is both relaxing and challenging, rediscovering the joy (and fun) of creating something by hand.
No matter what your skill level…
Research has shown that, no matter what your skill level, making art …
- Is naturally mindful allowing you to slow the pace down, immerse yourself in your art making and work out of time, in flow.
- Engages the relaxation response.
- Reconnects you to your body through the physical process of creating.
- Reduces stress through increasing the hormones that manage stress in the body.
- Increases a sense of self-worth through creating work you enjoy in your own way.
A Year of Creative Reflection
If you would like to develop a creative reflective practice or deepen your existing practice, why not join me for a year of creative reflection starting in February next year. We look at getting started and overcoming the barriers we can put up to creating images. We explore and use the Creative Reflective Process and together we create a supportive creative reflective space for image making, self-expression and reflection.
Find out more about this year long programme here: A Year of Creative Reflection