Quieting Monkey Mind with artful compassion

Photobucket 
For me, Creative Journaling is one way to tame Monkey Mind. First, the very act of creation is soothing, relaxing. It brings me back to the breath. As I choose background colors and border images, my subconscious musings often make themselves apparent. And in the process, I move past Monkey Mind to Neutral Witness.

Consider this journal page, as yet unfinished, which we used as an example of bordering in our recent workshop. Perhaps the images have no meaning for you. Maybe you’d choose different colors or arrange the objects differently. But I’m learning to look beyond the page itself–to find joy in the process, and to explore its possibilities without judgment. What will I write in that empty space?  What new discoveries will emerge? As I pick out my gel pens and Sharpies, I’m at once curious and excited.

P.S. Don’t miss Staci’s post about lettering!

Site Meter

38 Comments

    • Thanks, Tracy. I’m always surprised by what I learn in the process of choosing/pasting down the images. And I love this one especially…primarily because it’s (as you said) so representative of me.

      In the same way, your bird entries are beautiful invitations to discover who YOU are. 🙂

    • I love that color, too, and I sure wish I could replicate it! But maybe its true beauty lies in the fact that I was having a lot of fun experimenting with colors, and voila! that gorgeous blue was a byproduct of my playtime. 🙂

  5. Every time I look at this I see more in it. The fish shape, the bubbles floating upward and the soothing blue empty space is very Zen. I think this may be my favourite of your creative journals yet. I hope it inspires your writing today.

    • I think it may be one of my favorites, too. I cut out pictures from a crazy variety of magazines, but for some reason, the colors and images seemed to harmonize. So yeah, very Zen. 🙂

  6. Every time I look at this I see more in it. The fish shape, the bubbles floating upward and the soothing blue empty space is very Zen. I think this may be my favourite of your creative journals yet. I hope it inspires your writing today.

    • Isn’t that a wonderful cameo? I found it in a Reflections magazine, and then layered it on top of a mother-of-pearl journal I found in Martha Stewart’s LIVING. Every time I look at it, I smile inside. It represents one of my favorite childhood books.

      • That illustration is by Jessie Wilcox Smith, who did an incredible Mother Goose as well.

        There’s a chapter on Little Women/Louisa May Alcott in my book, and I may just like it best of all. LMA was an incredibly testy, difficult, and endearing woman who inspires me even more as an adult than when I was a child.

      • That illustration is by Jessie Wilcox Smith, who did an incredible Mother Goose as well.

        There’s a chapter on Little Women/Louisa May Alcott in my book, and I may just like it best of all. LMA was an incredibly testy, difficult, and endearing woman who inspires me even more as an adult than when I was a child.

  15. Wow! That’s amazing! I love seeing your journal pages, Melodye. This is by far my favorite. The blue wash is amazing! This is so you… the oriental door, the hummingbird, flowers, Little Women, music… are those buttons? It’s all there!!

    • Thanks, Sharon. Yes, those are buttons. They reminded me of Nana’s button box. I love most of my pages–for different reasons–but this one speaks most of who I am. And without any words! 🙂

Comments are closed.