Daily Journal: The Spiritual Part

My daily journaling practice has different components. One is a way to

to reflect, to tend to my spirit, to enhance my soulful growth. 

It helps me to be resilient & serene when life is tough. 

Often I mix quotes with personal thoughts. 

This page, is from May, 2021 but still feels relevant. 

Hannukah & Christmas

This year I celebrated Hannukah as well as Christmas. Both fell on the same day. Both holidays were part of my childhood. We had town lightings of a giant menorah & of a tall Christmas tree, in front of our post office. We sang songs & danced. And I sketched my menorah in my journal. Light & miracles, let us hope...Wishing you all a peaceful & bright 2025.

I can't Dance but I can Sketch

While healing from an injury I've been less active than usual. 

I especially miss my dancing. 

But having my art has been a saving grace. 

I've been sketching directly in my daily journal 

(InkPressions book, Tomoe River paper) more than ever. 

Sketching from observation is still so pleasurable, 

but I've also added memory sketching into my practice. 

Often it's a combination. 

Wishing you all a Holiday Season filled with beauty & kindness! 

From Idea to Completion: A New Phase

 I recently resumed work on a long standing project. I'm looking back on some work that has led me to this place. Rough drafts, & continual art explorations, sure, but also work on my organizational skills, on staying focused, & on learning to de-clutter my space & my brain. Looking forward, moving out of an idea phase to an action phase. I'm beginning to bring individual segments to completion. This (cropped) sketch went into my daily journal today. (Credit: Even though I love this bridge & have been there many times, I used a photo by Anne McKinnell, a beautiful outdoor nature photographer, as a reference.)

Journaling As a Tool for Spiritual Growth

 

I'm participating in a group journal activity 

during May which is "Mental Health Month.

One prompt per day. 

Above, it was about loving oneself.

This was a response to a question about 

what we learned & experienced during the quarantine year.

Journaling in my paper books became more important 

than ever as a way to nurture my mind & spirit.

Thinking about what we are good at. 

Congratulating ourselves. What I like about writing prompts

is that anything that gets sparked is OK. Tangents

can become major themes. It's about discovery,

& in this case, self-discovery. At any age...

Sheltering In and A Note to "Desired Grace"

Sheltering in...Some days I go inward more than others...

It's OK from time to time to be a hermit, 

it revitalizes me. 

But one also needs a balance, of getting out, being with people. 

But those things are out of reach at the moment.

Between wearing a mask that makes breathing hard,

& worrying that people are coming too close,

it's easier to just stay in. Or to walk close to home where there are few passersby.

Small things, like making coffee in the morning,

take on greater importance these days.

In my daily journal I note small occurences,

(of which there are many) 

as well as broader reflections. 

Big events? There are few, if any.

 

I doodle & dabble here at home.

I spend time organizing papers, notes & drawings.

I've made great progress, 

but some times it doesn't feel as if I have. 

 

Penmanship practice soothes me. Pen & watercolor...

I'm often content & grateful. But lately I am missing the freedom to move about & to explore the world in the way that I did before....

A note to a nice young lady whose blog is Desired Grace:Thank you for asking my permission to use some of my sketches. I must say no, please don't use them in any way, but it was gracious of you to ask. They are my own personal responses to my world, & I encourage you to experiment & to find your own responses & images. 

PS The spacing wouldn't work the way it used to. Has anyone had this problem on the new platform?

The Journaling Practice: Organizing

I've been absorbed in my journaling practice...

I taught a little Zoom workshop with a focus on 

organizational forms of journaling:

Planner/calendar meets Sketchbook Diary

The prep work got me to develop my own practice far deeper

than ever before.

Some of my current active notebooks:

• Daily Journal (Master Journal)

• French & Polish Study 

• Music & Dance 

• Food & Fitness

• Weekly Creative Journaling Group

• Art Learning/Noting

• Journal About Making Journals 

• Creative Projects Journal

My three most actively used notebook journals.

Perhaps journaling wouldn't be such an active part of my life

if I weren't sheltering in most of the time. 

With the influence of many online journalers my layouts

are more conscious now. There is consistency with variety

from day to day.

The colors & color codes are not only fun, 

but they help me to be able to easily refer back.

A before picture. 

This started out to be a Books, Music & Films

notebook. Eeek! what chaos.

Soon I'll begin the work 

of organizing this into a neat little notebook.

In the meantime I've been organizing my old art work.

I found some plastic sheet protectors with 2" X 2" slots 

for old fashioned slides at a yard sale. 

I've been filling the little pockets

with all these snippet cutouts 

that I'd thrown willy nilly into a box.

What's cool is that now that I know where to find them,

I'm actually using them in some of my current creating!!

All this journal writing & organizing 

would not be as much of a pleasure

if I didn't love to handwrite with fountain pens

on beautifully smooth paper...

And if I didn't love using my art materials, 

especially the watercors & colored pencils.

So, my Sketchbook Wandering takes place more within

the confines of my home these days

than out of doors.