Daily Journal: Images and Words

Image and Word Journal from magazine cutouts.

At the beginning of 2021, I began a page-a-day journal with one image and a word or phrase added at the end of each day. Gathering a pile of old magazines, along with scissors, glue, and a blank book, I was ready to go. I made a commitment to complete a page every day until the book was filled… which took about 5-1/2 months. At the end of each day, I chose a magazine image that stood out to me at the time. Often it was a reflection of a thought, a theme, or something about that day. Then I cut out a word or phrase to add to the image page.

Pages from the Image and Word Journal

I found comfort in this daily ritual and the process of flipping through the magazines in search of an image and word. Some of the themes revolved around feelings of peace, light, and space, of the appreciation for home, family, and community. Others focused on the magnificence and beauty of the natural world, an interest in history, or just the love of shapes and color.

Family Page of Image and Word Journal

This is a simple and enjoyable way for anyone to reflect on a day and keep a diary of a period of time. I could have chosen to begin another blank book but I felt complete when the last page was filled. Of course, after 5 months, I felt the loss of this nightly activity in the days following its completion.

The inspiration for this project came from a video of Shelley Klammer describing the process as a daily checkin on your feelings and emotions. Shelley is a Counseling Therapist and Expressive Arts Educator.

And here are three more pages from the journal… Shade, Inner Life, and Lightness of Being:

Art as Meditation

A couple of years ago, I saw a thread of conversation between artists on instagram on the subject of meditation. Most of the comments were in the same vain… they spoke about having trouble meditating and the inability to get a meditation practice going, stating one reason or another. I didn’t engage in the conversation at the time but it seemed clear they had a limited idea of what meditation could be.

As a long time meditator, my initial thought was that creating art in itself is, or could be, a form of meditation. Many meditation practices involve following the breath in order to bring you into the present moment while observing and letting go of thoughts as they arise. Those thoughts generally tend to carry you on a visit to the past or a journey into the future.

But when we create art we are doing so in the moment. With every brush stroke, every choice of color, texture, and use of materials, we are in the present moment. You often hear that the big gifts can be found in the process, rather than the end results or finished product. When we focus on the process we are in the now and it’s in the now that we find our joy and delight as artists. It’s not the finished artwork that keeps drawing us back to the creative process, it’s the act of creating that keeps artists engaged.

The process of creating art is an experience in the moment. So, in effect, it can easily be a meditative practice. In every part of that process, we have a choice of being fully present with our materials, breathing into the experience, and letting go of the world outside our studio space. Each moment of the art process is a gift and opportunity to be present with our developing creations, to observe the feelings that arise with each stage of that development, whether it be joy and delight, or frustration and angst.

When we experience the messy middle, it’s likely that our minds have wandered away from the here and now and carried us to thoughts or concerns of the finished piece. We may want to hold onto a part, or all, of what we’ve accomplished so far, without messing it up. Although that can take us out of the moment, being present with those feelings and observing our flow of thoughts, without getting caught in them, can become part of our process. This offers us greater awareness of how we internally process our creative flow.

Back in the 1980’s I did a full week intensive class in meditation. We were taught to focus on our breath. When thoughts came into mind, to label them “thinking,” letting them go, and then returning to the breath. In any given moment, an artist can shift from wherever the mind has wandered to being with their creation in the now. It is a dance we can have with our tools and materials, shifting back to the current brushstroke, or pencil mark, ink splatter, sculpted element, etc. Art can so easily be your meditation practice. And many are already engaged in that practice whether they have labeled it so, or not.

You may also be interested in: Morning Meditation Paintings
or Meditation on Rain

The 12 Painting Meditations

“Meditations No. 12” 4-1/2” x 6”. Mixed media on paper

The painted Meditations were inspired by the peace and joy I experienced when working on the Morning Meditation Paintings. I wanted more of those feelings and I wasn’t ready for it to end. So, I decided to change it up a bit and create a series of twelve small paintings that would start out as a group… and continue within a meditation process.

“Meditations No. 3” 4-1/2” x 6”. Mixed media on paper

The Process: First, I hung twelve 4-1/2” x 6” pieces of watercolor paper together on the closet door in four rows of three. I began developing the collection by writing mantras and quotes on each in pencil, then scribbling on each with charcoal, a pencil, and then a pen and worked on them in order, from the top left and across, one row at a time. Next, I followed up with a bit of acrylics, using a very limited palette.

“Meditations No. 2” in process

Working in the same order, I began completing one at a time as a morning meditation… adding bits of additional color, marks, and collage shapes. Stitching was added to most but not all, allowing the strands to hang down below the bottom of the paintings.

There were a number of times when I found it difficult to add the shapes and stitching to an individual piece. This was when I grew to love the background and didn’t want to cover it up. But in each of these cases, it turned out to be a more interesting image once the additions were made.

“Meditations No. 8” 4-1/2” x 6”. Mixed media on paper

Working on the Meditation paintings has been an enjoyable process. It has provided me with the gifts of simplicity and peace at a time when the world outside of the studio seemed complex and stressful. (I began this series in mid January 2021.) There was a wonderful feeling of simplicity in choosing the same palette and collection of cut shapes for each of these pieces.

The 12 Meditations hanging in a group

Now, they are likely to continue hanging together on the door for awhile. This series adds a sense of calm to the studio and makes me smile to see them.

You may also be interested in:
Morning Meditation Paintings
Art as Meditation

Meditation on Rain

A section of one of the Morning Meditation Paintings (No. 10)

I was in the middle of meditating (after waking up way too early) when the rain began to come down so powerfully hard and loud. I had just been in that place within me where I often find myself… surrounded by the landscape yet above the landscape, unfettered by gravity, rising above but somehow merged with the whole of oneness energy. A peaceful, whole, safe, oneness.

Then it began to pour and I had a momentary question that arose… of being with the sound of the rain or going back to where I was. The answer was, the sound is the now, in this moment. The earlier moments were in that oneness but now the whole was in the sound. The sound as a sound without meaning or expectation. Can I separate the sound of the rain from my years of understanding of what that sound means? Can I separate the sound from the visuals I carry of what is happening outside the room’s French doors… on the deck? On the roof? Am I able to just be with the sound without the anticipation of the raindrops to come immediately after this very moment of sound? And the next? Am I able to experience this moment without my knowledge of what rain is, the benefits of what it can do for the earth, and separate from my personal history with rain?

There was nothing to think of, to understand, to know about the rain except… In this moment it just is! Then the breath, the movement of my abdomen, and the sound of the rain merged into the moment.  The sound was no longer separate but part of the whole of the now. Then an awareness of the feeling of the cloth from my shirt on my belly, at the furthest point of the outbreath, became part of the mix.

You may be interested in reading about the Morning Meditation Paintings.

Morning Meditation Paintings

“Morning Meditation No. 1” 5-1/2” x 6”. Mixed media in sketchbook

A couple of months ago I began a Morning Meditation painting practice. This quickly became my favorite way to start the day, as it filled me with a wonderful sense of peace and a lightness of being. Each session became a vehicle for tuning my awareness (aka mindfulness). This practice is now something I am continuing as a gift to myself.

“Morning Meditation No. 5” 5-1/2” x 6”. Mixed media in sketchbook

The original focus was on simplicity and flow… working first thing in the morning, as a meditative process, mostly with background music, sometimes in silence. The process is the focus, not whether I liked the piece or not, not whether it feels finished or not.

THE PROCESS: Starting with a limited palette of acrylics (black, white, and a premixed blue-green). Adding some other bits of color and scribbles with pencil and colored pencil. Including collaged paper shapes because they happened to be scattered on the work table from prior sketchbook paintings. And… Since the sewing machine was on the nearby table, stitches were added to some of the paintings when it felt right, and because… why not?

“Morning Meditation No. 13” 6” x 8-1/4”. Mixed media on paper

I have so appreciated the quiet color palette on these pieces, especially after the fairly loud year we had in 2020 and the tumultuous beginning to 2021. I felt the need to tone things down for a bit, and the subtle touches of color add to the peaceful experience. It’s likely more color will be added as I continue to produce these pieces (or maybe not).

I have embraced the meditative painting process. In fact, just thinking of my morning experiences, gives me a wonderful feeling of Ahhhhh! I feel as though these painting meditations are carrying me forward towards the ME I am becoming. There seems to be an internal process taking place and a preparation at work. And… my love of the process has me fully committed and engaged.

“Morning Meditation No. 4” 5-1/2” x 6”. Mixed media in sketchbook

“Morning Meditation No. 2” 5-1/2” x 6”. Mixed media in sketchbook

You may also be interested in Love: a Morning Practice or Joy: a Morning Ritual.

Joy: a Morning Ritual

Imagine what it would feel like to begin your day by embracing your inner joy. What a great way to jump start a day. And it’s quite simple… you’ve just awakened, eyes may not yet be ready to open, and you focus your thoughts on something or someone that brings you joy, lights you up, and makes you feel expansive.

It could be anything… a thought of spending time with someone who makes you smile, a trip you have planned or a joy-filled memory, an activity you enjoy or an idea for a project you would love to tackle, or maybe something new you’ve been wanting to learn or experience. No matter what you choose for your focus, it’s a method of switching on that sense of delight.

Once you have your point of focus, experience the joy associated with it and let the feeling fill you up. Then imagine in your mind’s eye, doing a little inner dance and maybe you just can’t help physically moving to your inner rhythm.

This is exactly what I began doing, first thing in the morning, this summer. And I can’t help but think that in doing so, every cell in my being became lit up and infused with a smile. There’s an effervescence that comes with it and a feeling of expansion, as if I am filled with light bubbles. I’m finding this a great way to launch a day!

Have you ever danced for the pure joy of it in a given moment… just you, expressing your delight right then and there? If not, I highly recommend it. Your whole body gets into the act of feeling that joy and it becomes an active exuberance.

Don’t wait for someone or something to light up your life… do it for yourself.

You may also be interested in Love: a Morning Practice.

Love: A Morning Practice

With all that is going on in the world right now, and with a majority of people staying in place, this seemed like an ideal time to share a piece of my morning practice. For the past several years, I have been starting each day with love, then I carry the experience with me into my day. As you may suspect, it leaves me feeling wonderful.

The practice has evolved over the years as part of a larger morning routine. It began as statements within an I Am exercise… reciting to myself, “I am love, I am filled with love, I am surrounded by love, I am radiating love.” Meanwhile, I would visualize each statement as it crossed my mind. More and more, I began to experience the expansiveness carried with those words and this daily ritual grew over time.

The Love Practice: I start with a smile and bring to mind a memory or visual image that fills me with love and warmth. For example: I have often chosen to visualize the moment just after my daughter, Melissa, was born. Or I might imagine holding Melissa’s hand while I have the hand of a beloved aunt in my other hand. (She died many years ago before Melissa was born.) Then I let the strength of the love I feel for them fill me up, expanding beyond my physical being. I bask in the presence of love for a time, allowing it to strengthen. (It’s as if I’m being held within a protective, caring, and powerful bubble.) Then I send that love energy out to surround the planet and maybe also shared with specific people or locations. I am radiant!

In the past month, I have been visualizing love surrounding the corona virus, which I see as a mist hovering above the earth and when touched by the energy of love, the particles of the virus become pink. That’s just what I happen to have seen. You are likely to see something totally different.

In the past week, I have found myself combining my love practice with my gratitude practice and it has become more powerful, leaving me in tears. (tears of love and appreciation). Each morning, I choose one incident, experience, or person that I love, and then review the reasons I feel grateful for them. The heartfelt gratitude seems to empower the feelings of love, allowing me to fill a greater receptacle of love to send out into the world.

There are other parts of my morning practice, but they will have to wait to be shared in one or more posts in the future.

You may also be interested in, Joy: a Morning Practice