visual journal

Autumn is finally here it's my favorite time of year. 

5 ways to change your energy:
go for a walk

take a bath

get a drink of water

do some deep breathing

meditate

Recent Sketches

I did some drawings of my favorite snacks which was really fun and on the right page is a book by Hannah Hinchman on journaling called A trail through leaves.

and some bright pink geraniums blooming on the patio right now...

I'm working in a new journal, it's a square 6"x6" size that I really like and will probably stay with for awhile. There is something about the square shape that really works for me, but every once in awhile I try something different just to see how it works.

Journal page

On this journal page I clipped words from a page in a magazine, a list of delights:

• keeping a journal
• along the garden path
• stay cozy: we have soup, flowers,books and more
• shops
• Victoria magazine
• Maine

I love finding words in books and magazines to add to my journal pages, sometimes they're better at describing how I feel than writing my own words, but I like to include both.

Lately...

I've been adding ideas and projects to my daily notebook

 making some doodled project life cards

 starting to embroider the edge of my pillow case

and doing some gardening on the patio.

My Daybook

This is my daybook that I put together inspired by Leslie at Wisteria and Sunshine and The Bower I really love her peaceful style. So this is my daybook with a handrawn calender section and then pages for lists like favorite books, inspiration and  things to do. I also add little pictures and clippings from magazines.

I have  five sections: planner, garden, self, art and home.

Its a lot of fun to put together and I hope to keep adding to it...

more pages from my painted art journal...

new journey of healthy eating

I checked out a book from the library called Yoga Food and when it came time to return it I made my own little recipe book with sketches of my favorite things to make from the book.
I really love the millet breakfast dish...

the yoga salad with cabbage...

and I want to try these gluten free banana muffins.

I'm trying to incorporate healthy food which is kind of difficult because I love lots of cheese, potato,  pasta and bread dishes, so I'm gradually adding healthy food and its also so easy to eat gluten free with all the alternatives they carry in the grocery store now.

cooking with Millet...

art journaling...

in my collage journal with lists and quotes on creativity and I always love adding roses to my journal pages.

Sketchbook

I've tried doing sitting meditation in the past and it just doesn't ever really work for me, so I like moving meditation, like on Sunday Mornings when I go for a walk, listening to Mozart in the Morning and finding little things to sketch. This ritual always makes me really happy. Do you have some kind of peaceful thing you do on a regular basis?

Guest post by Marcela De Vivo

Best Music To Help You Get Creative

If you are a creative person, you’ve probably experienced a time when your imagination becomes limited or blocked. It doesn’t matter if you’re on a tight deadline to turn in a paper or trying to write the next great American novel on your own. It can happen as quickly as switching off a light.

Different people have different ways to get the creative juices flowing again. You might opt for a run in hopes that ideas will pop in your head at any moment. Or maybe clearing your mind through meditation will allow inspiration to strike. However, the one tried and true way of bringing back your creativity: listening to music.

Music Can Make You More Productive

Although it varies from person to person, listening to music while working can make you more prolific. The University of Illinois did a study that concluded that listening to music could increase productivity by around 6%; however, similar studies also showed that people working on the computer were more productive when there was no music. That’s why it’s important to take your own state of mind into account. If you have a short attention span or are easily distracted, listening to music to enhance creativity might not be the right path for you.

Music Can Boost Your Imagination

Even the most creative person sometimes needs a little help being more imaginative. Music can give you more energy, which can allow your brain to work more effectively. Working out your brain can be just like working out your body. With stimulus, it works faster, therefore, it also performs better. Certain music can even give you more confidence to face whatever creativity block that’s worrying you.

Classical Music

The one tried-and-true music genre for creativity boosting is classical music. Putting on a recording of Bach’s concerto or Beethoven’s piano sonatas might be able to relax your mind just enough to tap into your creativity.

Classical music usually does not contain any lyrics whatsoever, allowing you to focus on your work and nothing more. There are plenty of free resources where you can listen to classical music and other genres for free, including Pandora, Musopen and Arena.

Ambient Music

The trick to utilizing music to your creative advantage is to have your brain engaged on a subconscious level, without becoming too engaged. If your brain becomes too focused on the music, you will likely get distracted easily.

The safe sounds of ambient music can make you feel more relaxed without being completely pulled away from the task at hand. Ambient music is usually considered to be great background music, with its use of acoustic and atmospheric sounds.

Variety

Playing the same sort of music over and over can get boring for your brain and can ultimately stifle your creativity. Your mind needs a change of pace, just like when you exercise your body. You can start out by listening to something slow and calm, like ambient music, then to a fast-paced song, like dubstep. Switching your music up every once in awhile will allow your brain to have the workout it needs to get the creative juices flowing.

Familiarity

Listening to familiar music can help you work faster and more creatively. You want to be able to hum along while you work, but without needing to stop to belt the lyrics or actively listen. When you listen to new music, your mind tries to get familiar with it, which can stop the creative process. Familiar music is a comfort that will allow you to be as creative as possible.

Overall, it’s up to you to test out what sort of music or sounds will help you become more creative and productive. Every person is different, with varied tastes and temperaments. Once you find your perfect working music, you’ll be ready to get back to your creative self.

Marcela De Vivo is a freelance writer, mother of three and business owner whose writing covers the music, health and marketing industries. As a writer, she must always have a clear and creative mind, so she listens to a variety of music to keep her creative juices flowing. Follow her on Twitter and Pinterest today!

My Summer To Do List

1. farmers markets
2. try a paint your own pottery place
3. miniature golf  for fun
4. yoga class on mondays
5. daily check in on wisteria and sunshine
6. embroider my pillowcase
7. write in the coffeeshop on fridays
8. read novels
9. sunday morning nature walk
10. eat a lot of fruit
11. do a lot of art journaling  and
12. in august take a pottery course

Art Journaling: Here and Now

Yesterday I ran across the sentence Here and Now in three different books, so I had to do some journaling about it. I can tell that it is something so important in my life right, well always really, but especially  now, and its the topic of a fascinating book that my therapist recommended me to read called Belonging Here by Judith Blackstone. It's a book that is helping me a lot right now, and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to feel more grounded and secure in who they are...

My little shop

I'm selling a few handpainted things on a website that was started by someone local to my area. It is similar to Etsy. So I've been busy painting some new things for My Shop.  This is something I've been wanting to do for a long time. I'm always painting things but in the past it's been hard to share it with the world and let it go so now it feels different and I'm inspired to paint and share it with others. These are a few of the items I have  for sell in The Painted Flower.

Sketching

A recent page in my sketchbook of an ink and colored pencil drawing of  my writing desk and a few african violets. I like drawing the things around me, it makes me appreciate it all even more.

Art Journaling

More of my 

large paint and doodle art journal and I'm really loving this kind of journaling right now. It just feels relaxing and I try not to think of the outcome but just have fun with the process, which is a difficult thing for me. 

I always want things to look a certain way, but with this I just have fun, which is really what I need most right now, so I've been playing in this journal a lot. :)

craft project-painted cottages

This is a little project I did using leftover cardboard from the back of watercolor paper pads.  I cut out the basic shape of a house with an exacto knife and then I add a paper door and scalloped paper trim to the roof. I paint them with climbing roses and other little details and then add a ribbon hanger by gluing the ribbon to the back and gluing a little piece of paper over the ribbon to hide the glue and add extra support. Then I poke little holes in the bottom for decorative beads to hang.

The one on the left is a garden shed, the one on the right is a flower shop.

Here are some of the supplies I used and a before shot of the various parts of the cottage.

They are a lot of fun and can be hung in any little nook and crannie for added fun and color...

Nature Sketching

These are a couple of recent sketchbook pages, a few flowers I picked to put in a small vase for Fathers Day, and some wildflowers from my Sunday morning walk.

I love drawing wildflowers, I think there is more to them than most people think, and I love all the little details of them when you really take the time to look...

Art Journals

These are the three art journals I'm currently working in, the one on the top is my collage journal of images and paper that I love.

 The second one is a journal of my favorite things and different lists because I love making lists in my journals.  And the one on the bottom is my large painted art journal where I use acrylics, watercolors, markers and colored pencils.

I lit a candle, put on music and played around with paint in my large art journal and had a very enjoyable time last night. Peaceful and Relaxing which is just what I'm wanting in my life right now.

This page has a drawing of the neckace I bought on Etsy from Violet Bella and I included her business card as well.  I'm also making a list of things I need to do, getting in down on paper helps me have a calm mind.    : )

This is a page in my collage journal from a few days ago and it's all about Fresh Starts which is something I'm needing right now as well.

I hope everyone had a chance to do something they really enjoy this weekend. It's all about making the time for the things we love to do....