Creativity and overthinking... - Day 20!

Wow, time flies when you are having fun huh? It's been almost 3 weeks already! Today is Jan 20th and the Mandala Magic program I am participating in officially starts today!! WOOOHOOOOO!!!

I have been working on a journal page for what feels like forever. I don't know why I obsessed about it so much, it just... 

I really liked the prompt, I kept thinking I needed to do it "right" and that it needed to be really special. Plus I think part of me was hoping that if I kept snowflakes in my page, then maybe I could avoid getting more on the ground! LOL

I forget that my page IS really special simply because it's part of me. That's part of the art journal process. I tend to overthink projects, to obsess and make myself crazy from time to time and just generally make my own life difficult. I did finish it. 

I DO love it. 

I'm happy I spent the time I did, but I think I'm going to go out of my way to NOT do that again in my journal... the overthinking I mean. 

Whatever you are creating every day, make sure you are having fun with it! :) Art is a combination of creativity and play... at least that's how I get MY art. 

Glaze pens, crystal markers, mirrors and hand lettering.
The quote says:
"Like Snowflakes, the human pattern is never cast twice,
We are uncommonly and marvelously intricate in thought and action" ~Alice Childress

Do you do that too? Make yourself obsess over things or do you find it easier to go with the flow?

For those of you that know, I'm a CZT (Certified Zentangle Teacher) and I've decided to include some of the little Bijiouisms on my daily posts, because I want to spend more time reflecting on them myself. (Bijou is a creation of Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas and you can learn more at Zentangle.com)

Bijou's thoughts about the Zentangle 
Method (and life).

Breathe

Breathing is very important to me. I breathe through my skin and through something similar to a human nose. If I get anxious, I remind myself to slow down my 
breath. I pay attention to inhaling and exhaling. It may sound simple, but it really helps me relax and focus.

Work in progress pic for me today

Normally on Monday, I post later so that I can find, read and complete the Diva challenge before I post. Today hers is a big deal. It's about Weekly Challenge #201: "Moebius Syndrome Awareness Day 2015" and I think it deserves a really focused effort. Today I have some stuff going on and just can't devote the focus to that piece that it deserves so I'm going to show you a work in progress instead and really encourage you to go check out Laura's challenge today, even if you've never done one before. It's worth it. I will share my Moebius Syndrom Awareness tile when I get it done this week. I hope to see lots of yours shared as well. Here's my snowflake picture,

 I'm still working on it... this journal page is an event I tell you!

Throwback Thursday!

Today's challenge is inspired by #Throwback Thursday.
I want you to think back to when you were a kid, what kind of creative activity did you love to do?
Was it crayons? Fingerpaints? Markers?
Did you like to play with chalk?
Today, do something to feed your inner munchkin. :)

I was inspired by the journal prompt I was given in my art journal group yesterday. We are supposed to cut snowflakes to remind us of our individuality. I am so excited by this idea... I LOVE papercutting and I live where it snows sometimes up to 8 months out of the year, so I am like a SNOW EXPERT.

I think I cut 100 snowflakes yesterday, plus it was a half day for my kids so it really felt like a kid-inspired day.

My journal is in progress, and you can't quite see what's going on in there yet (I'm using a lot of white on white which may not photograph so well) but I will share when that's done. For now...
A snowflake

Zendala Dare #93 - Snowflake Surprise

Snow.

How fitting... since we have, well.. more snow, again. Still. Always. LOL Well not quite always but it certainly feels that way this year!

I actually love snowflakes, not real ones...but the delicate composition, the symmetry.. blues and silvers.

When Erin over at The Bright Owl (see the link on the side) posted the snowflake surprise dare I was thrilled, especially because I had JUST received my mutlticolored pens (with blue!) in my earth tone set and was dying to try them out. I used the darker blue and it's subtle.. I like it. If I try another I'm going to try with the lighter and see what I get!

Now, the pens are also thicker than my preferred pen size at 05,so it's not as delicate as it might have been otherwise, but I really like the subtlety of the blue and after I accented it with my blue watercolor pens here's what I ended up with!