Hello First name / friend ,

 

This is one of my recent journal pages. The found poem reads, “changed in the direction of a joyful wonder”. It's an intuitive painting and poem, meaning I sat down and both the painting and the poem spilled out onto the page in the moment with no preconceived ideas. I try to let things flow and not overthink as I’m creating. Below to the journal images I’ve included photos of the Puntledge and Browns rivers, so you can see the colours and feel the movement of these places that inspire me.

 

Mindfulness has taught me that I can change direction any time I want. I can shift my attention inwards or outwards. I can change my perspective. I can take a new path today. 

 

It sounds kind of amazing - it is! ….….and it is hard. 

 

It takes practice. Practice to check in with yourself. Practice to slow down enough to listen. Practice to be brave enough to let go of what we are attached to (object, emotion, destination, distraction) and to redirect ourselves.

 

When we are flexing our mindfulness muscles, we are practicing noticing. Once we have noticed, and we have tuned into our awareness, we open up this.  s p a c e   to reorient and change our course of thoughts and actions. We have endless opportunities to practice, practice, practice.

This week I invite you to consider the words in my poem as a prompt. What does it mean to you to orient yourself in the direction of “joyful wonder” ? 

 

This can be in the context of your creative practice - how you interact with your supplies and make your art, or it can be in the context of day to day life. 

 

You could try painting ‘joyful wonder’, free-writing on the topic, taking photos of things that bring you wonder, or writing a list (I love list journal pages!) of joyful wonders. Follow any ideas that call to you.

 

If you'd like share your work or thoughts on the topic,  I'd love for you to reply to this email or share in our online community. I so very much enjoy seeing and hearing your reactions to Mindful Mondays.

 

P.S. For those wondering the tech details of the journal page. I used a Stillman & Birn Nova journal and taped the edges with washi tape. It's painted/drawn with a combo of watercolour paints, gouache, Caran d'ache Neocolor II pastels and watercolour pencil crayons. I keep a collection of words, cut out from old books, in a pottery dish in my studio. I simply attach them with a glue stick.

MINDFUL MONDAY ARCHIVE

Flourish https://view.flodesk.com/emails/65ef4e2bd95514d2bdefb707

Delight https://view.flodesk.com/emails/65eb4fd7e1bc902f5e9c1590

Pink https://view.flodesk.com/emails/65f084021caf744c3ae175da

Sanctuary https://view.flodesk.com/emails/65f9bdb844134009b0b324ac

Nest https://view.flodesk.com/emails/66082ddd2fa59153c075b830

Zooburbia https://view.flodesk.com/emails/660c595c4855e9ee8a3b08e0

Xwee Xwhya Luq https://view.flodesk.com/emails/66196e20796980739f5b8579

Rainbow https://view.flodesk.com/emails/6625e54a2480dbe940d7ba50

Focus https://view.flodesk.com/emails/65e766afbd18129f8a46db89

Unloved Things https://view.flodesk.com/emails/66312ab8ed1219e262443471

 

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