So my husband had a super long February studying his butt off for a test. For those of you who understand cathodic protection, it was a NACE CP3 test. For the rest of us, it’s a massively hard test covering a lot of engineering formulas that has a thirty percent pass rate. To top it off, the test week ran right over his birthday…just like when he did CP1 and CP2. When it was all done, he was ready to relax and think about nothing. So we headed to Chico Hot Springs. It is just what the name says, a hot spring just outside Yellowstone. In the hustle and bustle of being alone with kids for a week and getting ready to head out of town, I skipped posting last week’s journal prompt. I was stressing about it and keep skipping over it on my to-do list. Than I figured the heck with it and decided to let it go and relax. So now that I am home and back into the swing of things (more or less), the prompt for last week is
getaway
Obviously, mine is all themed on our time at Chico. It’s not super artistically fine-tuned or anything. It’s just a fun little collage made of items from check-in that will serve as a fun reminder of our trip. While I was there, I also grabbed two postcards, one of which I punched to sit next to the collage page in my binder. If you have been on a trip recently or are planning one soon, keep a journal page like this in mind. Taping and gluing together brochures, postcards, coasters, gift bags and any other ephemera is a fun way to hold onto them without cluttering up your house with piles of paper.
If you can’t get away any time soon, journal a page about your dream vacation. Draw a beach where you would love to relax with a drink in your hand. Or maybe a long hike through a forest you have been dying to visit. When you are setting any sort of goal such as planning a trip, creating a visual representation can also help push you forward in reaching your goal. And if nothing else, daydreaming on paper is really fun.
This week it was my turn to feel overwhelmed and stressed. I applied to a juried show at one gallery and dropped off one piece at another. I am trying to wrap up new work for a gallery I am currently exhibiting in and next month I am teaching some art classes I need to keep prepping for. And all that is on top of regular life stuff. When I get stressed out, I just lock up. I was sitting in my studio at my table just doing nothing. I look at my list and can’t possibly prioritize. So I just opted for a journal page. Since I love mandalas and creating repetitive patterns, that is the week ten theme…
mandalas
I didn’t go for anything perfectly measured or spaced. More so, I focused on just doodling and doodling and letting go of everything that has me all wound up. The stress is nowhere near gone, but it really helped me feel a lot better. If you are not familiar with mandalas, just google it and you will have so many ideas your head will explode.
So there you have it, two ideas in one shot. Not what my goal was at the beginning of the year. My plan next time I leave town is to do a post ahead of time and schedule it to post. Let’s stay optimistic and hope that happens. Happy journaling all!
daydreamhouse 