I thought March was a slow reading month, until I pulled together the list of books I’ve read so far. I read a total of 6 books this month, one of which was a slow, involved read. I must say I’m pleasantly surprised!
First up are the three books that I read specifically for the Book Bingo challenge
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If you’ve been around here for a hot minute, you know that I’m a diehard art journaler and that I absolutely love intuitive painting — especially figurative abstracts. I art journal almost every day, even if it’s just for 10 or 15 minutes. And painting intuitively perfectly suits the short bursts of time I spend in my art journal. I can leave things to dry, come back and look at my art journal spread with fresh eyes, and find stories within the layers of paints and marks.
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The March 2022 full moon falls in the sign of Virgo. The Virgo archetype is logical and practical, with an eye for detail and the steadfastness to go after their goals. This is a sign that thrives on meticulous planning, on honing skills to perfection and gaining mastery over their chosen vocation.
Spiritually, the Virgo archetype teaches the principle of devotion. One way to understand this principle is by looking at it through the lens of one’s devotion to their craft. While all the buzz seems to point towards profiting from your passion, there are numerous examples of famous writers and artists who held down a day job for most of their lives. Franz Kafka was an insurance clerk, Harper Lee was an airline ticketing agent, Mark Rothko was an elementary school teacher and Paul Gauguin was a stockbroker. They could all have given in to the dull drudgery of making a living, but they didn’t – and the world is much richer for their devotion to their craft.
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On this episode of the Art with Soul podcast, join me for a chatty, slightly rambling discussion on my art studio makeover. I’m sharing a few tips and suggestions on how you can plan out your own art studio at home, with a lot more suggestions and resources included in the shownotes.
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I had filmed this expressive abstract painting at the end of 2020, and forgot all about it! But it was fun to go back and listen to my musings on struggling with the pause between one year and the next as I created this abstract acrylic painting, and to see how much better I have become now, at the start of 2022, with embracing the pause!
Though I am working on a small piece of mixed media paper, you can easily follow along in your art journal.
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On this episode of the Art with Soul podcast, we talk about art as therapy, about how we can use a simple daily creative practice as an act of restoration and care. I share an expressive arts exercise from my own creative practice, plus many suggestions for creative practices that you can adapt, adopt, or tweak to suit your own preferences.
Continue readingPlus some journaling questions, an astro-tarot forecast, exploration of the the Sabian symbol, mini ritual, and additional resources for the March 2022 new moon in Pisces.
The March 2022 new moon falls in the sign of Pisces. The Pisces archetype is highly intuitive and very open to the flow of creative imagination. This is the sign of creative dreamers and mystics and visionaries, which makes this new moon an excellent time to flex your intuitive and creative muscles.
Spiritually, the Pisces archetype teaches the principle of unity, of recognizing the divinity within you. One way to understand this principle is by looking at creation – the creator {God, Universe, Source, however you wish to name it} created this earth, the rivers and seas, the trees, birds, insects, animals, man.
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Why do we make things by hand? And why do we make them beautiful? Led by the question of why working with our hands remains vital and valuable in the modern world, author and maker Melanie Falick went on a transformative, inspiring journey. Traveling across continents, she met quilters and potters, weavers and painters, metalsmiths, printmakers, woodworkers, and more, and uncovered truths that have been speaking to us for millennia yet feel urgently relevant today: We make in order to slow down. To connect with others. To express ideas and emotions, feel competent, create something tangible and long-lasting. And to feed the soul. In revealing stories and gorgeous original photographs, Making a Life captures all the joy of making and the power it has to give our lives authenticity and meaning.
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Grab your art journal, pull out some of your favorite paints and mark making tools, gather together some stencils and masks from your stash, and let’s paint!
I’m painting in my handmade mixed media art journal, which is filled with a mix of starter pages that have some collage, stencils, and marks on them, and some plain pages where I can give my thoughts free reign.
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On the first episode of season 4 of the Art with Soul podcast, we talk about different ways to approach the 100 day project; discuss process over product; and see how a gentle reframe of this popular challenge can help you develop your own visual language and style.
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