Art Therapy and the invention of Artbooking

I participated in an Art Therapy group class last year. It was fun, illuminating, sometimes a bit emotional. I had a few artistic breakthroughs and can only recommend it. On Saturday, I went to an ‘Arts Therapy Introduction’ with Claudia Leaney at the Byron College to find out a bit more about it….turns out its a 4 year course available only in Melbourne, so I won’t be adding ‘Art Therapist’ to my list of whatevers, but it was a completely  fun and engaging day.

The only requirements for us to bring a pencil and notebook. I had just made a little journal out of some left over watercolour paper, so i took that and my Aquash pen with sumi ink in it and a few prismacolor pencils.  And i pretty much filled it up with keywords and phrases from the class. Some are things from Claudia, others were from participants. I fully and totes love it!

I considered it as mental refreshment before I Heart Drawing starts. ( I just hit the ON button  – so the class is officially started!).

But BEST of all I met some VERY cool peeps there… and we are starting a Journaling and Paper Appreciation  Society….(JPAS?)  with our first meeting this Thursday in Byron Bay. Yep… action!

Bec and I were hatching plans right before we were meant to do a little meditation… and I couldn’t settle my mind at all. That’s me on the left with one eye open watching everyone else meditating peacefully. I am not very good at meditation or napping. I seem to only ever manage being asleep or awake, the in-between stuff eludes me….( lack of the meditation gene and a wariness of lentils – actually beans in general –  will forever exclude me from becoming as one with the hippies.).

I’m never taking a normal notebook to anything ever again…art journaling  or Artbooking like this kept me alert,and engaged all day – which is VERY unusual for me in a class or lecture, no matter how interested I am. Normally my mind wanders off at some point and mentally i go have a picnic on the grass outside, lay down and make shapes out of clouds. But I stayed tuned in. BREAKTHROUGH!!!! heehee.  I shall investigate further and report back to you….

choose happiness,

Jane