Soul Medicine: why I art journal
“‘I am ragged and whole. Aching tired and burning bright. I am too much and not enough. Heldbreath anxiety and deepsigh oceans of peace. I hold it all. There is room enough for every too-much/just-right piece of me.’
“I scrawl tender truths in my waiting art journal. Heart pounds in throat, thick with yearning. I smear luscious color in oil pastel, jagged strokes speaking emotions with no name. I tear collage elements that shiver me, tape them down without worrying about straight lines or perfection.
“All I need is this: to express, to spill what fills me, to find my breath again.
“Color is now spread, ragged bits of my heart taped into place, words whispered into the safe space of my journal. My hands still. Heartbeat slows. Breath comes softer, gentler. I am home again in my skin, in that calm space at my core. Shaken out. Emptied. Yet somehow fuller, more satisfied than I was before.
This is why I art journal. To find my way back to me. To breathe with more ease. To relieve anxiety, stress, doubt. To celebrate joys and lessen ache. To tell the story of my soul. To honor every ragged, whole part of me.” —quotes from my ebook, Soul-Medicine: Start Here (Amanda Fall)
In 2019, I offered an ebook as part of Effy Wild’s Book of Days yearly art journal intensive (taught online, with a wonderfully warm-hearted companion Facebook group). I spilled my soul about why I art journal, how my creative practice has evolved through the years, and especially how art journaling became essential for my emotional wellbeing after birthing my first (and only) child in 2017. My art journals got messier, more rumpled, more real. I mourned the seeming loss of what I’d been able to create before—but discovered a whole new, soul-deep way of spilling my truth on the pages.
I’m offering this ebook to you for free now, hoping these pages may inspire you to begin or deepen your own art journal practice.
Donations are welcome here to honor my time and effort.
I was thrilled to teach in Book of Days 2020, and am equally delighted that I’ll have a lesson going live in Book of Days 2021 in August. I’ll be sharing more about that new class here on the blog. You can sign up any time for Book of Days; we’re halfway through, but the lessons are yours to keep forever, and there is never a “behind”—just being right where you are, with fellow art lovers, and your own glorious art journal.
UPDATE: I’m teaching again in Book of Days 2022!
Are you an art journaler? If you’re new to this practice, what are you curious about when it comes to art journaling?
If you’re a longtime art journaler, what are some of your favorite supplies?
I’d love to hear in the comments!
I hope my ebook, “Soul Medicine: Start Here,” helps light a creative spark within you, or keeps your flame burning strong.
