Art-making is one of the most ancient forms of declaring “Here I am”.
Red-ochre handprints on the walls of ancient caves revealed the first signs of art-making. These artworks stood the test of time and announce an existence spanning across ages, across time, reminding those who came after, that once a woman stood in a cave, and declared: “I am here”. She was the seed that carried the promise of the future. When she closed her eyes, she could imagine those seeds traveling on the wind, flying with eagle feathers, whispering messages of mystery, magic and intrigue.
Art making invites you to make your unique essence or ‘handprint’ visible. Through colour, shape, line, form and texture, a new story emerges as you make your feelings, thoughts and emotions visible through a creative act.
You don’t need to be an artist or be artistic to allow for this to happen. The practice of visual journaling is one example of a very personal and intimate way to express how you are experiencing life and really making your own story visible to yourself. Your visual journal can help you rewrite your story and create a new narrative for your life that will leave you feeling more whole, balanced, and fulfilled. By combining simple drawing exercises and collecting images and objects you feel drawn to, you start a dialogue that excavates and opens up new spaces in yourself, and as you add your thoughts and feelings through words, your new story becomes visible.
By combining images and words, you are learning a new image-based language, almost like your personal code that helps you understand what you are feeling and how your body wants to express those feelings. You will develop a personal visual language with a new alphabet of mark-making that is unique to you. If you can pick up a pencil or a crayon and make a simple mark on a piece of paper, you can keep a visual journal. And over time, you will learn how these simple marks or drawings carry a special message for you. Very often, the more simplistic a drawing, the more powerful the message it carries.
The art-making process unfolds step-by-step, with each step prompting the next. Personal growth is a similar process. It happens organically, but there are certain steps or stages that are integral to the process. By following the guidelines, a space opens up that unveils unexpected insights that will amaze and surprise you.
Use the pages of this journal to make your healing process visible. But by no means, feel limited by the amount of pages or the space available. See it more as a catalyst that might urge you to work bigger on a canvas or create a collage on a bigger board.
Follow the guidelines and make it your own. Each healing journey is unique, and by making use of visual art making techniques, your journey to greater wholeness will become visible. Trust the process. Trust yourself. Trust the guidance you get to choose a certain colour or image. In the end, it will all come together.
