At the tail-end of autumn, I was out for a walk on my usual block in my neighborhood. It was bright sunshine with lots of wind, blowing the leaves from one end of the sidewalk to the other. 

As I began my cross over, a thought occurred to me that as the wind drives the leaves away, they will never be seen again in their beauty in the exact same spot. Once they're gone, that's it. 

So I became compelled to capture the beauty of leaves exactly as they were At That Moment in Time. I was totally in the moment as a result. I must have taken over 30 pictures in the space of 10 minutes. I felt blown away by the beauty and yet felt the overt transience of the moment, the position of my subject matter, and the great realization that I would not be the same after this moment. 

LIFE is Transient. In all of its dimensions. From one moment to another. In our way of life, our day to day existence, our relationships, our routines, our work, our health. Everything changes from one moment to the next, and you can never know quite what to expect. 

So I must make the best of each moment. Seize the moment while you have it. Slow down long enough to take it all in. Like I did on this day. 

This moment and time really spoke to me. Sometimes it surprises me what comes to me during these times on my walk when I'm truly open to what nature has to share. 

As I took one snapshot after another, I became mesmerized by the variety of shapes, the varying colors, the brilliance of sunshine on the leaves in contrast to the sidewalk colors, stone-looks, and background nuances that caused the leaves to really pop out at me. I felt as if I didn't want to pass any up since they all seemed frozen in time just for my camera! 

Leaves have truly been a fascinating subject matter for me visually, both as an image taker and as an artist, and that day just put them even more in the spotlight. And when I was finished and satisfied with my time, my adventure, and the gift those leaves gave me, I returned home to view my images and was amazed as to the color and variety of treasure I now contained and planned for future enjoyment. 

I would say that Autumn 2015 truly left its mark on me; it had a lot to say and my heart is full. 

Journaling Prompt: 
Have you ever had an experience that truly made you realize how transient life is? How did this experience alert you to this? What impact did it have on you? Did you feel changed by this realization, and if you did, did you change anything about the way you do life as a result? 

Art Journal Prompt: 
Using the word, Transience, create a visual that shows your understanding of how being in the moment can change the way you experience life. Use images that are transient in subject matter. Use colors that remind you of the changeability of every day life. 

This art journal spread, Pathways, took me on a colorful pathway with reds and purples. Since my previous spread worked out so well with using a brayer to apply watercolor paint to the page, I decided to continue this trend yet again, applying layers of red washes. When I applied the purple hues, I used a palette knife for more focused areas and controlled application. Once I had that done, I accentuated the areas of paint with torn bits of magazine paper in red I had stashed and applied them with matte medium. This created areas  or sections on each side, and they reminded me of pathways that lead to different places. Thus, Pathways, became my focus. That's when I determined to stamp out the word pathways along two of those sections, one on each side, using red and purple paint. 

As I considered the issue of Pathways and what ones are in my life right now, (this is what happens as I'm creating an art journal spread: it opens pathways of thought and brings subconscious ideas to the fore and that's when I learn something about myself; always worth the time invested). As I considered my next step in this spread, I began to think about what this message could be teaching me right now. In this process, I determined to stamp out the question: Where will they lead? I used my Uniball white pen on stamped letters and the wrote the word, Lead, with Uniball pens in different colors. I also outlined the white letters with red pen. 

Once I had the question down, I knew I needed a conclusive message to sort of answer it...What I determined was...The Aligned Path Always Leads Home. Aha! (Pause for a Epiphany moment). It's funny. My word for 2015 has been Aligned. (Yes, I'm sharing a secret here.) So naturally the word came to mind in conjunction with pathways. And that was my concluding answer...and you know how I determined that? Due to life experience. When I'm aligned, I'm HOME. Everything just FEELS right. And I know when I'm not. And want to get realigned as soon as possible!! 

So I stamped out the "the" in white Uniball pen, then stamped Aligned with large alpha stamps in red watercolor and highlighted them with white pen. I then hand drew letters for PATH with white pen and filled them with red pen.  I hand wrote "always leads" and highlighted with white pen. Then I stamped "home" with ink and alpha letters. I also had some fun cutting out Arrows from colored construction paper and adhered them in various spots around the Pathways showing different directions. But the concluding "Story" behind this spread is I always want to be Aligned becomes that's where I'm home. And it's very good. 

Journaling Prompt: 
Do you know where your Aligned Path to HOME is? If so, detail what it feels like and looks like when you are there. Also describe when you know you're NOT aligned and the process you use to get realigned. 

Art Journal Prompt: 
Honor your HOME place in your art journal through images, text and maybe even colored arrows pointing to home using your favorite or associative colors that remind you of HOME. You can also use the word Aligned as a focal point. 

Copyright 2015 by Dawn Herring
Copyright 2015 Art Journal Images by Dawn Herring
Copyright 2015 Art by Dawn Herring 

In this video, I share thoughts about being indecisive and the effects of indecision and how we can work through the decision making process with confidence instead of procrastinating. 

I love going for walks in my neighborhood. With sidewalks on both sides of the street, and lots of great trees, it has always made for a pleasant stroll. I often see birds, butterflies and sometimes squirrels and even a rabbit once in a while. I love taking snapshots of these mini adventures and reveling in the moment of my minutes outdoors. 

Recently I noticed a big change in the FACE of my neighborhood: many of the trees have been recently "pruned" with larger limbs removed; this I was not expecting. I guess I just thought my tree-lined sidewalk would always look the same. It reminded me of a rain forest, with lots of greenery all around me. But with those pruned changes, that same walk has truly opened up. It almost feels bare in a sense. Quite frankly, I was disappointed by this change, yet, also realized that that's the way life works. Change is inevitable...especially for growing things! 

But noticing the changes in my neighborhood trees, and working to be flexible with these visual differences even if I wasn't happy with the change,  had me thinking about the changing "Faces" of Life in general. We all experience them at one time or another whether we think about them much or not. Of course, there's the obvious change of aging in our visage we all experience. But what about the Faces of our cities, our local landscape, our highways as they expand to accommodate our growing population (Here is McKinney, Texas, the best city in the U.S. to live, we have been experiences major highway construction for several years, but we can see how much better and wider it will all be when it's finished!) 

Then there's the face of our families, as new ones are born and older generations pass from this life into the next, leaving memories and photos to treasure. How about our friendships, some with long-years staying power, and others just for a time. 

​There's also the changing FACE of our employment, sometimes causing us to actually change where we live, being transplanted for a whole new life. 

​These Faces of Change can often be difficult to adjust to, especially if it means loss to us. We have to be gentle with ourselves as we work to understand the changes we are experiencing without being overly critical with ourselves, and yet, also creating a balance of our view so we can still be at peace with what is. There is always something to learn from the changes in life--especially when they are least expected. 

So how do we stay flexible when changes come, especially when these changes are out of our control and must simply be accepted as they are? 

I think validating how we feel about these changes, recognizing what we will miss, and perhaps honoring those changes creatively so we have something to remember them by, can help us assimilate what we are experiencing without being too hard on ourselves. 

Change will come. We will change with those changes. Honoring Who We Are and Who We Are Becoming through those changes will help us understand ourselves better; and perhaps, as a result of loving ourselves through those changes, we can leave a meaningful mark in our changing world. 

The above images of the tree limbs give me hope since they are what's left of the branches on my neighborhood walk that haven't been pruned, thus I really appreciate their beauty! 

Journaling Prompt: 
Is there a specific "FACE" of life in which you have experienced change, whether small and more surface, like the trees I've given as examples, or something life changing with loss of some kind? Honor that change by detailing how it has affected you and changed you. See if you can recognize and visualize a positive aspect to this loss as you detail this change. 

Art Journal Prompt: 
Honor any visual FACES of change you have experienced by creating a spread with images of this change and what it means to you, both at face value as well as within. Use the colors that speak meaningfully to you and consider what those colors are saying about the change you experienced.  

Copyright 2015 by Dawn Herring
Copyrigt 2015 Images by Dawn Herring

Intuition is a powerful tool that I believe in underused and neglected. I didn't realize its power fully until later in life. But I'm so glad I understand its importance and how I can activate it and pay closer attention to it so I can benefit from it! 

Enter My Personal Journal. 

Taking my catylistic tool of journal writing and using the pages to record what my intuition is telling me is something I have found has changed my life for the better. As a matter of fact, I could not overstate the importance of these two powerful tools in my life. 

The thing is, we all have Intuition. But do we listen to it? 

It can sometimes be a challenge to know what voice we are hearing since we hear more than one; this can be disconcerting. But I have found that when I persist in knowing the truth about that Intuitive Voice, I have been able to recognize it more distinctly than ever before. 

How? Because I've been able to TRUST IT. 

Each time I pay close attention to the message coming from my heart, I get to know it all the better. And the more I know it, the more I KNOW. 

Knowing is HUGE when it comes to every day decision making, direction for the future, even when to do something on which day for the best energy applied. 

My journal is the perfect place to Keep Track of those daily intuitive hits that give me clear guidance and sometimes insight that I would not otherwise have. 

My journal and my intuition are both Gifts; and for me, they are to be used for my benefit. Why? Because as I see the track record of the positive changes I have made as a result of listening by journaling, it helps to heighten my confidence and it gives me opportunities that I wouldn't otherwise have. 

Listening to my intuition and recording those insights and plans to make change has enabled me to do what I never thought possible. And it's so exciting when I see and experience those positive changes where the rubber meets the road. Especially when the benefits are unexpected. 

Journal keeping is a way to record what is inside my heart, what I dream of, and what really matters to me. Intuition is the power source (that we all have inside of us from the Creator) that keeps my pen moving across the page in celebration of all I have come to understand and experience, knowing I can TRUST the guidance I receive and can have full confidence for the follow through. 

Journal Keeping and Intuition: So happy together. A Lesson Worth Learning.

Journaling Prompt: 
What was the last intuitive hit you received? Did you listen to it? If you did, how did you benefit? If you didn't, did you see what could have been possible had you listened? (Remember to be gentle with yourself if you didn't. We don't always know for sure if it is our intuition we are hearing; it takes practice!) 

Art Journaling Prompt:
Ask your Intuitive Voice about an issue you need to resolve; then create a spread or page showing the answer in color, text, image or whatever suits your creative expression. You can create a follow up spread to show the results of following your intuition and celebrate what good came of it. 

Note: I wrote this post as my contribution to our September #JournalChat Live OPEN HOUSE where we are sharing Life Lessons we have learned as a direct result of our journal keeping practice. 
Always remember that Your Journaling Voice Matters! 

Copyright 2015 by Dawn Herring
Copyright 2015 Graphic Header by Dawn Herring 

Here is my new installment of my Refresh Daily Rewind Video Series with a focus on Generosity...toward your Creativity!! I address the issue of being restrictive with ourselves and how we can open things up more for better creative flow. Journaling and Art Journaling prompts included. 

The purpose of this installment of my Refresh Daily Rewind video series is to encourage the enjoyment of the creative process without the feeling of overwhelm due to our concern about how much we are producing. Gentleness and Relishment are key to creativity. 

Welcome, Art Journal Enthusiasts! I have a new Art Journal Spread to share with you; I've titled it, The Dividing Line. This particular spread features Modeling Paste, home-made by me. I used a mix of gesso and baking soda, which can be really crumbly and messy if you don't use enough gesso to make it look like cement. This takes practice, messy practice. *wink* 

My goal with this spread was to test out this home made-modeling paste to see how well it would work with a stencil, and this time I made a stencil of my own with long dividing lines. I knew pretty quickly I was going to use them across the top of the page, but I also decided ahead of time that I wanted to put some color down first since when I used modeling paste before without color on the background, I didn't like it as much. I used a brayer to lay down watercolor paint; this is the FIRST time I've used a brayer to lay down color. I have used brushes, sponges and even my fingers, but not a brayer. 

First tip with a brayer: always make sure it's clean before you use it! I had to put down many layers of watercolor before I was satisfied with the coverage. Plus the color was very washy, not thick and dry. (This is not acrylic paint, so there's a bit more effort put in since watercolor isn't opaque and takes more applications for good coverage.) But once I used the brayer, I found that I LOVED the textured look I got from using it, versus laying down color with a brush. Once I had the color down, then I applied the modeling paste with my hand-made stencil. Very messy procedure but I loved the result. That's when the name of this spread came to me, since the lines were creating divided space. So I decided to tear some good 'ole colored construction paper into pieces and stamped out the letters individually, then adhered them with matte medium. I later edged them with more watercolor; love that look. 

As I filled in more of the space, It almost felt like a cliff with a dam of water both visually and viscerally, so I decided to emphasize a separation between the top of the page and the bottom. I tore some gold colored magazine pages into pieces and used those to create a division. I also used a small round sponge on a wooden stick to add more watercolor after I used the brayer and created lines of "water" coming down in a circular motion; as I did this, the idea of a turning came to mind. Then I realized the connection: The Dividing Line Becomes a Turning Point! Wow. 

I absolutely love it when this happens; do you know why? Because when I play in my art journal, I gain understanding of myself and my life experiences, bringing the subconscious to the fore. The realization with this spread is a perfect example of what I mean. Once I had this idea solidly in mind, the rest of the spread just fell into place. From the application of the words "Becomes a" to the words, "Turning Point." For "becomes a", I used a white Uniball pen on stamps for the letters, reinforcing the letters with pen directly on the page for solid coverage. I LOVE the contrast of white on the darker bluish hue. It really POPS. 

For the "turning" word, I wanted it to express itself with its meaning, so I stamped it out in a turning manner. And for "Point," I wanted it to have a directness to it, so I included an arrow pointing at the end and highlighted the letters with my white Uniball pen. I also painted the dividing lines with a gold color. I love the contrast of the gold with the bluish hue. 

I really enjoyed the process of creating this spread, the realization of learning more about myself, about making decisions and how those decisions can become turning points toward authenticity. We all want to be authentic, don't we? Each decision we make can help us be more authentic than ever. 

Sometimes when we face a life challenge, it can feel like a dividing line, especially when we determine to say NO to something we were once saying Yes to. But once we make that decision, knowing it brings us into our authentic path when we do, it becomes a turning point of truth in our lives. When we know the truth and live it, we are free, aren't we? 

Journaling Prompt:
Have you recently experienced something that felt like a division or a change of direction for you? If so, detail it in your journal, including how you felt and responded to the realization that you needed to make a change of direction toward authenticity. Affirm your choice to Stay Aligned with Who You Are. 

Art Journal Prompt:
Dedicate a page or spread to a recent decision you made, changing from YES to NO or from NO to YES; you may want to use the NO or YES as your starting point and stamp out the meaning behind the decision. 

Copyright 2015 by Dawn Herring
Copyright 2015 Art Journal Images by Dawn Herring