It can be difficult to recognize your value, can't it? You don't have an objective point of view when it comes to what you put out into the world. 

But I think a good place to start is to LOVE YOURSELF just as you are, wherever you are, no matter what your circumstances are or where you've come from. 

Start with where you are. 

Verbally affirm how you love yourself. Self talk is so vitally important in how you see yourself, and if you're not affirming yourself, you will feel the difference. And when you ARE affirming yourself, you can feel a difference and it can help make you feel fabulous! 

Appreciate yourself for who you are right now. With all your perceived "flaws" and quirks that separate you from the rest. 

When you start from a place within where you support and love yourself, you will feel greater confidence in your value personally, creatively and even professionally. 

Another nurturing way you can recognize your value is by building a creative practice that lifts your spirit and leaves you feeling fabulous and committing to that practice every day. 

When you commit to doing something you enjoy (and who doesn't want to do that?) without guilt or obligation (don't do it because someone else suggested it unless you WANT to), you are giving yourself and your Creative Voice space to express what is in your heart, and to spend time doing something that fills your creative well and honors Who You Are and keeps you aligned. 

This will only enhance your value even further as you use that creative energy to enhance everything else you do. 

With Valentine's Day coming up, take the initiative to LOVE YOURSELF no holds barred and build a creative practice that you can't say no to. 

BE YOUR OWN VALENTINE. Affirm yourself. Appreciate yourself for Who You Are. And Nurture yourself by building an authentic creative practice. 

YOU DESERVE THIS. TODAY. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. WHATEVER THAT LOOKS LIKE TO YOU.  

Start today. Now. Get Your Spirit Lifted and Feel Fabulous. 

Journaling Prompt:
Write a list of all the ways you are loving yourself right now. Keep it simple and intuitive. Pick 3 of those things that really hit the spot for you and circle them. Now record why those things work for you and leave you feeling fabulous. Then pick your top activity and makes plans to go do it! Put it on your schedule. Then follow up with an entry sharing the details of why you loved doing it again. 

Art Journal Prompt: 
Create a visual showing how you have loved yourself in the past week. Use colors that are authentically aligned with how you feel about this activity. Doodle some words that capture the essence of how you made yourself feel fabulous. 

(Send me an email at [email protected] to let me know what you're doing to refresh and love yourself and find joy, and I may share it (with your permission) on a live social media broadcast! 

Copyright 2016 by Dawn Herring
Copyright 2016 Header by Dawn Herring 

Here is my latest Periscope Refresh with Dawn Herring Broadcast where I talk about the elements of My Creative Practice, which includes journaling, art journaling, doodling, watercolor painting, and walks. And I talk about the importance of doing something you love every single day. 

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 

This Refresh Daily Rewind video is about Going Slow and how that can make a difference in your creative flow as well as in other areas of your life. 

I am an avid journal keeper. I also host #JournalChat Live on Social Media. I love sharing all the benefits journal writing has to offer. I am refreshed when what someone else has shared has resonated with me and then I get to share it with our #JournalChat Live Community. 

One of the Greatest Benefits I have ever experienced with keeping a journal has been to recognize truth versus illusion. What do I mean by that? I'll explain. 

On any given day I may experience a frustration, a challenge, a resistance, a conflict. And I want to know why I responded the way I did. It takes a bit of digging to get to the answer, but it's always worth the time invested since it helps me create positive change that is very action oriented. 

One of the biggest discoveries I've made through my journal entries is recognizing when I've been thrown off my center, have lost my personal power and feel disoriented, angry or resentful. I get right down to the nitty-gritty in my journal and describe in detail what's going on. 

I ask a  lot of questions. I sometimes do mind maps on words that come up repeatedly. Sometimes I dialogue and use alternating hands to get answers. And most of the time, I'm surprised by what comes out. 

But I always end up in a place of understanding concerning any illusions I might be dealing with whether it's based in fear of the unknown, being uncertain or unsure, or recognizing when I need to shrink something down to size that feels really big and intimidating. 

Journaling, with all of its approaches, techniques and tools, really helps me unpeel all those layers to get down to the root of the problem. Once I know what that is, I can determine what decisive action is necessary to stop the pattern of the illusion before it even starts! 

You see, when I recognize the illusion for what it is, I can then recognize the TRUTH of the matter and begin living by that truth as much as possible. Journaling truly helps me SEE differently, giving me a fresh perspective! 

And when I combine my journaling with other nurturing activity such as prayer/meditation/study/painting, it becomes a power house of energy that gets me going in the right direction. 

When you live by the truth that you discover in your journal, you can create positive change in your life that truly aligns you with Who You Are. 

Then you'll begin to notice that discovering Who You Are becomes a more natural process, demystifying the answer to that all encompassing question: What Am I Here For? 

Yes, with a consistent journal writing practice, you can experience Truth in a nutshell when you take the time to dissect, discern and disable illusion in order to initiate personal empowerment, which enables you to leave your meaningful mark in the world. 

Journal Prompt: Note a recent conflict or challenge you have faced and detail it in your journal, including who, what, when, where and why. Be sure to include any emotions or feeling that rose up in that conflict. Then use your favorite journaling technique, such as dialogue or a mind map, and do some dissecting to reveal any illusions you may be reckoning with. Then take the new understanding, which is YOUR TRUTH, and determine what action you can take to live in that truth as much as possible. And always be GENTLE with yourself in this process. 

Art Journal Prompt: Create a visual, whether text or image based, choosing colors that resonate and honor how you are feeling about the conflict you detailed. Use this art journal spread as an affirmation of your TRUTH that you have discovered and celebrate this positive change in your life! 

Copyright 2015 by Dawn Herring 
Image Copyright 2015 by Dawn Herring Collection

This post, Finding My Truth, is my contribution to our 5 Year Anniversary Celebration of #JournalChat Live for all thing Journaling! You can also contribute with details here and join our #JournalChat Live Facebook Group for journaling camradarie and insight with blog posts, articles and prompts for your journal writing practice. You can also sign up for Refresh Journal which includes the best of what I find and share online in our #JournalChat Live Community. 

It's easy to do too much in order to meet someone else's expectation, especially when we feel that something should be done a certain way even if it doesn't have to be. (We all think that way at times, don't we?)

It's important to be flexible and pay attention to our personal threshold. We shouldn't push ourselves past our limit. It's not good for us or anyone else; we need to Honor our boundaries. We've set them there for a reason. It's all part of self care, which means saying no or "later," if need be. 

If we push ourselves too hard for too long, even if it's unintended (we are often unaware that that's what we're doing), we will feel the consequences, whether through our body, our mind or our spirit, or maybe all three. That would be harder to solve than if we said no and honored our boundaries initially. 

TAKE CARE. <3

Journaling prompt: 
Detail a time when you pushed yourself too hard and felt consequences as a result. Include your reason for having said yes despite wanting to say no.  Now record what you would do and why if you could do it all over again where you are today.

Art Journal Prompt:
Create a visual in whatever way feels right to you that shows clearly your boundary. Use color, text or image to convey this from the heart. Be your own visual advocate. 

Copyright 2015 by Dawn Herring 

I like the way the leaf stencil came out. I used a cosmetic sponge to apply the watercolor paint. I just have to watch I don't use too much water otherwise it gets under the stencil. It really is all in the experimenting! I learn as a go, and I have fun at the same time. (That's my mantra in art journaling, isn't it? ;)) Once I had my stencils work in place, I noted that the squares reminded me of building blocks. So I decided to add the words, Building Blocks, using colored construction paper as background and I would stamp each one with a letter. I had to determine where the blocks would go. There are so many variables based on what's on the page already as well as what looks right. Once I settled on the 'where' of it, I adhered them with matte medium, and then stamped the letters. 

Once I had that completed, I felt like the yellow was a bit "loud," so I decided to tone it down a bit with red watercolor paint applied with a sponge and then later, outlined with a paintbrush. I also decided to add more building blocks to the page by cutting out squares of paper, laying them out in such a manner as to resemble bricks, which I later outlined in white  and red on yellow. 

Once I had that completed, I begin to think more deeply about the Building Blocks of life. Not only do our homes get built with a strong foundation, but our inner lives have one as well. But what are those building blocks made of? 

Joy and Happiness are wonderful building blocks created from lovely life experiences we have. But what about those life challenges that throw us off our center or make us look more carefully at our choices? 

Ah yes, those! They have so much to teach us, don't they? What triggered that initial reaction or action on our parts? What can that tell us about ourselves? 

I'm always one to dig deeper in my journal when I ask myself such questions so I can learn what I can to make that all-essential positive change. Know what NOT to do next time and what TO DO for my health and well being. 

So as I asked this question, I decided to add 'Life Challenges" to my spread, using a stencil for the lettering, which I applied with watercolor and outlined with white gel pen. 

As I thought more deeply, I realized that Life Challenges are Building Blocks to....Alignment! (Which I added also with stencil.) Yes. When we recognize the positive change needed and take action to do what is necessary to implement that positive change, we get REALIGNED with Who We Are. (I was actually excited to share that with you since I know how powerful it was for me.) 

I am all for realigning with Who I Am, since I know when I am thrown out of alignment from life challenges, it doesn't feel very good. No. And who wants to stay there anyway? Not a very healthy place to be. 

My journal and art journal are both places that help me stay aligned and help me re-align when needed. 

Art Journal/Journal Prompt:
Are you facing a life challenge that has thrown you off your center? Have you been blindsided by something unexpected and are smarting because of it? Explain in detail this challenge in your written journal, including what triggered the challenge, how you reacted to the challenge, and what made you realize it threw you off your center. What did you do or still need to do to get realigned? What positive change do you need to make as a result of this life challenge? 

In your art journal, use the color that most represents this challenge for you and apply in a way that Honors your emotion and your feelings right where you are. Pull text from magazines or simply write words that express those feelings best visually. You can also use an image that best represents what this challenge is telling you about yourself. You can also write a poem that Honors the Positive Change you are implementing as a result of this life challenge you have experienced. 

Validating and Honoring your emotions and Who You Are in a Life Challenge is essential to help you go deeper in understanding how your life works for you and what you can do to make it the best quality of life you can. 

Remember that those Life challenges can be the Building Blocks to the Life You really want. Don't be afraid to go for what Aligns you with Who You Are from the inside out. 

Copyright 2015 Dawn Herring
Copyright 2015 Images by Dawn Herring Collection

Have I ever told you how much I love Art Journaling? I'm always singing its praises since I know how rewarding the process can be. And this 2 page spread that you see in the first image is no different. 

I did want to express the importance of having a good stash of art journal fodder on hand if you like the collage element of creation like I do. I recommend saving magazines, circulars, junk mail and anything that has images, text or designs that you like and pull what you're drawn to. I love doing this; sometimes when I don't want to paint but I do want to get into a creative mindset, I'll go through a magazine or two and pull what I like and stash it in my drawers for future reference. 

For this particular spread, I used several things from my stash, with my current favorite color (or at least one of them!) turquoise. I decided I also wanted to lay down some newspaper and tissue paper along with the magazine fodder to create a more layered look. And I achieved just that. :) 

I used gesso to prime the pages initially. Then I started to tear the newspaper in strips and adhered them with matte medium. Once I had that down, I tore bits and strips of the turquoise fodder, first one with a lighter color turquoise, then later I added the darker hues that included black from another image altogether. I added more gesso between these applications to tone down the color but to also add texture and visual interest. Gesso is great for that. I usually apply the gesso with a wide plastic palette knife initially then I switch to a more narrow palette knife when using it over layers. The second image is an up close of the left page. 

Once I had all the layers and gesso down, I also added some turquoise watercolor paint from Prang and added stippling in various areas for more design and for visual interest. I also added some black in various spots to highlight some of the black on parts of collage I used. Once I had all of this complete, I began to look carefully at the composition I created and realized it reminded me of being under water with the color turquoise. Deep under water. Water can also been symbolic of emotion. And emotions are in the soul. Thus the title, Soul Deep. So I stamped the words SOUL DEEP with upper case alpha stamps and again in smaller letters. I accented the letters with black, turquoise and white to define them. The third image is an up close of the right page. 

One of the things I wanted to point out with this Soul Deep spread; when we want to go deeper in learning more about ourselves, deep where those core emotions lie, it can feel a bit overwhelming, especially when we reckon with unexpected emotions of the soul. This is where we have to be nurturing with ourselves, so we don't end up feeling like we desperately need to come up for air. You know how when you go swimming and dive deep, the first thing you want to do, out of necessity, is come up for air. The same goes for emotional swimming. There's a place for seeking and splashing and discovering. But when it's time for air, we need to be flexible with ourselves, rather than exacting. Especially when we've made mistakes. 

Be willing to go deep--even soul deep. But Be Gentle with what you discover. But be ready to see what needs to change too, because that will come. But you'll be ready for it. 

And when you do come up for air, the air will be sweet and invigorating; and you will be changed--for the better. 

Enjoy your swim! 

Copyright 2015 by Dawn Herring
Copyright 2015 Images by Dawn Herring Collection