In the Studio with Dawn: PLAY Art Journal Spread

When My Art Journal is the Seed to
​Something Special

Hello my friends and Welcome Back to A Time to Play, a place where I share with you how I am engaging in PLAY every day so you can be inspired to PLAY too! 

I am so excited to share this particular post with you, because it's VERY SPECIAL. 
For those who may not know, I enjoy art journaling. It is one of my intuitive, spiritual modalities that has stayed with me since 2011 when I first discovered this fun, engaging, messy, mixed media marvel, where I love getting my hands dirty! 

I've enjoyed creating two page spreads in my art journal many a year over, and this one is no exception. But this PLAY spread is actually the seed that was planted back in late 2024 to start this blog, A Time to PLAY. Yes, that is how far back it goes! PLAY is a vital essential element to my every day existence as a creative, artist, and musician. I could not live without it. 

Art journaling is one of my favorite modalities I continue to engage in because it gives me a way to explore on a deeper level, bringing my subconscious mind to the fore, and that is a very powerful way to know myself! 

This is what I had in mind when I first got the seed for this PLAY spread: A Banner! Copyright 2026 Dawn Herring

First of all, I love to play with all kinds of media: paint, stamping, fabric, collage, design, embellishments, gesso and anything else I decide to throw on! Yes! 

For this particular spread, I counted approximately 12-13 layers of creating this highly textured dynamic design from the heart and soul! 

The first idea that came to me was cutting out letters from a fabric featuring honeycomb and bumble bees to spell the word PLAY. From there I lay down some gesso to prime the paper and then went step by intuitive step to create the following layers: 
Stamping circles using gouache paint; Cutting strips of fabric and adhering them in a vertical design I created; Cutting out circles that reminded me of mandalas and adhering them into a pleasing design; Adding more gesso in between for texture and visual interest; punch cutting circles from card stock like little balloons of celebration and adhering them where it pleased me in the design layout; stamping small flowers in various places; adding more gesso for texture, cutting out bumblebees and adhering them in strategic locations, adhering the letters for PLAY; adding marks with varying hues of oil pastel and colored pencil; and Stamping the letters that read, Cross Pollination. 

This is the RAW Unfiltered version of PLAY: Cross Pollination Art Journal Spread Copyright 2026 Dawn Herring

This entire spread was created and assembled between January 2025 and March 2026 (with several weeks? of pause in between during a move.) The culmination of this art journal spread feels strategic and with a heart-based layering of importance to me. My desire to focus on PLAY and share it with you is primary to me. I have come to understand how undervalued PLAY time can be, even associating it with guilt in leu of not doing the work that we still have to do each day. 

Detail of PLAY Art Journal Spread Copyright 2026 Dawn Herring

Detail of PLAY Art Journal Spread Copyright 2026 Dawn Herring

Please let this spread be an inspiration to you to make PLAY time a priority, no matter how small the play is, no matter how much time you spend. 

Folks often refer to playful activities as Hobbies. But I also see folks dismiss hobbies when other responsibilities come in, leaving them feeling depleted and exhausted. 

The KEY I have found with playtime is that I don't see it as optional, or a nicety to do occasionally. In my experience, my playtime is vital to my joy and happiness. I have seen how the many creative modalities that I engage in Cross Pollinate with each other; and when I zoom out to see the big picture, I am absolutely amazed as to the importance of how each of them work in tandem with each other to create a multi-dimensional experience that fills my heart and soul with JOY and Goodness! 

Let this art journal spread be a reminder that the things that light you up are not random; they are not just little engagements that have no meaning other than relaxing you. They All Matter. Because YOU matter. Your creativity is essential to you for Who You Are and Who You Are Becoming, authentically and multi-dimensionally. 

If you desire to get a clearer picture of how your creative modalities and what you would like to engage in can help you discover more of yourself and why it matters, connect with me either in the comments or by email ([email protected]) or send me a message on social. 

I'd love to connect with you and show you how we can go treasure hunting for what might be right there in front of you and how you can lead a more creative and intuitive life that brings you joy and soul satisfaction. 

Thank you so much for being a part of my creative journey; it would not be the same without you! 

Leave a comment below about what you are doing to incorporate play every day! I'm cheering you on! 

Have yourself a delightful day and remember to PLAY! 

Dawn Herring, Artist, Art Journal enthusiast, Creative Intuitive Consultant