Besides that, I am not a great typist. My highest speed ever was 42 words per minute. So combine that with not spelling very well and you understand my love for spell check. It makes me look good or at least it gives me the illusion that I do.

Right now I am taking an online class called Letter Love 101 where we are learning hand lettering styles. It’s all about fun and play.

Our Day 3 homework assignment was to write the words: “Play, Practice, Write, Repeat” on a sheet of Bristol board with Copic markers.

The assignment was to do it on a loose paper so we could keep it out in plain view as a reminder to not be too hard on ourselves while we do our coursework.

Deviation #1:  Even though I have the recommended paper, I did mine in a journal, not on the Bristol.

We were supposed to use a certain type of marker (that I don’t have).

Deviation #2:  I created a water color background and used water color pencils instead of going to the store and hunting down the recommended pens.

I got all the way through the assignment, took the photo and uploaded it to our group’s page. Then I saw my error.

Deviation #3: Spelling error. Okay, this was not intentional on my part like #1 and #2 but it is still not following the rules of spelling.

Spell check would have come in to save my work at this point if I was working on an electronic device. It would have given me the very familiar red dotted line.

Creativity is the practice in letting go of getting it right.

This is exactly what I love about art. It shows all the rough edges when you are brave enough to get over the fear of what other people will think of you.

We usually only get to see the best work or the edited versions. That is the norm.

I could have redone it and shown the class my best work but I made the choice not to. There is something liberating about lifting up the curtain and giving out a back stage pass.

I embrace the artistic license that allows for and embraces change, variations and editions. For that, I am forever grateful. I am really good at making mistakes.

The illusion of being perfect or getting it just right can be a distraction in getting things done. It can stop us from even trying.

Are there places in your creativity or life that this has happened? Did the fear of getting it perfect the first time out keep you stuck?

What were the repercussions of not trying?

Simple image made with watercolor

One solution is to write a favorite quote on the page.

Sometimes I have a hard time with the spacing or size of the quote in that it doesn’t fit or work out the way that I imagined.

I recently started writing out the quote on a sheet of tracing paper that I lay over the page that I will be writing on.

Piece of tracing paper over journal page

Test out the placement of the writing on the tracing paper

After you test out the writing on the tracing paper, then you can do the writing on your journal page. I used a Pentel brush pen.

Now, what should I do with the practice piece of tracing paper?

Sez, Meer, Poke Leaf, Crescent Moon, Msst

I don’t know the science of how the brain works with this process but I have seen how making one small change in the usual way of doing things can be the jump start to the beginning of something big.

Making one small change at a time will eventuallly move you closer to the goals that you have set for your self. If you would like to hear a podcast of me and my friend and fellow Martha Beck trained life coach, Kelly Burkhart, explain how to use baby steps to move toward your goals please click here and you can download the podcast from iTunes.

Can you use one new color in your writing, your wardrobe, or living space this week? Will it open your mind for a new way of seeing?

How can this small step help you to see in a new light?

Post your comments below in the comments’ box or the facebook comments’ box.

Before a class I always wonder what the students will be like, what the layout of the space will be and if I will forget to tell them to sign their work (again!)

Before we started drawing, I asked them to put themselves in a beginner’s mind set, as if they had no training in any art.

It seems like an easy enough instruction but if you are a parent or know any kids at all you most likely have heard, “I know, I know” at some point. It’s harder to be open to anything new if you already know it.

Where is the space for growth?

Starting as a beginner there are no preconceived expectations.

Without expectations, there are no disappointments.

The idea behind a beginner’s mind is to move away from the fear of mistakes and toward freedom or in the case of a creative project, freedom of expression and exploration. Playfulness.

The women all did beautiful work and once again I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to teach this artform.

This week I learned a new tangle from I am the Diva called Undine. It’s the honeycombed section that spans the center of the tile.

Where can you have “beginner’s mind” this week and what can you see with fresh eyes?

It’s an exercise in using what is given to you and how to make the best use of it. We don’t always get to choose what is placed before us. Life is full of twists and turns and being flexible is a good practice in order to maneuver through life with peace and ease.

With that said, I am presenting you with an “A”.

Materials needed:

• paper, it can be single sheet of printer paper or a page in your journal
• stencil of the letter A
• pen or pencil
• markers, Gelly Roll pens or crayons
• OPTIONAL: Exacto blade or scissors, printer, manilla folder

The use of stencils is an easy way to get some visual interest into your journals. If you want extra credit, don’t use a stencil at all. Just free-hand the letter A.

Stencils can be purchased at at art stores, craft stores, or even hardware stores.

If you don’t want to buy stencils or draw free-hand, you can use your word processing software. Open up a blank page and pick out a font you would like to use. Adjust the size of the font as large as you can stand. You can print out the whole alphabet or just the letters that you want to use. Carefully cut out the shape of the letter with an Exacto blade or scissors.

If you would like to create a more durable set that you can reuse, after you have printed out and cut up your letters, transfer the shape of the letters onto a spare manilla folder to cut up and create your stencil.

Start your writing with a word that begins with the letter A. See where it takes you. Stop when you feel you have written enough.

After you are done writing, go back and decorate the stenciled letter.

You may decide to use the same pen you wrote with to make a pattern or patterns within the letter or a use different colored pens or crayons to make it stand out. For my example, I used yellow and blue Sakura Gelly Roll pens.

Do you have more to say? Go back and write some more.

Or do you want to do it again and use another letter? How about going through the whole alphabet? Let me know how it goes for you in the comment box.

If you have signed up for my visual journaling newsletter with my promise to send out regular journal prompts you may have been wondering what happened to the newsletter.

In 2011 I got sidetracked with Zentangle and my love of this art form. I still love to journal on a regular basis but unfortunately I have not been sharing this information on my blog or in a newsletter.

Instead of creating a newsletter solely for journal prompts I am going to be writing and sharing the information about visual journaling on my blog. Whatever and whenever I submit a post on my blog, it will be sent out to you as my newsletter.

And because I write alot about Zentangle, you will also be receiving this information as well.

If you are not interested in receiving my newsletter/blog posts via email there is an unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email.

Thank you for being a subscriber and if you have any questions or comments please write to me.

Thanks,
Grace

I don’t remember the details of the movies that my dad made but I do remember being fascinated by the tiny machine that you could hand crank and watch the film forwards or backwards on a small screen. I remember how my dad used to have this splicing mechanism that he would use to literally cut the film and tape it back together. Our films didn’t have sound because the technology just wasn’t there yet.

In the 70′s my uncle had the NEW camera that had sound. We had fun going to his house and watching the goofy films he made of my cousins and their travels.

In the 80′s it was my time to purchase a camera to film my children. It was a huge video camera that held full size VHS tapes. It wasn’t very fun to lug around but it was fun to use.

And today, I have a camera that makes movies, takes photos, surfs the internet, lets me read books, wakes me up, lets me call anyone I want to and helps me check my teeth for spinach. And it fits in my pocket.

What it doesn’t do, is make me a good editor. So please excuse the sound issues that I came up against when I made this tutorial. You will either have to turn the sound up or all the way off. I think you will get the gist of it.

I used to love roller coasters and spinning rides. I even worked at an amusement park one summer.

When my friends and I were on the large roller coaster rides we would click, click, click our way up to the top in anticipation to the plunge that was going to flip our stomach. It was a welcome feeling. The rides would flip us upside down and we would travel backwards and sideways and forward once again. When the rides were over we were thrilled that we made it through and couldn’t wait to do it again so we would race back to the end of the line to do it again.

And now, not so much.

The rides I love now are the ones that move in a forward motion with less severe drops like the Disneyland rides, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain. Spinning rides are skipped over completely with no regret.

What kind of life’s roller coaster ride are you on right now?

Does your life experience extreme highs and lows like the super coasters? Do you spin around in a circle and don’t really go anywhere like the Mad Tea Party’s Teacups at Disneyland? Are you traveling slow and steady in a forward motion like the Disneyland Railroad? Or do you play it super safe and prefer to watch a show or performance from the sidelines?

I started thinking about all of this because part of my Zentangle reminds me of the structure of those large wooden roller coasters I used to love.

Fife, Purk and Paradox

The Zentangle this week reminds me of the feeling when you have outgrown the space that you occupy and have the need to stretch, wiggle, grow and unfold.

Quabog and Fescu

This can be a good sign because change can be good. It can be something that we need to do.

Today I saw some bright green grasses starting to grow along the freeway. It was so beautiful. It won’t stay that way forever so I made sure to take a good look. The next time I go past there it will be different. But for today they were showing their promise.

Just as the freeway grasses grow because they just HAVE TO and will not be denied if they are left on their own (not sprayed with herbicides) sometimes it’s time to make changes in your life and grow.

Is there something going on for you right now that is wanting to change even just a little? Maybe there is just an inkling that you want to stretch and reach for something better or different.

I encourage you to think about that this week and see what wants to unfold.

Watch for the un-origami.

“It’s all well and good to look back after the fact and see what we should have done, but we rarely know what path is best when we take that first step.”
~Christine Feehan, Oceans of Fire

We rarely get “do-overs” in life. So we can do nothing and play it safe or we can take the first step toward the path that we want to live.

Betweed and Msst

What will you do today to get you closer to your ideal life?