Wow! I feel like I've barely gotten started and Creative Care Circle has 10 members already! Thank you for being here, all of you!! Welcome! Please introduce yourself and tell us... - your name - where you live - what type of creativity do you practice or want to practice? - include any art, crafts, or any facet of your creativity that you'd like to share

Use color, shape, line, magazine cutouts, words, phrases - anything goes! Use these prompts one at a time or all together to explore the depth of these concepts. Art journaling helps us reduce worry and process our life experiences in a safe, comfortable way. It can help us reduce anxiety and self doubt because of the healing effect on the amygdala, which regulates emotions and creative thinking. Art journaling can be as playful or as serious as you'd like it to be. All you need is paper and simple supplies. Take a load off and lighten your heart. Unwind at the end the week or when you need some lighthearted self care.

Dear members, if you have some beauty, joy, creativity or craftiness to share from your recent festivities, I wanna see! Let's share some of the visual memories dear to our hearts from the holiday season. I'll start by sharing some of my pics. 1. Fuzzy owl ornaments on our tree. 2. I love colored lighting. My partner got me the lotus lamp on the shelf and I love how it complements the area and creates so many different color combinations. 3. Seattle amazes me. These sweet little flowers are in bloom right now, along with some camelia, rhododendron and even a couple cherry blossoms. Wacky year for the growing season but the more flowers the better for my eyes. Whatever you celebrate, I hope love and belonging held you softly, and comfort and warmth surrounded you. I hope you are enjoying some rest and fun and have a wonderful weekend. ✨❄️✨

Not the polished kind. Not the kind that produces something tidy, impressive, or marketable. I believe in the courage it takes to meet yourself honestly, especially when what you’re carrying is tangled, inconvenient, or messy. This season asks us to be shiny. Wrapped. Bowed. Presentable. It’s a time of appearance and commerce, of “holding it together” while the inner world may feel anything but. And yet, this is often when the deepest truths are stirring beneath the surface, asking to be seen. Messy art is a rare and powerful medium because it gives us permission to explore those hidden layers without having to explain them. It bypasses language, perfectionism, and performance. It lets the nervous system exhale while the heart speaks in color, texture, presence, and movement. There is real bravery in letting the mess out onto the page instead of carrying it alone. In allowing chaos to have a voice, it softens, shifts, and eventually transforms. We don’t make messes to stay stuck in them. We make messes so we can see what’s there, tend to it with compassion, and pivot toward peace and connection. I believe in your willingness to do that kind of work. A Messy Art Prompt: Set a timer for 10 minutes. Choose 2–3 materials that feel imperfect: scrap paper, cheap paint, a dull pencil, your non-dominant hand. Without planning, let your body move what it’s been holding back. Scribble, smear, layer, tear. When the timer ends, pause. Add one small mark or color that represents care. Not fixing, but caring. That’s creative courage. And I believe in yours!

What is your favorite looking emoji, just for the visual aspects of it? Mine is the purple splat! 🫟