Last night's full moon is said to come with a dose of shadow work. Were you feeling it? I have been! Anything you wish to release? It's a great time to be very clear on your boundaries. It's always a GREAT time to work with your feelings and use your non-verbal language to delve inward. When we create art with personal meaning we give ourselves space and permission to be real and raw, honest and expressive, and overall, open our hearts to ourselves. This can feel great or painful depending on what we are currently experiencing in life. Society is shifting, but many of us are still programmed to shut our feelings down, to suppress and mask, and to be in some level of emotional pain to keep the peace. Ewww. No more. If you have things rattling inside you, let them out! If you feel filled with joy, let it out without guilt! Either way, you are brave. Even scribbling mindlessly is brave. Messy, chaotic, non-sense inspired doodling can be more freeing than it sounds. True strength is found in knowing oneself, and we can have deeper realizations through art making than other traditional therapeutic methods. Be brave. Make art! #shadowwork #art #making #creativity #doodling #innerknowing #fullmoon #mentalhealth #wellness

Like attracts like, and many of my students have perfectionist tendencies. At the base of this, there is a belief that we cannot function as normal humans that make mistakes and won't be treated well and loved amidst imperfection. Then somewhere along the way, someone feels like just leaving something undone, not correcting a wonky line and not making something look totally believable. And they like their art anyway. This is the shift. It's hard to feel unless you do it and feel it. But with the level of freedom that comes from leaving something imperfect and loving it anyway, also comes bigger implications. Our masks drop. Our give-a-fuck-about-trivial-BS reflex turns off. Our centers become more steady and we drop anchor in the priorities of our present peace, which has no room for self judgment. Try it! It might change your life. If you do, tell me about it!

If you are feeling worried or scatterbrained, help yourself stay in the moment and calm down with this little art exercise. 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. After you use these prompts, if you want to keep going using more color, shape, line, magazine cutouts, words, phrases - anything goes! 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.

If your space feels a little empty or neutral there’s nothing wrong with you. Sometimes we hold ourselves back in ways we don’t even notice. This is a gentle encouragement to let a little more of what you love in. 🫂The spaces we live in affect us more than we think. Not just visually, but emotionally. 🤩 Pour your passion, your heart, your love on your walls. Make your space lift you up emotionally, reflecting the highest and best parts of you and your life. Your environment can support you too. Make walking in an exhale moment because of what you see. 🤍 💬 What do you think about this? If this stirred something in you, tell me about it in the comments.

Happy Monday Skoolers! Wishing you a gentle and inspiring week. Remember, if you get stressed... 1. be like a color detective, finding as many shades of different colors as possible 2. do vagal breathing (inhale for 4, hold for 2, exhale for 7) 3. use gentle, expressive movement to release emotion (or sing!) 4. shake it out These may seem simple, and they are. Simply biological. All of these methods start a chain reaction of increasing certain chemicals and reducing others. These exercises signal to the body that you are safe. The calm feelings build up until your nerves settle. You deserve peace and to flow fluidly through life. Even though so many people are struggling, do not feel guilty for your own peace. The world needs the calm in the storm to shift the tides and to raise the vibration of the planet just by living in a calm state of being. It matters more than we sense sometimes. Cheers to your wellness! 🍇