Almost back on board

Hi everyone

I hope you all had a wonderful New Year and break afterwards, I've been on a nice little break which has helped to re-charge the creative batteries and plan the upcoming year. Over the break I have dealt with feelings of overwhelm and excitement as I realise how busy I am going to be over the next 12 months. It is going to be an exciting year with new classes to teach and classes to take. I have also had a lot of time to think about what is important and what is not, what to concentrate on and what to let go and to ultimately prioritise effectively. Janet had a great post last week that expressed much of the same feelings. For years I have always been in a rush at the end of a deadline and have become stressed with all that is on my plate. This year I am feeling that it is going to be a year of new habits and different thinking. My priorities are changing slightly and I have committed to using my diary more effectively. Part of my daily practice towards that Balance is meditation, which helps to stop the scatter-chatter that is in my mind. 

And so on to the choice of my word for the year....  

Balance,

balance in all areas of my life

balance between family time, friends time, art time, spirituality and relax/recharge time

So having said all of that, I signed up for Effy Wild's Book of Days and have become a bit addicted to it. Effy has a wonderful program for artfully documented the next year and gives excellent instruction and encouragement through bi-weekly newsletters and videos as well as a very supportive group environment on Facebook. It has enabled me to sit and art everyday, even if for 15 minutes, which is something I have been trying to do for a while now. Along with Book of Days, I am doing Sarah Ban Breathnach's Simple Abundance. I originally thought it would be committing to to much but am finding that the daily reflection required for Simple Abundance goes perfectly with my journaling in Book of Days. I have kept a journal sporadically but never recording my thoughts every day and I am really enjoying the process. Anyway, if you pop over to Effy's website you can find out how to join in on the fun.

Here is a couple of photos as a sneak peak of my Book of Days. In the coming week I will be sharing my process for some of the pages and the cover.

Have a great day everyone.

My quote today is from one of the lovely ladies from the Book of Days group, thanks Kel :)

"Art has the power to unveil the mysteries if we look closely enough"

Namaste

Lee