Friday, May 3, 2013

One thing I know for sure

I'm almost certain that's a journal prompt I've used before: One thing I know for sure. It sounds quite familiar. (I don't look back on old pages very often, have I ever told you that? It's because I've set myself the goal of generating new prompts for each new project and I'm almost superstitious about avoiding completed pages when I'm working on new stuff. There's bound to be overlap here and there and occasional unintentional duplication, but even then, I try to approach core themes and ideas from as many different angles as I can imagine.)

Which brings me to my latest project and the title of this post. One thing I know for sure is that creating guided journals (and keeping journals, too) connects me to all the things I think are important in life: the people we share our lives with, the day-to-day events that become our adventures, the goals we set, the accomplishments we celebrate, the failures we try to learn from, the challenges we overcome.

I love the ever-evolving sense of discovery that journaling affords. I love that journaling can be deadly serious or completely ridiculous. It can be honest and heartbreaking and silly and soulful -- each in turn or all at once. I love the depth and breadth of journaling -- that it can be whatever I need it to be to help me make sense of myself and my world.  I love that I can keep my journals forever.

Lately, I've been working on new pages. Five of them. I stopped numbering them as I have in the past and gave them titles instead. Here's Wild and precious life (from Mary Oliver's quote) for example:

And The bright side:

I've decided to discontinue revisions of my original collection of journal pages and work on new ones instead. I've kept the outer borders from the first six revised journal pages, but the insides are all new.

The new pages have been posted in my shop, both individually and as a multi-page set of five. They're instant downloads now, so that you can start journaling right away, and each page includes two files - one with colour and one without - so that you have the choice of whether to add your own colour.

I have several more pages in the works and I'll list them soon, too.

It feels so good to be back at it. That's one thing I know for sure.

4 comments:

  1. I think working on new pages is a good idea. Moving forwards, not back.

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    1. Thanks, Laura! Me, too. Always forward. :)

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  2. Hi Christie,
    I just wanted to let you know that I discovered your work this morning via Pinterest! I promptly downloaded your whole collection of pages and I loved watching the transition from the first page to the new pages you are selling in Etsy. I hope now that I will print your pages and begin documenting, once more. I am thinking the prompts might make it easier to show up for me. I love the idea of journaling, I am just not very good at the daily part!!(or weekly or monthly for that matter!!) Thanks so much for your generosity.

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    1. Welcome, Angie! Thanks so much for stopping by. It's so nice to read that you enjoyed watching the transition. In terms of journaling -- no pressure -- that's why the pages are undated. Just journal when you can. :)

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