Visual Art Journaling and Playing

I really believe that play is an important part of our lives.  Yes, even when we are all grown up.  But can you remember the last time you played?  Plato said: Life should be lived as play.  Can you imagine what your life might look like if you lived it as play instead of as work?  I often refer to my studio as my "playroom" and I believe everyone needs a place to play.  If you don't agree, have a look at the research done by Stuart Brown in his book Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul.


And if that doesn't persuade you perhaps Bernard Shaw will.  He said "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."  For example, try skipping instead of walking and see if that doesn't make you feel younger!


Last weekend six creative women came and played in my studio and created amazing journal pages by playing on the page with paints, paper, image and word.  Here are just a couple of images from the workshop. Thank you Jodi, Janet, Debra, Linda, Eileen and Janet for letting me share them, even though I know some of them are still in process. 

Journal cover by Janet Jones

Journal cover by Debra Bridges

Journal cover by Linda Hartzig

Journal cover by Eileen Orlowski

Journal cover by Jodi Helmer

Journal page by Janet Hince

Light

One of the photographers in the Drawing with Light retreat, Carol Trull, gave me permission to share her photographs. It seems that Carol really connected with the energy of the place where the retreat was held which is called The Light Center. 

The word photography comes from the Greek and means drawing with light, so this was truly a perfect venue for the retreat.  And Carol truly recorded the essence of light in this image. The Light Center is "dedicated to helping you expand awareness of your inner light and to pray more effectively", so light was in and around us in many ways.  The dictionary defines light as "the energy producing a sensation of brightness that makes seeing possible" and as "God as a source of spiritual illumination and strength" - both of which applied in this weekend retreat on photography as a spiritual practice.

When visiting The Light Center you are generously given a package of information about the Center which includes the seven steps of effective prayer which are:

1.  I release all of my past, negatives, fears, human relationships, self-image, future, human desires and judgments to the Light.

2.  I am a Light Being.

3.  I radiate the Light from my Light Center throughout my being.

4.  I radiate the Light from my Light Center to everyone.

5.  I radiate the Light from my Light Center to everything.

6.  I am in a bubble of Light and only Light can come to me and only Light can be here.

7.  Thank you God for everyone, for everything, and for me.

And Carol also made this amazing image of butterflies.  In ancient Greek the word for butterfly is psyche, which translated means soul.  Truly a soulful weekend in a soulful place.