Life is a balance of holding on and letting go. ~Rumi
For years, journaling was my Prozac. Scratching a pen across the blank page helped me navigate some very dark roads. I had boxes of spiral-bound notebooks squirreled away with post-it notes atop: If I’m dead and you are cleaning out my office, please don’t read these, burn them. My husband remarked, “Well, there’s an invitation for people to brew a pot of coffee, clean their eyeglasses and find a comfy chair.”
Lucky, lucky day when my ‘note to self’ became: You are alive. You are ready to let go of the whining and despair. Now, what story do you want to tell about your life?
The day I set a match to my old journals was liberating, life defining…
After savouring the fire of letting go, I purchased an empty book, plotted out the year ahead, got out my crayons, scissors and glue and began filling pages with inspiration, hope, gratitude, joy, play…
Ari Appleton is the Clay Girl, and as I open my visual journals you will for certain get to know her spirit and spunk. But more, what I hope you’ll discover is that we are all lumps of clay with the potential to create something spectacular!
Your visual journals are a real treasure. I hope they get published one day too. They are full of inspiration and I can’t wait to get my hands on my own copy!
I was going through them looking for pages to share and found words missing, spelling errors, coffee splotches… My first reaction was, I can’t put this on my blog. Then I decided that life is full of mistakes, missing things, messes… but there’s beauty and wisdom in the midst of it all.
Thank you for sharing this tiny bit of your story. I love that you embraced journaling through the bad and into the good. Brava!
It’s been a process of learning to live that Voltaire quote, Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboat. Actually, I think I have a journal entry around that quote.
You are on the road. Speaking of being on the road, it is grim here right now.
Yes, It’s a dark and stormy morning...
White knuckled here – I miss your daily inspirations so look forward to following you !
And I miss your wit and smile.
“But more, what I hope you’ll discover is that we are all lumps of clay with the potential to create something spectacular!” – I love that!
And you, Laura, are a delightful lump!
Heather, your earlier sorrows have created a fertile ground for your rich imagination to plant some amazing fields. I’ve loved working with you in WIP and otherwise for the past several years. I’ve learned so much from you, and hope I am a better writer as a result of working with you. I am so excited about your future publications!
Thanks, Karen. I value you as a mentor and I am so grateful that you are my friend.
(Hey, just in case your followers missed it): that spread across the top is one week of Heather’s visual journal. You can click on it to see it full screen (and read it too).
Thanks for the tip Brian. I didn’t know I could click on it to see it full screen and read it.
🙂 thanks for the tip Brian
I’m enjoying Heather’s what I call “word’s of wisdom”
I’m thinking I may take up journaling
Hi Charlene, they are words that I’ve collected from hundreds of wise souls, transcribed into my journal so I can turn to them again and again. My advice is: get some coloured pens, collect inspiring thoughts and quotes and get playing!
🙂 Thanks
Heather, this is one book that I’ve been waiting years to read. So happy to see “Clay Girl” will be out soon. All the very best to you, fine writer that you are. And all the best with the blog. Amazing visuals — and I love the journal — whimsical, structured, alive and rich in thought.
Thanks, Ruth. Your advice: Get naked and jump, girl, has been with me all along the way.
Heather I hope we get to see more pages of your journal The drawings are awesome but the words on that page above really helped me to deal with a few issues today as I’ve re-read them several times. They helped me to try harder to “let go” & enjoy each blessing that comes my way. Thanks muchly
All the scribbles in my journal help me navigate my days with thanksgiving and hope. I’m glad they gave a little of that to you today. And yes, there is lots more to come.
Really looking forward to having your novel in my hands and reading your words.
Hopefully I will keep you entertained with ‘Ari-Tales’ up until its release.
Look forward to the book. Welcome to blogging as well.
Thanks, Marie. Honestly, I’d rather be in the woods talking to the trees or at the shore muttering to the ocean, but I’m sure I’ll discover that cyber people are wonderful, too.
There’s a whole other world out here, Heather.