Ep 12: "The Creative Journal: The Art of Finding Yourself" Review Part 1
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Perfectionist in Recovery
“The Creative Journal: The Art of Finding Yourself” Review Part 1
The Creative Journal Review Part 1
Hello and welcome back to the Perfectionist in Recovery Podcast! My name is Marcy Parks, and I am a Perfectionist in Recovery.
Before we begin, I want to take a moment to acknowledge a few things. First, if you didn’t already know, the west coast is engulfed in fire right now to the point that it is unsafe for people to even leave their homes because air quality is so poor. There are photos circulating now showing how the sun is darkening and the skies are turning orange because of the wildfires there. This is absolutely in every way a tragedy and, what is even more tragic, is that our administration is too caught up in its own controversies to even give proper attention and care to what is taking place. If you are in a position to donate, please do. Donate to the red cross and to those individuals out there combating these fires, but more than anything, VOTE. Vote in November for a candidate that is going to support policies that affect climate change. I also want to take a moment to recognize that today is September 11th and marks the 19th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers that devastated our nation and killed so many. I was in seventh grade in Mr. Brandon’s English class at Vance Middle School when Mrs. Russel, the math teacher next door, ran into the room and told Mr. Brandon to turn on the news. I didn’t fully understand what was happening that day, but I remember how different the world looked afterwards.
Now on today’s episode, I wanted to do a book review! I am always looking for good creativity-related books to help spark inspiration and so I thought it might be helpful for anyone listening who is doing the same, if I shared books that I have found and loved on here. The book I am going to be reviewing today is the one I listed for recommended reading last week by Lucia Capacchione, called “The Creative Journal: The Art of Finding Yourself”.
But before I get into my review, I wanted to say a very big THANK YOU! So, this past weekend was the launch of my new collection, “There are No Bad Emotions” and it was hugely successful! I am still just so blown away by the support I have received for this work. So many of you reached out to me to share stories of how this collection inspired you to reflect on your own experiences, or inspired conversations with loved ones about emotions, and that alone made the work I am doing so worth it. 8 out of 13 paintings sold the weekend of the release! I am just so excited and so grateful for the reception. My goal was to sell 3 paintings and you all completely blew that out of the water, it was unbelievable! I am still reeling from that, so thank you so much for that love and support.
And for those of you that have also shared your interest in prints from this collection - “There are No Bad Emotions” prints will be available on Saturday, September 19th! I am super excited about these prints because I have made a few changes and updates to my printing process to offer even better quality prints. Something that I shared recently with members of my Collectors Club is that I have changed papers and am now offering prints on a velvety, matte archival paper. Archival just means that the paper is made to resist the effects of aging, so your print will last longer. The velvety, matte texture makes the colors of the prints so rich and so much deeper and it looks beautiful framed either with or without glass. I am also offering larger print sizes! You can get other updates about the prints, including the first look and chance to pre-order your favorite prints by joining my Collectors Club! You can do so by going to www.marcyparksart.com and signing up for my newsletter there or visit my profile on instagram @marcyparksart and click the link in my bio to join!
Also, several of you reached out to share that you’ve started or have been listening to the podcast and shared your feedback and that also put me over the moon! I am so grateful to have this opportunity to share my love and my passions with you all and so grateful to know that the work is resonating for you. As you know and as I have said before, your feedback helps me make this podcast even better for you to listen to, so definitely share all of the feedback! You can send me a message on instagram at @marcyparksart or go to my website at www.marcyparksart.com and submit your feedback through the contact form! If you are already loving the podcast, please subscribe, follow, and leave a review on whatever your favorite streaming platform is! Apple Podcast reviews are the best way to show your love and support for this work and to help the podcast continue to grow.
Now, let’s get into this review of The Creative Journal: The Art of Finding Yourself!
Wow, okay, so let me start by saying I am only like chapter 2 of this book, so really this book review is going to come in parts haha! But ALREADY, this book has made such an impact that I just had to share it with you all.
And that’s the first point I want to make about it - this is definitely not a book to treat like “homework”, it is one that I would definitely recommend taking your time through. You all have heard me rave about Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way” so much and I have shared before how it is set up like a workbook covering the span of 12 weeks, etc. Anyway, Julia’s approach is more regimented. You have your morning pages that are three pages minimum and to be done daily, then you have your additional journaling prompts for each week and your weekly artist’s date. I guess I would think of Julia’s book as more of an “intensive” course in creative recovery. Her book lays the foundation for building a creative habit.
Lucia describes her book, on the other hand, as more of a reference manual. Each chapter has several exercises with a specific intention. She recommends doing each exercise in order the first time through to get familiar with it and the practices, but to use the book in any sequence or manner you choose after that. Where Julia’s approach to her book is more regimented, Lucia embraces more spontaneity. In the first chapter when she is first introducing you to and preparing you for the practice of creative journaling, she explains that journaling is a “means of documenting the spontaneous flow of your life and growth. It is a vehicle for experiencing the present more fully, and also witnessing past patterns and setting goals for the future.” She recommends that you “keep your journal as you live it.” In setting up the parameters of “when and how often” she explains to use it when you feel like it and that you don’t have to use it daily unless you just want to.
So the first chapter sets the expectations for what is to follow. In this chapter she explains how her journey into creative journaling began, explains what creative journaling is, and sets up some loose guidelines. She explains that creative journaling is a tool for personal growth (****SO IT IS NOT JUST FOR ARTISTS****). Her intention behind this book is to serve as a guide to creative journal keeping with a series of exercises to help you “find and love your own dear self.” The exercises are meant to help you express thoughts and feelings, experience and discharge emotions, sort out the seemingly random experiences in your life, make more conscious choices, define and implement changes, get a clearer picture of your creative potential and how to use it, deal with creative blocks and negative patterns, find deeper meaning in your life, and more. Something I love that she says in this book is that, “By starting with self-communication in private, you can then develop your ability to communicate with others.” Which, if I am being honest, everyone on the planet could stand to do a little better at that.
I mean, y’all just need to get this book.
Anyway, moving on! She also goes on to encourage you to modify the exercises as needed, use exercises from other resources, and even invent your own! And that’s something I really love about this book is the freedom she encourages. Don’t get me wrong, I love The Artist’s Way, but there are definitely moments where I struggle with Julia’s approach just because there seems to be less freedom. It is still an invaluable resource and one I highly, highly recommend, especially, as I already said, to help develop a consistent creative habit and to do an intensive course of creative recovery, but I just really appreciate that Lucia’s approach leaves more breathing space and that she invites so much creativity into the format itself.
As far as supplies go, Lucia recommends a journal with blank, unlined pages and then tools for writing or drawing. The exercises all vary and are all done through different forms of expression including drawings, doodles and scribbles, prose and poetry, dramatic dialogues and letters, graphs and charts, colors, abstract designs, images, and symbols. I love that she even includes examples of pages from other people’s creative journals because you can really see how much freedom there is and that there really is no wrong way to do each exercise.
The second chapter begins the exercises. Each chapter has a number of exercises with a specific intention, Chapter 2, the first chapter of exercises, has 10 different exercises that are all focused on “Where You’re At, and Where You’re Coming From”. The intention of the exercises in this chapter are to get you focused on your past and present by exploring feelings in the immediate present and then stepping back for a more panoramic view of your life up until now. She describes that in this chapter you will take inventory of “‘what is’ and consider some changes toward ‘what could be’”. The purpose of the exercises are to help you relax and tune into yourself, explore and discharge feelings, gain insight, and more.
I want to take a second and talk about these exercises because upon first look, they seem so simple, but they really are so profound.
The first exercise is just a “Warm up” where Lucia invites you to just “mess around” and scribble in your journal. She encourages you to take the pressure off of yourself to make “something” and instead explore with colors or what kind of lines and shapes you enjoy making and to do this for as long as you like.
I found this exercise to be really liberating because, as someone who identifies as an artist, there is this invisible pressure that I put on myself that everything I touch is meant to be a “masterpiece”. As I have shared in episodes before, it is important to make room for “bad art” in your creative life, and I have intentionally set out to do so in the past. This exercise was another way of doing that. When I approached the exercise, almost immediately I felt the apprehension of “oh my gosh, I haven’t drawn anything in forever,” and was already putting that pressure on myself. But looking at the examples she includes of two blank pages with blue scribbles all over the pages, I was able to take that pressure off and just allow myself to scribble, too (**this is also why I really appreciate her examples because it serves as a good reminder that there really is no wrong way to do this). In exploring this first exercise, I did find it really relaxing to just scribble and doodle away and I saw mirrors of marks that I already make in my paintings (if you’ve seen my work, you know what I am referring to) and it made sense that those just intuitively came forward.
The next exercise is called “How do I Feel Right Now?” I have to say that this exercise was so simple but really impactful. She invited you to take a second to meditate on that question, paying attention to any physical sensations or emotional feelings that come up, and also take note of any images or words that come to mind. In the next section, she then asks you to channel those images and sensations into scribbles, doodles, shapes, textures, images, and or words. Then, when you are finished, she asks you to reflect on what you have done and take note of any reactions to the work on the next page.
I found this to be a really powerful way of checking in with myself, especially considering the circumstances we are collectively living in this year. I think about how in America, especially in the south, we tend to greet people, even strangers, by saying, “How are you?” and 9 times out of 10 people will reply, “Good,” even if they are really not good. And in my reflections on this exercise, it also made me think about how even though there is still a pandemic raging on, and half of the world burning down, and the crisis that our democracy is facing right now, we are all still trying to carry on as business as usual. We are still trying to maintain productivity as if none of this was happening. In my meditation and doodling about how I felt in that moment, I was surprised by how drained my body felt and the subtle anxiety that was pulsing just beneath the surface, and I had this “well, duh!” thinking, “Of course you are! Everything is crazy right now! Don’t forget.” But this exercise was a really great way to sort of reset and give myself and my energy needed attention and because of that I was able to take the rest of the day easier and rest because I had actually acknowledged the needs of my being and not the demands of my to-do list.
I’m not going to get into the rest of the exercises of this chapter, because hopefully, you’re already getting an idea of how the book operates. The theme of this chapter was about checking in with where you are and where you’ve been, so getting rooted in where you are in this moment and reflecting on your life (there are some really powerful exercises for reflecting on your past in this chapter). The theme of the next chapter is “Who You Are”, but I haven’t started it yet! I am definitely looking forward to what else this book has to offer and what else will come from it, but I just had to go ahead and share it here for anyone looking for some guidance in exploring their creativity or getting through creative blocks they might be experiencing!
If you enjoyed this book review, let me know! I love books like this that help get me thinking even more outside of the box and I love even more when books I have loved go on to be loved by people I have shared them with. I will leave a link to this book in the show notes for anyone interested in purchasing it for themselves!
Otherwise, that is all I have for you today! For Your Journaling prompts from this episode:
Journaling Prompt:
How are you?: Get comfortable, get quiet, close your eyes, and ask yourself, “How am I?” Take some time to reflect on that, observe sensations in your body, observe any thoughts or words that come to mind, then when you are ready, open your eyes and journal about it.
Recommended Reading:
The Creative Journal: The Art of Self Discovery: You need this book. Everyone needs this book. Read it, then give it to someone else who needs it!
You can purchase a copy here:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-creative-journal-lucia-capacchione/1121952849
Check back in with me next week for a guided meditation. And, if you havent already, you can also go to www.marcyparksart.com and download my free Self Discovery Journal Guide to fill your weekend up with creative inspiration. In the journal guide, I include a powerful journaling prompt to also get you reflecting on who you are in this moment, artist activities to get you checking in with yourself and finding inspiration from your surroundings, and positive affirmations to help encourage you on your creative recovery.
Until next time, friends!
Ready to take the first step in your creative recovery?
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