Welcome to this little extract from Day 6 of our free, mindful art journaling offering Care December.
Today I’d like to share with you a part of my personal self-care practice, something that took years to give myself permission to do. Let me explain...
I never loved school when I was a kid and then a teenager. I felt it was necessary to go and learn, it came easily but I hardly ever found any pleasure in it because I saw it as a chore, a necessity. Once I completed my education I started realising that learning is a big privilege and I wished I’d seen it that way then, when I was given whole days to educate myself.
After this realisation, I was convinced my chance for learning had passed, and it was now time to work, work, work. I didn't feel that I could enjoy the indulgence of learning any longer.
But then something BIG happened. I did a Gallup test, which is a test of strengths and talents. The result was a big revelation to me. It turned out that my number one strength is… learning.
So something I once treated like a chore and then thought I shouldn’t spend too much time on, turned out to be my number one talent. I realised why it always came easy, and why I felt so much regret at not making the most of my school days. Finding out that I’m a natural learner gave me a beautiful permission slip to spend time learning, researching, and diving deeper into the subjects that interest me. I then discovered that my learning strength goes hand in hand with my passion for teaching and so here I am today sharing with you everything that I love.
The Prompt:
Have you ever considered what your true strengths are? Because we all have them. I know there are days when it feels like we’re not good at anything, so tapping into your natural talents can be very refreshing. Sometimes doing a strengths assessment can be useful but often I think deep down we know what our thing is. So give yourself some time to ponder on this, or even make it into a list. You could create your art journal page about it.
Today I also have an additional prompt for you. Since I’m here to share my passion with you, I’d like you to watch an art history video. If you have time I really encourage you to hit the play button on it. It’s about the medieval white unicorn tapestries. Art history is my big, big passion and I love learning about the meaning and stories behind paintings, sculptures and architecture. Give yourself the gift of time to learn. Give yourself the permission to dive deep into a subject that interests you.
My page will be inspired by the unicorn tapestries. One thing that really draws me to these pieces of art is the contrast and the amount of decorative elements. The white unicorn wouldn’t be the same on a beige background. It’s the dark florals that define it and make it such a star. On my art journal spread I will try to replicate the same look with paper and mixed-media. I will be using a white focal point and will create a busy, floral background. I hope you’ll join me for this intuitive, mindful art process!
Images from the Met Museum website.
If you enjoyed this art journaling prompt, I invite you to go one step further and explore the full offering! Indulge your inner artist for FREE with Care December, through 21 days of self-care & art journaling prompts from me, Kasia Avery, and my guests:
Thank you for reading this little story (and finding out about those beautiful white unicorns!) I hope you have a wonderful time exploring this prompt with me.
Kasia