Journaling has long been hailed as great therapy by providing an outlet for emotions and experiences. For mixed-media artist Debi Strong, art journaling with a year-long focus on gratitude served, initially, as a means of coping with depression and progressed into what she calls her 30/30 project: 30 images in 30 days. Each image in her 30/30 project incorporates "philosophies of kindness and peaceful coexistence." To see Strong's inspirational images and journal entries, visit her website, The Art of Peace, Hope, and Love by Debi Strong.
Whether you are creative or simply want to try your hand at art journaling, Strong's page offers rich examples of what this process might look like, both in images and through guidelines for starting your own art journaling journey. The guidelines take the form of her own story, explaining the "premise," "practice," "purpose," and "promise" of the enterprise. She concludes "365 Days of Gratitude: An Art Journaling Project" with the following thoughts: "A gratitude practice can increase one's ability to experience joy and happiness... And who doesn't need more of that?"
Whether considering gratitude, as in the year-long gratitude journal, or considering peace, love, kindness, and peaceful coexistence in a 30/30 project, Strong offers a beautiful way to connect, personally, with compassionate practice. What other compassion themes might be ripe for art journaling? And how might art journaling be used in the community with others? If you are a creative person, perhaps consider offering courses or workshops in art journaling for compassion at your local library or community center.
Visit Debi Strong's website to get some more ideas.
