Who I was...and Where I am now... PAJWLH

A few weeks ago I was in a mood to try something different. I really love when that happens because its times like this I can dig into the products that I have and truly delve into what they are. I knew I wanted to try a different substrate (surface). I had some products that my friend Lisa Fulmer had given me at CHA. Lisa knew I loved Mixed Media, so she introduced me to the world of Lutradur .  Funny thing is that Lutradur actually started out as a roofing material. It is now used in Mixed Media and Art quilting and has some fabulous effects that can be created with it. It is a synthetic material that is woven, a bit stiff and is similar to interfacing for sewing.

Another fun product that I wanted to try out were Koi Coloring Brush Pens by Sakura of America. You are probably familiar with Sakura because of their wonderful Micron Pens, as well as their wonderful selection of artist materials. Did you know that they have a great resource of videos for you to view as well? Their YouTube channel has recieved over ONE MILLION views? They are a wonderful wonderful wonderful resource for artists and crafters... So if you can go check it out and subscribe. They have some great artists working with this.

So with these two products in mind... I decided to have some fun in my art journal... This is what I came up with :)

Who I am- Art Journal Page

(click on the image to make it larger)

 Flowers Stitched with thread in a star burst pattern.

Leaves organically stitched to add texture.

 

And a close up of my words (I used The Sakura Permapaque dual edge pen for my title)

This pen is great because as it is wet, you can dilute it with water, but when it is dry it becomes permanent and you can watercolor over it. It works on any surface too.

 

So with this page, I was just ready to have some fun. I have learned through the years that through the good and the bad... be  grateful. It is a tough lesson to learn... but I think having gone through tough times in life. It teaches you to be grateful. We all make mistakes and well this is something I don't always remember. For some reason (I blame human nature) it is so easy to feel like you are an island. To feel that you are the only one that is going through your situation or that has ever dealt with the amount of problems you have dealt with. It is really easy to look at your situations add them up in your head and consider it failure. It's not fair. Truly it's not. 

What if instead of looking at each issue that comes our way as a bad ending we decided to look at the bigger picture and see the full story of our life that is being written? When we view ourselves and our failures as an accumulation of things gone wrong, it is so easy to forget to recognize the little blessings that our lives are made up of. I have had to re-adjust myself PLENTY of times, not ashamed to say it! Perspective is so important in order to maintain a healthy outlook on life. I have found that when I accurately account my mishaps and forgive myself, I am a happier person moving forward. I have a tendency to assume responsibility for things gone wrong in my life... I have always been that way which has made it really tough for me to talk to people that have hurt me. As I have grown older I realize that the responsible thing isn't necessarily to just assume responsibility... but to accurately observe the situation and from there talk about it openly to figure out what direction to go. It is so easy to shame ourselves into believing it is our responsibility to make this world work. In all reality, it is much to big of a task for one person to handle :) But yet we all find away to feel responsible or guilt ourselves into believing it is our responsibility to fix what has gone wrong.

The truth is, we are all learning. We go through some great highs and some enormous lows...but we get through it. My goal is now to respect my past and bring that knowledge into my future. Not to judge myself because of who I was then but to realize that I am still that person, maybe just a little bit smarter or older. this is me... and well that is just fine. I am not perfect, I don't live a perfect life, but I really like it this way. I can only hope that I can remember to take this knowledge with me each day as I live. I will still make mistakes, but I have my values that I hold dear that I hope to stick by as I travel along this road called life. I won't get far if I constantly meet the same road bumps or read the same story over and over again. I believe that my past has happened to me for a reason, and that at some point all of the bad things that have happened will come full circle and help those that can learn from my experience. I have already been able to relate to so many that share my stories, so I know that this is true. Truth and love have a great way of rectifying the wrongs in life. Be KIND to yourself and remember that you as well as those around you are still learning.

****Oops... forgot to add the art journal prompt :) (edited to add prompt)

Journal Prompt: What is your story telling you? Do you agree, is it accurate? It is your story.

Creative Prompt: Use a new substrate, use a surface that you have never used before. Here I used lutrador. You can use anything that you can later stick into your art journal. Fabric, Cheesecloth, aluminum, canvas, tissue paper, wood... use something different than you are use to.
 

So I am still a little under the weather, more tired than anything. Our week has been filled with parental obligations... I am hoping to finish the page I promised to you all that coincides with my DIY shadow Box video this weekend and post it Monday. For now... I am going to take a break, maybe a nap and try and rest myself up.

I pray that this blog post meets your heart in the right place and that it perhaps will help some that might be a little down or critical of themselves. Know that you are not alone, we are ALL critical about something in ourselves and at some point we realize what matters most and that is to live a life that you love, part of that is loving yourself and your story.

Thanks again!

~Liz♥