McDonald - Inner hero creative art journal: mixed media messages to silence your inner critic

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Art journaling has so much flexibilitywork in spiral or hardback; write with ink or pencil; fill pages with collage or paint; use original writing or quotes. All that flexibility gives you freedom to do backgrounds ahead of time or just in time. You can jump into bright colors or deliberately choose monochromes. However, all these choices dont always add up to joy and satisfaction. Sometimes, after youve made your choice, you feel you have shut the door on all other possibilities, and you immediately begin to miss those lost chances at different outcomes. Thats when your inner critic shows up to give you advice about what you should have done.

Most comments your inner critic makes will encourage you to start something new, take a break or get serious about your lack of talent or creativity by switching from one medium to another. You can run from the inner critic, but you cant hide.

Stop running. Its time to take a stand. Thats why I wrote this book. Not to help you chase the inner critic out of your life. Not to dig a deeper hole in which to hide. This book is about sitting down with your inner critic and calmly listening, deciding on your truth and then replying to your inner critic with a strong voice of conviction that honors your creativity. And doing it all through art journaling.

You are not alone at the worktable with your inner critic. With you are your inner heroesthose parts of you that are brave and strong and talented and seldom get a voice. This book helps you discover your inner heroes, call them to you, hear them out, and let them confront your inner critic for you. Youll discover this new idea and how to call out your inner heroes in the first chapter, Breaking the Ice.

By the end of the first chapter, youll also notice that the book is based on an entirely new way to art journalby using loose-leaf pages. Youll create art on one side and write on the other. You can make pages one at a time, or do a lot of writing when you feel like exploring your heart and spirit, and design when you want to express yourself in color, texture and shape.

No more creating backgrounds and then deserting them. No more blanking out when you want to write or wishing you could find a new way to show your ideasthe second through the sixth chapters have both an art technique and a writing technique.

You can collect the pages you like and want to share separately from the ones you arent sure about. You can separate private pages from those you show. You might want to peek at the last chapter to see how to make inventive, useful holders for the pages.

The pages you make wont sit on the shelf once youre done. These pages are meant to be used again and again to make meaning of your journey, to help your inner heroes show up when they are needed and to nudge your creativity into exploration mode. The seventh chapter has ideas on how you can use the cards, by yourself and in groups, to inspire, to throw creative sparks and to encourage your inner heroes to speak up when the inner critic shows up. It also has an interview with an amazing Native American artist, David Dawangyumptewa. His story is about healing, art making and meaning making. I hope youll be inspired by his interview.

Each chapter shows a loose-leaf page made by a contributing artist. They are not samples; they are possibilities and inspiration. Contributors didnt follow a set of directions to demo what you should do; they show you the different directions, ideas and the inner heroes other artists created. Contributors also share how they talk to their own inner critics. This book is not about following a sample; its about encouraging you to create ideas of your own. Your inner critic is uniquely yours, and so are your inner heroes. But youll read more about that soon in the first chapter.

As in my last book, Raw Art Journaling: Making Meaning, Making Art, you do not have to be an illustrator, professional artist or writer to use the book. Although if you are, you may well find it inspiring and useful and discover new creative boosts. This book assumes your creative cup is not full. If your creative cup is already full, then one more exercise, one more idea, one more project will cause it to overflow and lose content. This book is for meaning-makers, seekers and those who want to step up to their inner critic and find a voice that explains who their inner heroes are.

Each chapter, each hero, art technique and writing project is a starting point. Take the ideas and transform them. Let them help you understand your heart, explore your mind and discover your path in life.

I wrote the book for anyone who strikes sparks of light and wants to fan sparks into a flame. If thats you, step out of the shade and into the warmth and comfort of your own light. Its bright enough to see your journal and make meaning with Inner Hero Creative Art Journal. Turn the page and dive in.

fabrics: sheers, butterfly prints, printable fabric

papers: white paper, colored paper, freezer paper, parchment paper, index cards, black cover stock, sketching paper (80- or 90-lb. [170- or 190gsm]), watercolor paper (e.g., Strathmore Ready Cut, Arches Velin)

shelf liner

gel medium, matte or gloss

inks: dye-based, pigment, stamp pad re-inkers (dye- or water-based), acrylic, metallic, spray-glitter (e.g., Glitter Mist)

permanent markers

watercolor paints

pencils: 2B pencils, watercolor pencils

pens: your favorites for writing and drawing (e.g., Faber-Castell Pitt or Micron), colored pens, gel or glitter pens, waterproof pen, water pen, brush pens (gray and brown)

bone folder

brushes, watercolor or acrylic, various sizes

cutting mat

drying rack or drop cloth

eyedropper or pipette

iron and ironing board

palette, a 3" (8cm) plastic lid

paper cutter or craft knife

rubber stamps

ruler or straightedge