Laura Brand - The Joy Journal: Easy Activities & Creative Craft for Magical Everyday Play

For My Husband & My Daughters...

Russell, thank you for always believing in me, encouraging me tenaciously and making sure I had everything I needed to write this book in a place of joy.

Mabel and Peggy, this is for you and because of you. Thank you for coming into this world the way you did and for making a mother of me. I love it.

X

Parenting is a great adventure. Awakening your childs sense of curiosity and wonder helps you reawaken your own. Reawakening your own sense of curiosity and wonder helps you awaken your childs.

Julia Cameron, The Artists Way for Parents

In this fast-paced modern world which is ruled by screens and punctuated with short concentration spans it can feel like an anxious time to be a parent. Most of us feel concerned about how much screen time our kids should or shouldnt have, how much plastic were bringing into our homes with the temptation of the latest noisy and slightly annoying toy, and worry about if our children are spending enough time outside.

The modern world offers up little remedy to these concerns so the majority of us will find ourselves knee deep in plastic balls in the local soft play AGAIN or spending money on toys we wish we hadnt.

My long term darling friend Laura has come up with the most sensational bible of solutions to these tricky to navigate parental problems, which encourage us all to get back to basics.

Now let me tell you about Laura as Im sure during this writing process she has been most modest and private when it comes to her own vivacity and glorious energy. We have been friends for over fifteen years and have been on many adventures together with some hilarious photos to prove it. I have always been magnetized to Lauras infectious need to try new things. She has worked every job imaginable from bowling alley waitress to wardrobe organizer, with even a brief foray into pub singing (her rendition of Sweet Child of Mine is quite something) and is never scared of the unknown. This latest venture is no different as she has gone with her gut and created something that is totally authentic and original. You can see on these pages that Laura has followed her intuition, her creativity flows perfectly thematically through the crafts and she has been bold with her ideas and the execution of them.

Youll no doubt fall in love with Lauras lust for life and aptitude for trying the new as you travel through this book. Its impossible not to.

I have a long term love of arts and crafts and adore nothing more than drawing and painting with my children, as I believe creativity is one of the most important outlets for us all. It doesnt have to be an immaculate masterpiece: its simply the opportunity to dream, create and lose thought for a moment.

My dad was a sign writer throughout my childhood and has only just retired this year. I would sit in my dads sign writing studio watching him hand paint ginormous, glossy letters effortlessly and all these years later the smell of paint fumes sends me rocketing back there. Art and design has been commonplace in my family for as long as I can remember. For me, drawing, making and creating has always been relaxing, cathartic and, as a child, a way to escape the confines of school and the academic curriculum I didnt feel I fitted into.

Being creative is something Im passionate about keeping alive in the family now I have my own children. Its our 6 am go to when I cant take another episode of Paw Patrol. Its our rainy day must when we darent go out into the downpour. Its our family happy space where we can create together regardless of age or ability.

Getting lost in creativity is not only a joy for our children but also for us shattered parents. When Im in the flow of creativity, no matter how basic, I relax, breathe a little deeper and stop the constant mental rumination. This book is steeped in that notion and often in the most surprising of ways. I used to think I was being pretty inventive getting my kids to draw and paint on an old roll of wallpaper until my dear Laura and her fantastic book came along! Lauras ideas have led on to delightful tasks that bring to life ordinary ingredients and tools. Her imagination has transformed normal and often overlooked objects in our home and nature into fairy-tale fun. She has injected magic into the everyday things we forget about as we rush around with our faces in screens.

Vegetables, twigs, petals, flour: everyday things we dont usually associate with creativity have been given a new lease of life in this dreamy book.

Not only does this book emphasize how important creativity is but it also gets us to look at nature differently. It gets us mucky and grubby in the most glorious way. It encourages us to touch and squeeze and experience with all our senses.

Im worried about how we are all dulling down the use of our senses these days as we spend so much less time really FEELING what is going on rather than just looking and judging and labelling. This book awakens our senses as we are encouraged to use our hands to experience creativity in a very visceral way.

Merging the most natural ingredients and tools with our own personal expression is very exciting all round.

If youre nervous about getting creative as you dont see yourself in that way, rest assured we are all capable of creativity and can use this book easily. Its not about creating perfection or even the intended outcome but instead its about the whole process of trial and error, mess and commotion and the fun that comes with that.

It has taken me back to when I was a small girl in our back garden, with old glass bottles picking petals and dodging worms to make my own perfume. Mucky and grubby and so much fun in every way. We all need to allow our children to get messy and make mistakes especially in the modern world where we are often offered a vision of perfection we believe we have to live up to. We feel the pressure to be perfect parents, to have perfectly behaved children, to look perfect and be perfect, which is utter nonsense. We need to guide our children by example and allow them to delve into creation and the unknown. Otherwise we are left feeling an absence of joy and confidence. This book gives children the time and space to explore new themes, new sensations and ways of getting creative without the need to be perfect.