Creative Shift

 I enjoyed Audre Hill's recent post on transforming anxiety to agency, using journaling. Here's the post link.

In our creative community, we often use a whole brain approach for this shift, letting images inform our writing! This is about the process  more than the finished product - you don't need to be 'talented' for it to be effective!

Creativity is an awesome way to access information from our whole being, and integrate it more deeply. Results from many studies show that translating ideas into action is more likely to occur when combined with creative practices

Here are some options:

🌟  Do a quick scribble, with the tension in mind. Then engage in the Metacognative process - thinking about thinking - and doodle, away the tension... flowers, leaves, hearts color ...

You may have doodled in margins as a kid - that was actually a great way to reset your brain, and integrate information!

Write for a few minutes, inspired by the shift, and note your breathing and how you feel in general. 

🌟  Try Neurographica ! This form was researched and developed by a Russian psychologist, Pavel Piskerev, and can also begin with a quick scribble. Angles create tension, circular shapes and softening the angles eases the tension. 

Gratuitude Neuro-noodles

A neuro-noodle practice is simple, yet very effective. Here's the basic sequence - put on a video and draw along with the instructor! (I took the basic course with Alina, who trained with Pavel)

• Think of something troubling you, and do a quick quick scribble
• Extend the lines to the page edges, in random curves 
• Begin rounding the points where lines intersect
• Notice how you feel - are you breathing more easily? Shoulders tense or beginning to relax? 
• Turn the page to check if you've rounded all the intersections
• You can use a longer curve as the base for a circle or other rounded shape and thicken the outline - then round any new intersections. 
• Look for a place you can 'ground' the piece, thickening a line and bringing it around the shape, and to the edges 
• Add color (in three or more unit blocks) 
• After your neurodoodle feels complete

Another option is Zentangle! Lots of folks have this one in their 'toolkit,' you may have some card 'tiles' already.  Here's quick clip on combining Zentangle with Neurodoodle circles and rounding. This neurodoodle begins with circles, then the lines and rounding, and a bit of color. 

Simple cards can be made from mixed media or watercolor paper, postcards, or Zentangle tiles.

With any of these options, you can sketch / doodle in your journal, or on blank card or paper. Use a glue stick, to add it to your journal.

I use various sketchbooks, or cover a simple composition book for my creative journals. The later are a great way to have books that aren't too precious to actually use! 

Crafting a Juju Journal is a sweet way to process and connect with our intuition, as we follow inquiries and prompts. It's a wonderful way to transmits old stories, and move into a "good juju" space.

Journal Cover in process - 2025

This one's paint on a brown paper bag, with about an inch margin on each side. I used magazine images on my journal for our SoulCollage® training. 

Do you doodle or sketch in your journal?