This article is part of my FREE e-course Art Journaling 101 – which has been designed to gently introduce beginners to the basics of art journaling so you can find your way with more ease and less fear. If you’re curious about art journaling or overwhelmed with how to begin, sign up for the full free course HERE.
Dear ugly page,
I know you didn’t mean to cause such turmoil. But as you emerged within my journal, I was faced with so many thoughts and emotions that almost brought me to tears.
I guess I was secretly hoping that you would turn into something beautiful… something that I could look back on and smile, something I could share with the world. Because when you didn’t, I was flooded with disappointment and frustration. I began to worry, “Why can’t I create something I love?”
That’s when it hit me – I was putting conditions on my love for you … when all you’ve ever done was bring me joy, and insight, and relief.
What right do I have to withhold my love for you when all you did was become who you were meant to be?
What right do I have to tell you who you should or should not be?
You were created as an expression of my Soul. You are what needed to be released, what needed to be born. You are evidence that I have the magic to create something from nothing. You are the evidence of creativity flowing through me. You are the evidence of me honoring ME.
So I thank you.
I thank you for having the courage to be who you are without fear or shame, so that I may learn to do the same – flaws and all.
I thank you for reminding me to enjoy the process of creating, releasing, and expressing; and to relish every moment I have to share with you.
I thank you for showing me that there is much more in life beyond my thoughts, beyond my ego; and that there are discoveries to be made around every corner.
And I thank you for unapologetically showing up when you knew you weren’t what I was hoping for, to remind me to celebrate where I am today instead of always looking to the future. I thank you for being that physical reminder of where I am right here and now, so that I may look back on my growth as a creative, as a woman, as a human, as a Soul.
You have given me all of this and more. So I thank you.
With love,
P.S. Perhaps you are beautiful after all.
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Hi Kristal, I love this. It expresses my thoughts so well. I find sometimes I don’t consciously know how I feel till I express it on the page and I am surprised for good or bad. “For good or bad”. The mind loves to judge. There are no good or bad emotions they all deserve to be acknowledged and accepted and maybe let go. Thank you for the course. You are a friend on my journey. Love Marg
Hi Kristal thank you so much for your tutorials they have been amazing I looked forward to opening your emails these past few days they where inspirational for me again thank you
Sandra
Hey Kristal, it has been lovely receiving your tutorials, progress has been made and yes, some of the pages have seemed less than wonderful, maybe not so much ugly as chaotic. After reflection, I realised they expressed exactly where my mind was at while I was creating. So for me the ugly/chaotic pages are as necessary as the wow pages, showing progress being made or stalled in the therapy process.
Thank you for these tutorials/lifelines. Happy Journaling to you
I, too, enjoyed and grew from your tutorials. To be honest, I just got going the other day, and will continue to I finish all your tutorials, but, of course, I had to read them as they came through. It gave me the support and confidence to continue. I’m learning a lot about the “lies” we tell ourselves about ourselves, about what we are and aren’t’, what we can and cannot do. I’m working at not accepting those lies and not limiting myself. I’m trying to reframe those statements into good supportive and true statements. This will help me through all this junk! Thank you.
Love this! I am printing it out to go in my journal.