Art Journalling to help with Anger

So as some of you know I've recently started seeing a therapist and I'm working through a lot of what happened to me in my childhood. One of the messages I strongly received as a child was not to express or even have feelings. Consequently I developed a very poor internal awareness of my emotions and I also struggle with processing them. I often either ignore, repress or move away from emotions and 'stay up in my head' a lot. This week I've been particularly looking at anger and allowing myself to 'be with it' and 'feel it'. I realised that anger has always been more of an 'ugly' emotion to me and I often try to rationalise it and analyse why I'm feeling angry, breaking it down into clear statistics (using pi and other math equations ;)) and finding all the reasons why the anger is not needed to be there. But as much as I might be able to see why -on an intellectual level- the anger does not need to be felt, it HAS already occurred inside my body so denying its existence is 1. a repeat of what happened to me as a child (I'm now telling myself: don't feel the feelings) 2. still only repression which can result in both physical and mental unease and 3. will result in me using (unhealthy) distraction methods so as to not feel what I'm feeling - regardless of the fact that I've 'explained the anger away'. In other words: feeling the anger tends to be healthier/ better than not. But feeling anger is explosive and scary and big, but I was/ am willing to give this a go. 

And whaddayaknow: this week, the universe was being 'helpful' and said: so Tam is trying to feel her feelings of anger: I know!! She needs something to be angry about, aren't I helpful? I'll send her a paypal shitstorm so I can be super helpful. This'll really make her angry and she can REALLY practise feeling her anger. (LOL). So, yes, paypal came in with a bombshell shitstorm which left me shaking with distress and rage and worry and instead of repressing all that, I went with it, which was both cathartic and scary but hey: I survived! Yay! And part of me processing all this mad feeling soup inside of me meant that I first ranted and vented at Andy and Gracie all day and then did a load of art which is really what I wanted to share with you guys in this post today! :D Singing and creating art gives me quicker access to my emotions and lets me bypass the inner stream of thinkie thoughts that can really get in the way! On many of my courses I encourage people to do the same: process emotions through creating art or singing or knitting or whatever floats your boat :) and I myself try to 'practise as I preach' though I am often still struggling with getting in touch with the emotions. Having a therapist is super helpful with this as they act like a mirror and guide to help you uncover what you do and don't do. :) 

Anyhoo, I was sharing the progress shots of the journal page on instagram (follow me here) and Facebook (follow me here) yesterday and promised I'd show more macro shots of the final pages here on the blog. :)) Hope you like and thank you for reading and always being here. I appreciate you. <3 font="">


PS. I got these funky new trousers that are making me sooooo happy! :D     PPS. If you like the art created in this post and you want to learn about the techniques used you may want to consider signing up to Life Book 2014. I provide 10 in depth mixed media art lessons in addition to another 42 offerings by other amazing artists!  Over 450+ amazing people have already joined! See you there! :D

Hopping with Doodle Circle + Winner of Jane Stencils!

Wuzzah creative comrados! :D 

OMG, the Life Book 2014 sales have gone BONKERS! :) I woke up to 350 emails this morning (lol)! To say I feel grateful and lucky and so excited about the work that I do is obviously an understatement: I ADORE the work that I do you guys. Thank you so much to all of you who have already signed up! :) I'm like a puddle of lovey goo right now! :D

Guess what? I'm involved with another Blog Hop! Some of you may remember I reviewed Dawn's other book 'Art Doodle Love' last year and she's recently come out with another book! A bit like a sister book to it. It's called: 'Doodle Circle' and it's a book for groups of people, like a group of best friends who can doodle in it together and have a keep sake to represent their connection and friendship. How awesome is THAT? :D 

So I was planning a little video of art creation, but argh, I've been totally swamped so have done some art and taken photies for you guys instead!

I love creating to prompts which is what Dawn's books include, it gets you thinking and also, her yummy backgrounds give you a nice start onto which you can doodle/ draw/ write/ collage etc! :) I had a ball playing on page 38, which had the prompt: 'High Hopes, what do you hope for in life' and my answer was meant to be a little funny: my high hope ->SLEEP, lol (dudes; I'm not aiming high, too much pressure, hee hee! :) Actually: I sleep a lot better nowadays because Andy looks after Elliot at night so I'm not being woken up by him anymore. Still, sleep was the first thing that popped up in my head when I read the prompt so I went with that. Ha! I also thought it was funny! ;) 

I also had a look on page 26, the prompt was: your favourite word/ sentence. And one of my favourite words = jellyfish, yup, and starfish and 'la fourchette' which means 'the fork' in French, much less glamourous sounding in English, lol. Anyhoo, so did a bit of writing/ art on those page too, though none of it is finished yet really but I had fun! :D

Oh and if you're wondering what the stardust word and little housies are welllllllll, ehm, I have a surprise secret I'll announce soon! :D It's hard to keep it in and some of you who watched my video for the Jane blog hop have already guessed it! ;) I shall hush now though! ;) 

As part of this blog hop I can give away one copy of the Doodle Circle Book! :) To enter the give away, make sure that you: 

1) Sign up to my newsletter (if you haven't already)
2) Leave me a comment with a journal prompt that you like, could be a word, or sentence doesn't matter. :) This way we can inspire each other. :) Yay! 

And make sure to follow the blog hop of course, you can enter the other fabulous artists' give aways too!

Oct. 1: Michelle Geller, www.michellegeller.typepad.com
Oct. 2: Aimee Dolich, artsyville.blogspot.com

Oct. 3: Pam Carriker, pamcarriker.com

Oct. 4: Tammy Garcia, daisyyellowart.com

Oct. 5: Tracie Lyn Huskamp, thereddoor-studio.blogspot.com

Oct. 6: Jill K. Berry, jillberrydesign.com/blog

Oct. 7: Carla Sonheim, carlasonheim.wordpress.com

Oct. 8: Tamara Laporte, www.willowing.org/blog

Oct. 9: Micki Wilde, thesecrethermit.blogspot.com

Oct. 10: Mindy Lacefield, www.timssally.com

Oct. 11: Jane Davenport, janedavenport.com

Oct. 12: Dawn D. Sokol, www.dawndsokol.com

Aaaaand I also have the winner of the Jane Davenport Stencil Give Away! :) 

The winner is:

Life Book 2014

For questions about Life Book contact Tam on willowing AT gmail.com or Gracie on gracie AT willowing.org
(or leave a comment below)

“Life Book, a celebration and honouring of YOU”

is a year-long mixed media art class  

organised by Tamara Laporte from Willowing Arts.

Tam is joined by 22 incredible art teachers who are all gearing up to share their mixed media techniques, tips and tricks with YOU! Themed around self-development and healing, you'll be creating several loose mixed media art journal pages per month which by the end of the year you will bind into a glorious journal (a Life Book)! You will have a wonderful keepsake that you can treasure for the rest of your life!

Registration for Life Book 2014 is now closed
But Registration for Life Book 2015 is open! 

CLICK HERE TO JOIN LIFE BOOK 2015 

Hello dear one! My name is Tam! Thank you for stopping by and checking out the Life Book information. Life Book is SUCH a precious project to me, I pour my be-end all into this baby. Let me tell you all about it. It's kinda an offer you can't refuse I'm sure! Nearly 2000 wonderful people joined us on Life Book last year, it's been an incredible experience (it's still going as we speak). People have learned so much! They've created such beautiful art work and they've been so brave when digging deeper into some of the healing exercises! I receive uplifting emails almost daily from participants telling me how Life Book has enriched their lives. I'm so honoured and blessed to be the host of this fantabulous course each year. I count my lucky stars every day! 

In a nutshell, this is the Incredible Life Book offer: 

◙ 10 In depth Mixed Media Art Lessons by me: Tam

◙ 22 In depth Mixed Media Art Lessons by Spectacular Guest Teachers
(see below who the 2014 guest teachers are)

◙ 20 (Smaller) Bonus Activities like: extra PDF prompts & step by steps/ artist interviews/ ATC swaps/ give aways/ audio meditations/ writing prompts etc by Tam & Guest Teachers

Watch the Promotional Video for in depth information: 
  

So basically you continue to receive creative inspiration and prompts WEEKLY (without fail, every week there is something for you to enjoy) and all that for ONLY £70 GBP or approx $109 USD (the course content is valued at over $1000 so you get a year filled with incredible lessons and inspiration for only 10% (a fraction) of the retail price, is that awesome or awesome?) There is no catch here, just me and a bunch of awesome other artists wanting you to have access to a 'library' of inspiring & educational art lessons and personal development tools that help you enrich your life. Simple as that. :) I personally believe that practising self care through art & self enquiry creates happier people and happier people equals a better world (happy people are nice to others and spread light and goodness! and sometimes: muffins!!!). :-)

I'm so excited about all the fantastic contributions this year! We have a range of truly incredible artists contributing their wisdom, light, beauty and artistic talent to the course, one of which is a personal hero of mine: Flora Bowley! :D

 

I will also have the joy and honour to interview the wonderful and talented Claudine Hellmuth (she won't be teaching this year, but we'll hear all about her creative life and business in the interview)! Of course this Artist Interview will be shared with all the awesome Life Book 2014 students! (To read more about the incredible teacher line up, scroll down!)

Isn't this just awesome? 

 Exciting no? :-) Of course, I am totally biased, but if I came across an offer like this myself: I would jump at the chance! Not only because you can download all the videos which means that even if you fall behind or if you can't participate for a while, you can revisit the lessons at your own time in the future should you want to. :)

I get daily letters from Life Book participants letting me know Life Book has enriched their lives. I feel so blessed and lucky to be able to provide a program that truly helps people feel better about themselves! 

But let me stop gushing ;) and let's have some of the Life Book participants have their say!

Praise for Life Book by current (gorgeous) Participants

✻ Amanda from Jackson MI, USA says: "I never dreamed that an on-line art class would make such a dramatic impact on my life! As long as Life Book is offered, I will be there!!!"

✻ Charmain from United States - Toney, AL says: "It has been a fantastic experience, I look forward to Monday mornings, so that I can see what I am going to experience this week. I've been exposed to so many teachers and different avenues of mixed media. It has just been GREAT!"

✻ Jan from Stratham, New Hampshire, USA says: "Just can't thank you enough for the experience! Because of you and your class I was "brave" enough to sign up for a couple of other on line classes this summer and continue to grow in confidence. Would never have tried these classes without you and your wonderful Lifebook experience. You truly are amazing and thank you for touching so many of our lives!"

✻ Glenda from Henderson, NV, United States says: "One of the residuals of my childhood is not feeling loved or wanted. This experience has helped me to heal and as I write these words I am realizing just how much. I am thankful for Tam and all the teachers. I love them all and their teaching skills are just phenomenal. I am even overcoming my aversion to drawing the human body. Through Life book I have come to embrace the artist that lies deep inside and quieting the self talk that told me for years I was not an artist. Thank you Tam and teachers for helping me to grow."

✻ Liezbeth from Bergen op Zoom, the Netherlands says: "I love the fact that everything is downloadable. This way I can download my favorite lessons and do them another time, I can also take them on my Ipad and take them on holiday."

✻ Carolyn from Queensland, Australia says: "Life Book has been my first experience of an online art course, and I love it- I'm sold on it!"

✻ Sharon from Bristol UK says: "I have loved it and have made some great stuff - am still looking forward to the book binding bit at the end. I think the course is an absolute bargain and even if I had only completed a couple of lessons, I would have been very happy. The content is massive, massive and I think on so many levels LB is a very generous offering. Hats off to you Tam cos you must have to work very hard to make it what it is. I have enjoyed the meditations and the artist interviews as well as the art making itself."

✻ Rosa from USA, Oroville, CA says: "i will say it again...best investment for myself...enjoyable...knowledge is priceless and i have learned so much about myself and art techniques...especially without leaving home...in my pajamas...can't get any better than that"

 

✻ Cornelia from Washington State, USA says: "Life Book continues to amaze me. I am feeling more grounded and able to express feelings. I am becoming less judgmental towards myself and more accepting. I look forward to each Life Book lesson. My art ability is improving and I am developing strong preferences for material that I use in my projects. I am a quilter and a knitter, but have not had an art background. It did not matter. I now consider myself an artist. Loved the art angel lesson at the beginning. I was very critical of my artistic endeavors, but my art angel is there to express kindness and acceptance of my art. Thanks again to all of you, especially Tam, for all the hard work and love you contribute to this course."

Life Book - More Information & Teacher Line Up! 

How does Life Book work?

Once you have sent payment through you will be added to a private group on my ning site and you will be invited to join the Life Book Facebook & Flickr Groups. Each week a new lesson is posted in the ning group. You will be notified by email every Monday that a new lesson is up. You will find download instructions in the lesson thread. You can then watch the lessons at your own time at home, do your work and share your work in the groups (should you want to - it's not necessary to share your work if you do not want to). You can create your paintings on single pages which by the end of the year will be bound into a book, a Life Book :) Sounds exciting no? :) 

How are the lessons structured?

Tam will provide 10 mixed media lesson throughout the year which will be posted on every 1st Monday of the month and this year there are 22 contributing mixed media teachers who will each provide a lesson for a month they've been assigned to (these lessons will be posted each 3rd and 4th Monday of the month).

In addition there will be extra things happening the other weeks: artist interviews to inspire you, journal prompts to encourage you, extra art exercises, meditations, ATC swaps, art tips and tricks, you name it! This course will be overflowing with lessons, inspiration and stuff to keep you busy the whole year!!

You will become part of a thriving, buzzing, creative community with opportunities to make new connections, learn many new mixed media styles and techniques and make new arty friends!

You will be able to:

• Download all class materials to your machine, keep them forever
• Learn many new mixed media techniques and styles
• Grow and develop both personally and artistically
• Receive extra inspiration, like PDF worksheets, art journal prompts, free uplifting affirmation jpegs (for you to print and hang up), give aways, artist interviews etc!
• Connect with like-minded creative people
• Make new artistic connections
• Become part of a buzzing/ thriving art community for a whole year!

About Tam's Life Book Lessons

Tam provides completely new (unseen) lessons to Life Book each year (there are no repeat lessons apart from the binding videos posted in December). Though the lessons are new each year, techniques that were covered in previous years may be repeated. Tam's Life Book lessons become available in a self study group once the Life Book year is finished. 


Yearly Class Schedule is HERE! :)

Download this PDF to read a description of all the weekly offerings. Please be aware, however, that though the likelihood is that the classes will appear as described in this document, some may change slightly depending on the circumstances & happenings throughout the year!

weekly-schedule-lb2014-publish

Basic Supply List

Click on the image to download the basic supply list needed for the course. Please be aware that you won't necessarily need to buy every single thing on the list, certain materials can easily be replaced with other ones that you already have. So if you are on a budget, don't go crazy buying all the supplies. Throughout the year different teachers may introduce you to new materials as well. It's never compulsory to buy all the materials used on the course (of course not!), I'd say: see how you go throughout the year and if you see a teacher use something you really really love, then go buy it, but you don't need to 'arm' yourself with a house full of supplies you may not continue using in the future! 

LB2014-basicsupplylist

Who can sign up to Life Book? I haven't ever done any art, can I join too?
Darling, OF COURSE YOU CAN! Life Book is for EVERYONE! :) Sure, the course will be easier if you've done some art already, but don't deprive yourself of learning the awesome magic making and healing power of art just because you haven't done it before! The course is suitable for beginners/ intermediates and masters alike! Everyone will get something different out of the course. The course is run in an open, supportive, inclusive and encouraging environment where you can play, experiment, make a 'fool' of yourself and start all over again! There will be no judgement, we will only love you and encourage you! :) All lessons are conducted in such a way that you can follow the tutors step by step, so you can do what they do, and if that bores you, then you can go totally off the rails and do your own thing inspired by their lesson! Sounds good? :) You are loved and welcome here, no matter what skill level, for serious! :D xoxoox

What do I need and need to know in order to join Life Book 2014?

• You will need a highspeed internet connection to be able to download the videos. If you have a slower connection you can stream the videos online and/ or learn through the PDFs, but the best option is to have a highspeed internet connection.
• It will be helpful to have a basic understanding of IT, like reading emails, navigating sites like Facebook and flickr etc. If you're having trouble with some IT related stuff some help can be given, but in depth IT guidance cannot be given.
• If you are planning on downloading and keeping the videos you will need to make sure you have "a few" gigabites available. Each video can be between 200 - 900 MB in size. Multiply that by at least 32 lessons and you can see you'll need quite a bit of space! I recommend you get an additional external hard drive on to which you can download all the lessons. Unfortunately I am unable to offer the entire class on DVD/ CD.B
• Be aware that you will have access to the Life Book content until the end of January 2015, so make sure you download what you want throughout the year, DON'T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE, because the content will really disappear after Jan 31st 2015.
• With regards to the personal development exercises: please understand that none of the art teachers on the course are qualified psychotherapists or psychologists. Therefore if you are prone to depression or if you think you might be triggered through one of the healing exercises it's important that you only embark upon the healing exercises knowing that you have an adequate support system around in the form of friends, family and/or a therapist to help you deal with painful stuff should this happen. Though there will be an 'emotional support thread' on the course available, the teachers and I are not able to provide you with in depth emotional support (as much as we would want to!)
• This course should not be considered a substitute or a replacement for face to face therapy. It is designed to help and encourage the participant to love and accept themselves more fully through personal development exercises and connecting with their inner creative nature. Participants who suffer from any kind of mental health issues are advised to seek the help from mental health professionals. Life Book can be used a supplement to any therapy treatment, but should not be used as a main form of treatment for any mental health issues. 
• The course is not based on any specific religious faith but may refer to and base lessons on and around 'non-dual' teachings. The course is inclusive of every human being regardless of their chosen faith. The theme focus of the course is 'self-development/ self-love/ self-healing'. We may refer to concepts such as: "The Goddess in You", "Intuition", "Shamanism", "Mandalas", "Crystals", "Yoga", "Sacred Ritual", "Being Here Now" etc.
  

Who are the awesome artists contributing to Life Book? Hold on to your seats, guys, this line up is QUITE something!! :D 
 

I am so privileged and honoured, excited and joyful to have the following amazing artists contribute their skill, time, knowledge and energy to Life Book 2014.

To read in depth bios and see examples of the artists' artworks download this PDF (or scroll down to read all about them):

Alena Hennessy - www.alenahennessy.com
Anna Dabrowska - www.tworzysko.blogspot.co.uk
Carissa Paige - www.carissapaige.com
Carla Sonheim - www.carlasonheim.com
Christy Tomlinson - www.christytomlinson.com
Danielle Daniel - www.danielledaniel.com
Dyan Reaveley - www.dyan-reaveley.blogspot.co.uk
Effy Wild - www.effythewild.com
Flora Bowley - www.florabowley.com
Jane Davenport - www.janedavenport.com
Jennibellie - www.jennibelliestudio.blogspot.com
Kate Thompson - www.fracturedangelics.blogspot.com
Kelly Hoernig - www.kellyhoernig.webs.com
Kat McBride - www.KatCanPaint.com
Lesley Riley - www.lesleyriley.com
Marieke Blokland - www.bloknote.nl
Micki Wilde - www.thesecrethermit.blogspot.co.uk
Mika Diaz - www.mikadiazmixedmedia.com
Serena Bridgeman - www.serenarty.com
Steven Speight - www.speightoftheart.com
Tascha Parkinson - www.timewithtascha.blogspot.ca
Traci Bautista - www.treicdesigns.com

**********

More Praise for Life Book! 

“I always thought my creativity and abilities would not be enough to paint anything worthwile. I started life book, learned so many differend methods and developed so much personally and artistically that I now think about starting a creative business! When I really look at my life I always wanted to do something creative and didn´t have the guts... I thought I was not skilled, creative, good enough even to try! Life book changed that feeling and my art skilles about 180°! (Thank you, Tam!!!) It makes you stretch out of your comfort zone and makes you reach for the stars - and you will reach at least the moon! :-)” - Leila Freiburg (a.k.a."Amy"); Germany

“An amazing course that spans a whole year, and has lessons from some amazing artists that have really inspired me to try new techniques.” - Monique Green, Surrey (UK)

“It's a fantastic self-paced course with world wide, well known instructors teaching methods in a way that anyone can create great works of art. The course also helps to expand the mind opening the door to creative thoughts that have been dormant in some and locked in others. With visual instruction along with readable content and available help 24/7 makes it THE online art course to enroll in! “ - Connie Foster Bissell - Marshfield, MO USA 

“Life Book is a wonderful, Year Long, Art course. With new lessons by different teachers each week. It's fun, and challenging, and it's full of amazing techniques, I'm learning about new to me mediums, which is great! And there's a personal development aspect too, which I love. There is so much to it and it's very reasonably priced .... it's exciting and wonderful! And at the end of the year all these pieces of art you created will be bound into an amazing book. You get lots of support and encouragement... and help when you need it. And you work at your own pace. "WOW" ....I really LOVE Life Book! ;) “- Phoebe Thibault-Sherrard, in Kitchener, Ontario

“I am taking this amazing year long art class. It has so much information to learn and is so incredible. I can't recommend it enough!” - Stacie Spencer,New Market, Maryland USA

“There's this GREAT class called Lifebook, available on-line! The cost is affordable...and it is so nice to have something to look forward to each week. You can work at your own pace, you can download information if you choose. The teachers are varied in style & lessons vary in content so there really is something for everyone. I've LOVED being part of this experience!” - Patricia Bleecher, MA., USA

Blog hopping with new Jane Stencils!

Hey there fabulous creativas! (It's a new word I created and it's a mix between creative and diva: you are creative divas!!) :)

One of the awesome perks of the job that I do is that you get sent new awesome art materials to review and experiment with! I'm a big fan of Jane Davenport's work and I love her as my friend and an allround sparkly, koala-saving, long blond-haired mermaid, kick-ass art maker kind of person. :) So I was thrilled to be asked to be part of her blog hop again to review her newest stencils as manufactured by the lovely Lisa (and Michael) from Artist Cellar!

If you love creating faces, but you're having a hard time creating them, these stencils are perfect. Sometimes you can use them just as they are and voila you have a face, but ALSO you can use them as a learning tool, trace over the stencils face and get to know those face angles and dimensions, you can also embellish the stencilled face and/or really make it your own! Some of you may remember the video I did with her last stencil set (you can watch it here) and I what I liked about it so much is that the stencil face is really Jane-style, but I could easily make the face into a more Tam-style. Yay.

Anyhoo, yesterday I played with her newest face stencils and this is what I created. I hope you enjoy this little time lapse video darling! :)


As part of the release of these stencils I'm allowed to give away one set of stencils to a lucky person! :) If you want to enter the give away, make sure that you subscribe to my newsletter (if you don't already) and leave a comment below telling us how making art LIGHTS YOU UP! :) (it does, doesn't it?)

And to increase your chances of winning a stencil set, check out the other artist hoppers in the blog hop:

Have posted already - some you can still enter for giveaways though:
 

September 28 - Artistcellar (www.artistcellar.com/wp)

September 29 - Jill K. Berry (http://jillberrydesign.com/blog)

September - 30 Dawn DeVries Sokol (http://www.dawndsokol.com)

October 1 - Joanne Sharpe (http://joannezsharpe.blogspot.com/)

October 2 - Connie Hozvicka (http://www.dirtyfootprints-studio.com/)

October 3 - Effy Wild (www.effywild.com)

October 4 - Tamara Laporte ( www.willowing.org/blog) < ---- you are here

Still to come:
 

October 5 - Dion Dior (http://www.diondior.com/)

October 6 - Courtney Brook (http://ravenscauldron.blogspot.com/)

October 7 - Kate Palmer (http://www.sparkletart.com/)
October 8 - Jane Davenport (http://janedavenport.com/)

To buy the stencils click here.

Jane herself says this about the stencils:

I just wanted to give you this extra info about the Stencils:

The Set is called Jane Girls Petite Faces.

When I created my first set of stencils, it was in direct response to what I thought would help my online drawing students. What I have discovered through my teaching is that when people start drawing we tend to err towards wanting to be perfect straight away. Even though we know its unrealistic, the expectation is there! The stencils where intended as a safety net. 

When I worked with my stencils in live classes, I could really see just how powerfully confidence-building they were! I had requests for some smaller faces, so the new set furnishes those wishes. I also made them a little more complex so skills can keep improving as creative confidence flourishes!

The stencils are available here:

Northern Hemisphere: http://www.artistcellar.com/stampstencil/acSignatureSeries.html

Southern Hemisphere: http://www.instituteofcute.com/stencil-series/

Life Book 2014 - Give Away Winners!

Sorry for the delay in announcing the winners you guys! I've been having some technical problems with my site this week, which I hope have now been resolved! Soooooo, without further ado here are the 3 Life Book 2014 winners! Eeeeeeeeeeh! If you've won, pls contact me on willowing AT gmail.com and let me know the email you'll use on the ning site. You'll then be invited when registration opens on 7th October! 

Thank you everyone for entering the give away. If you didn't win; bummer I'm so sorry sweetheart! If finances are tough for you be assured that I will be offering payment plans. I want all of you to be part of this: of course!! 

So the winners are:

Joyce who said :

Amy Weaver who said:

Tawana Martin who said:

Congratulations to all the winners!! :D

Why Self-Acceptance is Crucial

So I've recently started seeing a therapist. While I've only had a few sessions with her, I'm already noticing the impact of sharing my stuff with a stranger, being heard and 'held' and being supported on my life long quest to become more loving to and accepting of myself.

I know that so many, if not most of us battle with a lack of confidence, a lack of self worth, a lack of self acceptance on a daily basis and I truly believe that working towards more self-acceptance and self-love (and I don't mean the physical kind though dude: that is SO cool too! ;)) doesn't only make YOU happier, more at peace and in joy; it truly also helps and improves the world. I am utterly convinced of that.

Most of you know that practising self care, self kindness and self love play a big part in my life and on my courses. Life Book (for instance) is all about finding a greater love for and a deeper connection with one self through the magic of art making (it's ALSO about celebration and honouring and having fun btw, but this post in not about Life Book right now more on Life Book soon :)). 

I sometimes get asked the question: why? Why the focus on self love? What is all this woo woo mumbo jumbo self lovey dovey all about? Why the focus on 'self' so much? Shouldn't we love others? Not ourselves so much?

Lemme explain oh gorgeous being you. :) It all comes down to this really:

It's not *JUST* about me wanting to feel happier and more at peace and confident inwardly and all that. That is a huge part of my motivation, of course, I want me, you, all of us to be happy and self-confident and full of strength & joy. But, my dudes, it's not only that. This self love and self-peace, my goodness; it spills over into the world and onto others and will literally make the world a better place. The maths = You loving yourself = World better place. For serious. Let me elaborate:

I think that people who lack self-love, who lack a sense of self-safety and a sense of inner peace are at the root of most of the world's problems. Yes, I think huge wars, the chase for more power and wealth, abusing and exploiting others to gain more for ourselves, neglecting and abusing animals, ruining the environment etc etc all have unhappy people at the root of it. I'm not saying that all unhappy people are causing huge wars, nope, some try to find other ways to create more happiness within them (meditation/ self-enquiry/ therapy/ arting it out/ singing etc are only a small hand full of examples how some deal with their unhappiness) but I'm saying that I bet your bottom dollar that those who create wars, do harm etc; are deeply unhappy on the inside and they are trying to fill the void with all sorts; external power, wealth, food, drugs etc. 

And I'm not judging those people, to be clear: I strongly wish they would choose different methods to fill their inner voids, but I can totally understand they have that inner void and that they are clumsily (and at times with great harm to others) trying to fill it. Sadly, current society is set up in such a way that many/ most of us do end up with inner voids and so many of us battle with this problem. Some are more aware, other less. I wish and send all who struggle with the inner void; love and more specifically: a sense of inner unconditional love for themselves, a sense of inner peace and strength about who they are which is: a divine & pure spark of the universe (yes you!). 

In contrast: those who are happy, are doing great inner work and have a sense of inner peace and self acceptance tend to create projects in the world that are life-enriching! They are kind to others and themselves, they are usually forces of light and positivity. They have a positive impact on all they meet. People who have an inner confidence and self-love can see others for who they are, they are better equipped to deal with conflict and difficult scenarios. They are less likely to choose violent methods to sort out problems, they promote peace, love, light and are general light-beamers all round. 

To summarise: unhappy people do unhappy things and happy people do happy things.

So what do I mean by self-love and self-acceptance? Some people confuse self love with self-adulation. No my comrades, that's not what I'm talking about. Self-love is not about: arrogance, feeling better than others, boasting or self-glorification (in fact those are all usually symptoms of feeling 'less than'). Oh nosies. That's not what I'm talking about at all. Self love/ self care, self kindness, is all about looking after yourself well. Being in touch with what it is you need. Creating strong (but kind) boundaries around you so you do not get depleted. It's about making choices that enrich your life and well being. Knowing that you are as worthy as others. Creating a greater understanding of who you are. Making space for rest, for nourishment, for replenishing your soul. Making time for healing the hurts inside of you. Liking who you are. Knowing you are equally worthy to others, that you are not 'less than'. Asking for help if you need help. Being kind kind kind to you you you. It is sometimes saying 'no'. It's remaining committed to your values. It's honouring your pain, your joy, your sadness, your happies. It's celebrating your inner divinity. It's moving away from judgement and looking at your deeper feelings and needs. It's being ok with being scared. It's being ok with being who you are. It being proud of who you are. It's being ok with your struggles and flaws. It's wholly accepting yourself with your strengths and flaws and having compassion and love for this being that is you.

Nice Tam, but how does one achieve that? 

Ha ha. Yes, well. Seeing that many of us have had life long practises of being biatches towards ourselves, it does take a lot of work, awareness and education to transform. And I do think -at times- that it may take another few life times (for me that is) to transform my own self-judgement in to self-acceptance. That said, I've done a lot of work in this area and compared to where I was 10 years ago: I am now SO much more confident, aware, in touch and happier. Sure, I still have further to go, oh totally, but I know that change can happen, transformation can occur, self-compassion is possible.

The things that have helped me most in life to help transform my inner critic into a more loving and accepting person are:

• Non-violent Communication
• Practicing Self-Enquiry & Processing my feelings through Art Journalling
• Practising The Work by Byron Katie
• Listening to Eckhart Tolle
• Listening to Mooji
• Reading/ listening to Alan Watts Teachings
• Singing (expressing my emotions)
• Deepening my understanding of my own feelings and needs
• Going to Therapy
• And more recently, I found out that Sounds True (who do amazing audio podcasts that enrich my life spiritually, emotionally and psychologically) are actually running a 'Self Acceptance Project'! For Free! Sign up here (no affiliate, just wanting the world to become a better place my loves). x

So there you go my message about self love! One of the most crucial things to make your inner AND outer world a better place. :D 

What about you? Do you love and accept yourself? Do you struggle with an inner void? What do you do to find more self acceptance? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

And of course, if you're interested in doing more self-acceptance work through art making, registration for Life Book 2014 opens on October 7th. It will support, inspire, encourage and move you to become kinder with your precious self darling. Hope to see you there. <3>
 

Life Book 2014 - Blog Hop Give Away!

Hello oh beautimous groovy artsy amigos of mine! 

You know I appreciate you guys deeply right? I so very much love being part of this awesome creative community, it fills me with joy and yayness every day to know that so many of you/ us are sharing our art and our light in this world. It's a true pleasure and honour to be doing the job that I do, running classes helping people dig deeper and evolve spiritually/ personally. Wow, I'm counting my lucky stars every day. And I also must thank you guys for that. Without you, I wouldn't be able to do what I do, so just remember that: you are loved, you are appreciated, I care about you. <3 

Now then, all that did not really have much to do with the topic of this blog post! Well maybe a little, because I'm about to start my blog hop for Life Book 2014, and I often feel emotional and grateful when I think of Life Book. It's such a precious project to me. It does so much good in the world, it's enriching so many people's lives. :))) So yes, it's super dear to my heart and I would love everyone to be able to be part of it.

So, to celebrate the kick off of this blog hop I will be giving away 

3 spaces on Life Book 2014! 

All you have to do win a space is leave me a comment below and let me know why you want to part of Life Book! :) 

The winner will be announced next week 20th September. 

And hang on! If you want an even greater chance to win a space on Life Book make sure that you follow the blog hop! All the teachers are giving away one spot on Life Book 2014! 

Here is the blog hop list, make a note of them: 

13th Sept 2013 - Tascha Parkinson – www.timewithtascha.blogspot.ca

14th Sept 2013 - Lesley Riley – www.lesleyriley.com

15th Sept 2013 - Alena Hennessy - www.alenahennessy.com

16th Sept2013 - Kat McBride – www.KatCanPaint.com

17th Sept 2013 - Carla Sonheim – www.carlasonheim.com

18th Sept 2013 - Jane Davenport – www.janedavenport.com

19th Sept 2013 - Danielle Daniel – www.danielledaniel.com

20th Sept 2013 - Jennibellie – www.jennibelliestudio.blogspot.com

23rd Sept2013 - Kelly Hoernig – www.kellyhoernig.webs.com

24th Sept 2013 - Micki Wilde – www.thesecrethermit.blogspot.co.uk

25th Sept 2013 - Kate Thompson – www.fracturedangelics.blogspot.com

26th Sept 2013 - Flora Bowley – www.florabowley.com

27th Sept2013 - Anna Dabrowska – www.tworzysko.blogspot.co.uk

28th Sept 2013 - Steven Speight – www.speightoftheart.com

29th Sept 2013 - Mika Diaz – www.mikadiazmixedmedia.com

30th Sept 2013 - Serena Bridgeman – www.serenarty.com

1st Oct 2013 - Dyan Reaveley – www.dyan-reaveley.blogspot.co.uk

2nd Oct 2013 - Effy Wild – www.effythewild.com

3rd Oct 2013 - Carissa Paige – www.carissapaige.com

4th Oct 2013 - Marieke Blokland – www.bloknote.nl

5th Oct 2013 - Christy Tomlinson – www.christytomlinson.com

6th Oct 2013 - Traci Bautista – www.treicdesigns.com