We all hear that voice at times. The voice that whispers in our ear things like “You’re not good enough” or “You call yourself an artist?” or “No one is going to buy your work”, or “You have no original ideas”, etc. etc. etc. This voice is the infamous Inner Critic who rears its ugly head right at the moment when we do not need to hear such negative comments.

Our first instinct is to tell the Inner Critic to just go away, or probably we use less polite phrasing. But basically we stuff it down. This is necessary as a means of self-preservation, but really what is essential is to face the Inner Critic and really figure out what that voice is saying and why. Inner Critic work is challenging because it means we have to face the ugly things we say to ourselves.

Get out your journal and try this exercise:
+ Give your inner critic a name
+ Make a drawing of him/her. A collage even.
+ Explore that critical voice- what is it saying?
where is it coming from?
how does it make you feel?
is there a theme?
+ Next time you start hearing the Inner Critic voice, write down exactly what it’s saying. Then respond to it. Have a dialogue with that voice. Ask it what are you trying to teach me?

And why do we need to do this? There are several reasons:
*the Inner Critic is negative energy. By understanding its role, you can shift the energy so it can work for you instead of against you
*understanding the Inner Critic allows you to know it and its dynamics, allowing you to sidestep the roadblocks
*once your can wrap your head around who the Inner Critic is, why it does what it does, you can release that energy. Forgive it and yourself and keep moving forward.

One thing to understand is that the Inner Critic was created to protect you at times. For example, “if I don’t try, I won’t get rejected”.

I did this exercise several years ago and it was extremely helpful. I highly recommend it.

self portrait, Teach Me To Fly, 2005

Some helpful links on the Inner Critic:

http://talentdevelop.com/articles/innercritic.html

http://www.creatingstrategies.com/articles/creativity_and_innovation/invite_the_inner_critic

http://www.kalimunro.com/article_inner_critic.html

http://creativeeveryday.com/creativeeveryday/2009/04/dialoguing-with-your-inner-critic.html

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Autumn Tree handbound blank journal
4 1/2 x 7 inches

I am excited to announce that the Tyra Banks show chose one of my handbound journals that I offer over at amanobooks.com as one of the items included in their Luxe Living event! Here is a link to the event and the other products that are going to be included too. The Luxe Living event happens once a year in which 8 lucky women win a gift bag of the industries top products. This year they are incorporating fabulous luxury chocolates, teas, handmade soaps, candles, and apparantly handmade journals!

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Towards Wholeness
6×6 inch blank journal

I have been busy adding more blank journals to amanobooks.com. This blank journal, Towards Wholeness is now available for purchase in the collage journals section.

The cover of this journal was created on a canvas panel. The art on the cover is an original mixed media painting signed by the artist. This piece is about a journey towards wholeness. In the fragile beauty of the petals I hope to capture the beautiful impermanence in this world and the loving acceptance of our limitations.

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Feeling a little stuck with your journaling? Maybe you feel like you need a little inspiration or motivation to get you going. There’s nothing like joining an informal group online to get you going sometimes. You don’t even have to join, just follow along!

Head on over to Dawn’s blog D’Blogala for daily journaling prompts for the month of November. NaNoJourno stands for National Nonstop Journaling Month. Dawn is posting a word a day at her blog to inspire your visual journal entry for that day.

I know that four days have already gone by for this month already, but don’t let that stop you.

For visual inspiration of someone who creates beautiful visual journal entries that aren’t fussy or overly complex, visit the blog of 365 Days of Being 30…an art journal. Erin’s visual journal pages were featured on this blog earlier this year and she is still at it! I find her journal pages very inspiring.

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