I have just added three more original paintings to the offerings in the amanobooks.com art section. All of the paintings are encaustic. Take a look!

For the Time Being
encaustic and mixed media
11×14 inches

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Writing in a journal allows us to stop and reflect. Use your journal as a place to reflect on the things you are grateful for. Often we are overwhelmed by all the obligations we have in our daily lives or what we lack that it is easy to forget what we have. Gratitude for what is in our lives allows us to be present and really savor the good things. Being able to reframe circumstances that we find ourselves in also opens us up to allowing even more positive possibilities. This is not about being unrealistically happy 24 hours a day, it is about fostering a more positive perspective on things.

+ Write a Gratitude List as an entry in your journal. From the big things like a recovery from an illness or getting a new job. To the smallest things such as a genuine smile from a stanger or the extra whip cream in your mocha. When we remember what we have, our lives become more abundant. If this is difficult, start small. You’ll be amazed by all that you have to be grateful for.

+Make writing a Gratitude List a habit. Every time you sit at your journal, begin an entry with a short list of 5 things you are grateful for for that day.

Pink Poppy print available
in the amanobooks art section

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There are more ways to journal than just keeping track of daily activities. Some people find it helpful to keep themed journals. Here are some examples:

Meditation/Prayer Journal: Keep inspirational quotes in this journal and a record of specific prayers or meditations. Think of this journal as a place to seek guidance and answers from your higher power and as a daily record of what God is doing in your life. This can also be a form of a gratitude journal- keeping a list of daily things to be grateful for can really enrich our perspective on the abundance in our lives.

a beaded journal entitled “Milagros”, 2005

inside page of the “Milagros” book

Travel Journal: Writing as you travel will capture as much and even more of the essence of your trip than just photographs. Write during layovers, on a bus, or at the day’s end. Paste or write in your itinerary. Bring along an envelope to collect ticket stubs, pamphlets, programs, brochures, postcards, etc.

Family/Child’s Journal:Keep track of the big events and even more importantly, the little details, of your family’s life. Write down milestones in your child’s development. Have your child write an entry describing a family even in their own words, without any adult input. You may be surprised by what he or she experienced!

Quote Journal: Collect your favorite quotes in a journal dedicated solely for this purpose. Don’t forget to write where you got it from, as you may want to go back to that book again.

Grief and Healing Journal: Use a journal to help you during an illness, a death of a loved one, or even a dissolution of a relationship. So many emotions and issues come to the surface we deal with the mortality of being human. Journaling can help you cope with loss. If you have lost a loved one, a grief and healing journal can be used to maintain “communication” with him or her. On birthdays or anniversaries of his or her death, write to that person and describe how the past year has gone.

Dream Journal: Keep this journal by your bed and write down your dreams as soon as you wake up. Dreams can be very telling of how we feel about current situations. Or sometimes, they are so bizarre that you just have to write them down! For creative types- our dreams are tools to enhance our creativity. Tune into your dreams and find your personal symbols. Let your dreams inspire your paintings, writings, music making, etc.

Garden Journal: A gardening journal can be used to help you plan what you plant and when you plant. You can plot out of the garden which can also help you keep track of what that plant was when it finally comes up! Observe and write about what grows and lives in your garden. Close observation with a journal can really open up the mysteries and wonder of the seasons in relation to the earth and to ourselves.

Remember: You can never journal wrong. Your journal is whatever you want or need it to be.

For the visually inclined:

Themed Visual Journal: Pick a theme to explore visually in one book. By reworking the same theme over and over again, you will delve deeper into meaning, motifs and also technique. Here is a sample of one of my visual journals. This was a collaborative project and took about two years to complete. My personal growth from this project was tremendous.

visual journal with the theme of “journey”, 2005-2007

spread in the journey book

Studio Journal: Working on a series? Need to write an artist statement? Keep a studio journal- jot down discoveries, ideas, inspiration. Keep a list of paint color combos that are working for you. This journal can be a powerful tool and useful resource.

Artist Shayla Perreault Newcomb shared with me recently that she herself keeps several journals.
-a daily gratitude journal that is all writing, mostly lists
-a free form journal, again all writing
-a written art journal that includes “lots of messy writing and planning”
-a visual art journal
You can view more of her work at her web site.

Like I said, there are so many ways to journal, don’t limit yourself to any preconceived ideas. Journaling is there for you to use as you see fit, not the other way around! Most importantly enjoy the time you have set aside for youself to journal. Whether it is a leisurely hour late at night, or three minutes before your bus arrives, it is your time. Honor it.

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I am honored to be part of one of Tracy Helgeson’s creations, The Fine Art Department blog.

Tracy has gathered up 25 artists to help each other spread the work about our artwork during these tough economic times. You can read more about her idea here.

Online, I sell my work at amanobooks.com and also at my bgmills etsy shop. Work on my web site guerzonmills.com is also available unless it is marked as sold.

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Two new pieces have been added to amanobooks. The mixed media journal Mists has been added to the selections available in the Collage Journal section.

mists, 6×8 inch blank journal

The encaustic piece entitled Yesterday was just added to the Art section of the site. This piece is a 5×7 inch encaustic painting created on clayboard.

yesterday, encaustic, 5×7 inches

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