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Journaling in Class

 

As you've traveled through your CoW Quest, you likely have been filling journals with your process,  progress, and messages from the ladies! I use spiral bound art journals for long paintings (Legend, CODEX), sketches symbols and Metacognative drawings, and have covered and repurposed a bunch of composition books following Catt Geller's lead. And I love making Cards!!

As we begin to offer classes, we need to find ways to introduce and include journaling to balance the painting for process, symbols, messages and insights.

Often during a first class or circle, a beloved tells me, "I don't really have an art journal, is that ok?"  
While of course it's ok, (you can't get this wrong!), it's helpful and satisfying to have a journal (+) dedicated to projects, and to process what's up in our life! 

For in person classes, I often provide little journals, and encourage their use throughout the class. I may send a prompt around the theme in my welcome email, and invite them to tuck their response in a pocket in the journal (an envelope from a greeting card works great). 

Star codes

When I'm teaching, I find it hard to do my own journaling during class! I give the prompt for my students, and may jot a few notes, but rarely do as much as I might on my own. I often do a sample painting on my theme before the class, to work out the kinks. That's a good time to make notes, sketch symbols, and ask the muse's input for journal prompts! You might want to include some of those prompts with your 13 step cards.

Ideas for Prompts and timing:

  • Intention for the painting (prior), and what is written on the canvas
  • Visioning - colors, symbols, feelings, season, animal allies, gifts (whatever you invited them to receive)
  • Invite them to use some of the paint in their journals, and maybe trace around their hand for a grounding page!
  • Additional symbols, allies, arch enemies, antidotes
  • Critic - when SHE appears for someone, I first thank them for acknowledging her, then give some tools for shifting power back to the muse. Invite them to include their favorites in their journal
  • Risky glaze - what's going into the fog? what's emerging?
  • I'm Stuck / want to gesso / she's too dark .... how does this come up other times? Go back to original inquiry - does it connect?
  • If there's a second visioning or glaze, invite more journaling
  • Message from the lady - sit back 6' and "hand her the pen!"
  • Insights and next steps
Calendar & Grounding Pages
If it's a shorter class, or offered virtually, you may wish to send the prompts via email, both before and after class. If it's a longer virtual workshop, you might mail them a small journal, message and piece of red thread.

I try to take time after class to connect with my demo painting and journal. Sometimes *another* Old Story has come up for clearing, and I make some new story cards! 

I also make notes on what came up for students, new insights, journal prompts, sketch symbols, flesh out ideas for the next class, and ways to improve the teaching, set up, etc. When I co-facilitate classes, we try to meet for tea and debrief a few days later! 

Muse - 2016 with Livestream

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