Journal flip-through

I've just finished another art journal. This one ran from Sept 2019 to the end of Jan 2020. Here are all the pages in order. As usual, I like a few, most are okay, and some I really dislike, but they represent my life and thoughts for the last few months.

Brighten

Brighten someone's day.

Smile.

Compliment.

Help.

It's good for both of you.

Sometimes...

Sometimes you just wonder...

...what am I doing here?

... what am I for?

...why?

... how can I be better?

And it's okay to ask questions.

Slow life

There is much to be said for living a slow life. I have time in my schedule to say 'yes' to things that come up...

... like a 10km walk with a friend last week.

I have time to spend with people when they need it.

I have time to appreciate the small things because I'm not rushing past them.

New angles

Come at it from another angle.

The tree on this page is a hand-carved stamp. I put the one on 'the right way round' first, but then felt a real tug to put another on coming in from the side. When you tilt the page you get a whole different point of view. Suddenly there is a path going off into the distance and a twister coming in from the right.

In landscape orientation I feel drawn into the page. Looking at the page the original way round, things seem to be tipping in from the right like a tall wave waiting to fall.

The same page looks so different from a different angle. It reminds me that it's always worth looking at those things that seem to be problems from a different direction to see if there is a solution that hasn't occurred to you before.

Knots

If you can, unravel the knot, while realising that sometimes it's beyond repair and needs to be cut.

Having done a lot of knitting in my life, I know that patience with unravelling is rewarded. Most knots can be undone and yarn reclaimed with time and patience. But there are times where the knot is too tight, the yarn worn too thin, and then you just have to cut out the ruined part.

The same can be said for relationships. They take patience; they are worth the effort to get right; most knots can be worked loose and undone. But sometimes you just have to cut loose.