Too Many Feelings!

Having a lot of feelings and struggles at once is hard. How do you sort through them all? Where do you begin?

Jan 22, 2018
Jenn Seeley

Expressive Arts Instagram: A January 'Challenge'

Hey reader friends!

It's a new year. Know what that means? We're flooded with expectations and resolutions and marketing that begs us to give in to the message that there's a 'new you' just waiting to be bought because there's been a change to your calendar.

While it's quite possible you're looking to move forward to something that was greater than 2017, you might be among the folks who find resolution making to be a self-sabotaging type of trap. You also might be a serial resolution maker - and nail it each year. I support you, no matter what your journey looks like in a new year.

Regardless of whether or not you're a list-maker, a thrill-seeker, a reflective-thinker, a memory-collector - if you're looking for something to do to bring in the new year in a way that taps into the right side of your brain, draws on your creativity, and prompts you to notice your feelings a little bit, I've got a fun activity for you!

Head on over to Instagram and play along! If you like rules, here are some you can follow:

Using the image below, find the number that corresponds to the day of the month and read the prompt for that day
The goal is to make art every day. Interpret the prompt however you like. Does it speak to you in a particular way? How might you create something using that prompt? What medium(s)/process(es) will you choose? (collage, paint, draw, sculpt, dance, sing, write, move, photograph +++ your heART out!)
Take a photo of your finished product (or video yourself if you choose to use movement/dance/song/spoken word/etc)
Post to Instagram and use the hashtag #ExpressiveArtsInstagram (feel free to also tag @tablesauce_therapy if you'd like your pics to end up in a round up post later on!)
Play along every day, one day, no days, or bounce around if you'd like. You can't do it wrong. You have my permission to use this however it feels best.

And if you like... a few tips and pointers on making the most out of this experience:

Set aside a short amount of time each day for the practice of expressive arts.
Focus on the process - not the product. If it's a 10 minute quickie, make it about the feeling.
Write a caption for your post that shares a bit about the process for you. What did you FEEL when you created? Did something feel hard? Were you stuck? Maybe it was just a big blank? Share THAT if you can. (And also give yourself permission to not share if it feels too vulnerable.)
Other hashtags to go bananas with: #expressiveartstherapy #makearteveryday #focusontheprocess #doitfortheprocess
Copy the image and share it to your own insta, FB, twitter - anywhere! Feel free to invite your friends to play, too!
* A French version has now been added below the English one. Translated by Sylvie Bérard.

january instagram challenge 2018 expressive arts

Wishing you gentleness and ease in 2018!

-

jenn

arts expressif instagram janvier

Dec 31, 2017
Jenn Seeley

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The magic answers to curing your anxiety, complete with top ten best coping mechanisms and strategies won’t be found in this post... ....Don't get me wrong. There are so many great tools that can help calm/slow/shift/fool your anxiety. I might even talk about some of them as they seem relevant with clients who come to see me about anxious hard times. What I don't do though, is dish out a to-do list like it's a recipe for inner-storm-calming along with the instructions to check off the boxes and come back in one week.