{heidiology}

my list of goals this year includes doing something creative every day. i want to balance my main daily activities (social work, which requires me to be logical, organized, rational, decisive, fast-paced, multi-tasking, and extroverted) by nurturing my creative side, the "right side" of my brain, so to speak. merriam-webster defines "right brain" this way:

Main Entry: right brain

Function: noun

Date: 1970

: the right cerebral hemisphere of the human brain especially when viewed in terms of its predominant thought processes (as creativity and intuitive thinking)

— right–brained\ˈrīt-ˈbrānd\ adjective

so, to document my progress toward this goal, i have altered a simple notebook i found in the dollar bin at michaels (see below) to fit my needs.i took it apart, took out the thin lined pages, replaced them with 26 pieces of cardstock from my scrap stash cut to size, covered the binding holes on the front cover and punched 3 holes for binding rings instead, then went nuts with the altering. i ended up with this. i love it!i then numbered each page 1-7, for 52 weeks worth of creative actions. i will be writing just a few words each day to document what i did.


i am not pressuring myself to do huge things every single day, but rather, to make art/creativity part of my daily life. it might be something as simple as taking a photo, writing a little story in my journal, framing some artwork for the wall, arranging some flowers, or adding some accessories to our decor at home. i am also beginning with the intention of developing more skills that incorporate paper arts, mixed media, video editing, photo editing, maybe even knitting/sewing!

i believe i will find that there are many things i already do on a regular basis that are creative - such as making a flyer at work, setting up a festive table, creating a logo for a new training, putting up a collage of photos on my wall, re-arranging our furniture, etc.

this type of journal would be easily adapted to other daily goal projects - like - cutting out diet soda, perhaps?! (going on day 4 and it's not too bad, but the headaches might kill me)

how about writing a little something you're thankful for each day? or tracking an exercise regimen? what you ate each day? books you're reading? i can see loads of possibilities. the project took me less than 1 hour total...and was very inexpensive. if you decide on a daily goal, and implementing this type of journal, i'd love to hear about it! :)