My mission is to inspire and teach techniques for exploring creative vision,
expanding artistic skill, and expressing your unique creative self.
Hi, I’m Valerie
Hi! I’m Valerie. I’ve taken solace in creating for as long as I can remember.
Art making has been a continual source of comfort and joy in processing my life and helping me to connect with my Creator, and other like-hearted people.
I absolutely love sharing in the ‘Aha’ moment with people as they discover they can do something new and creative, something that previously seemed a mystery, or even impossible. As an artist, workshop facilitator, and spiritual director, my passion is encouraging people to connect with God through creativity. Teaching Art Journaling and Art & Faith workshops are ways I live out that passion and connect with other like-hearted people.
At the age of 45 I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting; have attended and taught numerous workshops over the years; locally teaching classes in my studio, volunteered in the Art Literacy program at an elementary school, taught travel art journaling classes at local libraries; and exhibited art in numerous galleries and exhibitions over the years. For ten years, I taught Art and Art History to Jr. High and High School students.
One thing I love is designing stencils and sharing creative ways to use them to make beautiful art. You can check out my designs at StencilGirl Products®.
Books & Publications
The Prayerful Doodling book published in 2018, is an outgrowth of my spiritual direction training combined with my personal experience of art expression. In 2016 I worked on, and published through Taunton Press, two faith-based coloring books, Colorful Blessings and Colorful Blessings: Celebrating Everyday Wonders. In the book Paintings, Prayers, and Passages, I tell my faith journey through art. You may also find my Bible Journaling in Complete Guide to Bible Journaling and inspirational images in the Holy Bible: Mosaic, as well as in magazines such as Somerset Studio and Art Journaling, Coloring Studio, and Somerset Apprentice.
Spiritual Direction
Taking time to listen and respond to God through art making is a natural part of my life and faith journey, a combination of being and doing, a collaboration and conversation with God.
In addition to being an artist and art teacher, I am a certified spiritual director though Sustainable Faith. My art emphasis in spiritual direction offers ideas, inspiration, and art processes that can help in unblocking creativity. It thrills me to watch people get unblocked and move forward in their creativity to grow into who God made them to be.
You may not be familiar with Spiritual Direction. Spiritual direction is a contemplative practice of helping another person or group to awaken to the mystery of God in all of life, and to respond to that discovery in a growing relationship of freedom and commitment. As a spiritual director, I recognize that God has called each person into being through God’s own love and God desires to be the true Director and Guide for each soul. Currently, my spiritual direction is integrated with art making in group settings, integrating the art-making process with the contemplative practice of listening and responding.
My aim is to help people discover God and grow in that relationship. When it is helpful, spiritual direction may include art making as an expression and exploration of that relationship with God. It could take place during the session or outside of our time together. Art making in spiritual direction is different than having art lessons. The focus is on expression and discerning meaning rather than on learning specific techniques. It involves responding to questions visually and being aware of the process. The book Prayerful Doodling was written to encourage and inspire connecting with God through creativity.
Thank you for stopping by!
my motto
“Love God - Serve Others - Make it Beautiful”
My Story
I believe - Statement of Faith
The Light of the World Scripture is read and illuminated through my art and photography in this video devotional
How I find ideas for content in journals
Books Available
Prayerful Doodling inspires readers to combine prayer with colorful doodling to deepen their relationship with God. Activate your God-given creativity while coloring, doodling, and Bible journaling in ways that deepen your relationship with God and give you the opportunity to grow your artistic skill. This book encourages conversations with God by engaging the imagination through visual examples and easy-to-follow techniques for experiencing the creative process as a way to listen and respond to God.
Hope. Contemplation. Authenticity. These are the themes you will find in Valerie Sjodin's illuminated book, Paintings, Prayers & Passages, showcasing her life journey through Art. The Scripture, prayers, and artwork reflect an ongoing conversation with the Great Creator, through the despair and delights of a spiritual journey, one of going deeper into experiencing God's love. This book has been created with the hope that it will inspire the imagination, bring comfort, and encourage the reader to enter into a spiritually illuminating journey with our loving God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
