I needed a break - to play again. It came to me like a gift in an unexpected way, from my open studio workshop earlier this month. 

Last year I tried a new thing, thanks to the suggestions of lovely participants in my workshops. From January to June I offered an open studio workshop once a month to those people who have taken my workshops, for a flat fee. I would have the studio ready for creative play and be available to help, with no lesson planned. People took me up on it, and now we are reaching close to the end of that experiment. It's been so great! My creative friends came with whatever they wanted to work on. The creative atmosphere has been amazing. Usually people work on their own thing as we encourage one another and get ideas. Toward the end of this last session, Rosana got us playing with stencils. She goes after art journaling and painting with wild abandon. Being a planner, I am often mesmerized by her unabashed boldness as she forges ahead without a plan. Mostly I watched, but I did have this extra journal I had sewn together for a video, so why not? I jumped in. And after everyone was long gone, I still was at it, getting lost in the thing I needed most: PLAY. 

My husband was away for the weekend, at a men's retreat. When he got home, he shared with me his big "take-away" from the weekend:

"It's not about overworking, it's about living in the overflow 

of God's Spirit." 

- Phil Strout, Head of the Vineyard Movement

I was overworking and not "living in the overflow." I added more to my play journal, and began to revive. What it also renewed in me is even more enthusiasm for my upcoming June Art Journaling Workshop, and the creative energy and fun that it fosters. I have a few spots left. For more information and registration, click on the link:

https://valeriesjodin.com/workshops/