Do you doodle?

Do you write?

Do you draw or paint?

Do you like mixed media, collage and scrapbooking?

Do you do none of these but wish to give it a go anyway?

This might be the project for you....

 

 

How it started?

 

It all started a year ago when I was at the least creative point of my life.

The ‘40 days standing on the edge of nothingness’ experiment came about from a simple idea: I needed a creative challenge to get me back into painting after a very traumatic time in my life.

I would not be the most disciplined person in the world and I needed an incentive to grab my focus and get me working in the studio every day. Some people run, I just paint, so what about doing a painting marathon? The urge to paint again was there, I just needed the push to cultivate a strong personal creative practice, sometimes akin to a daily meditation to connect again to that part of me that I had neglected. Just like a meditative practice, I needed to observe my creative practice without judgment, without interpretation. To be in the here and now and enjoy. It sounds so simple, and yet it's not so easy. Especially day after day for one, two, five, ten, 40 days.

 

Why 40?

 

I am an avid reader and during my researches on grief and trauma, I had discovered that the number 40 carries a powerful significance in many spiritual traditions and cultures, marking a period of purification, purging and refinement, a benchmark of deep transformation. The perfect prayer.

 

 

 

I had found my focus.

There was no stopping me.

 

 

 

I made a pledge to go into my studio every day for 40 days and produce a work a day-without judgement, without interpretation.

As I was evolving through the project, I also kept sketchbooks that mapped out my progress and the issues encountered on a daily basis. I very quickly realised that this was becoming a learning experience, a creative journey where the process was significantly more far-reaching than the product.

 

I very often wrestled with questions like:

 

Where do I find the Muse?

How do I stay focussed?
How do I start again after a ‘bad’ day?
What is constructive?

What undermines?

How to remain creative in the midst of an already busy life?

 

 

 

Now you may ask yourself, what is the 20 weeks mixed media Journal project and why?

 

After I finished the 40 days experiment I had found my bliss again, and the effects were far reaching in ALL areas of my life. My way of life had become ‘creative’ and the creativity was not only confined to the studio. When I exhibited the 40 paintings in a few venues,  many people were curious about the process undertaken and asked if I was organising workshops or would be ready to create a project which would involve other people, people who like me, were looking for  a focus, a kick-start for their creativity ... This got me thinking

 

Why not design a project to help others discover the magic that happens when you journal for a certain amount of time?

Why not design a project, inspired from my own experience, where participants  receive a weekly prompts and ideas to inspire, motivate, and encourage?

What if we combine all of this within a creative community to support each other?

 

This is when the 20 weeks was born.

 

 

This experiment is designed to allow each of us to access their own creativity and imagination. Whether you call yourself an artist or not, we all benefit from a creative practice to find the voice and dare to put form to our ideas.

We will learn how to enjoy and play with material in non-threatening ways, and this is far-reaching into others aspects of our lives

 

The aim of the experiment is not to make art

The aim is to start and stay on a creative journey.

 

 

 

 

This is the antidote to self-sabotage, to that inner voice who says:

 

I’m not creative; it is too late, why bother?!

Hold on a sec...

Does this voice serve you?

Does it make you feel good?

Does it make you feel Bliss?

 

...No, I do not think so either

 

So how about feeling good while learning new skills, sharing with a like-minded community going through the same process, transforming that negativity into Beauty, and connecting to your Bliss!

 

Let’s do it!

 

How do I start, you may ask?

 

Bliss brings you 20 weeks of inspiration and journaling prompts, delivered to your email or via the Facebook Group.

 

We begin on Friday 16th January 2015.

 

That’s when you can look forward to the week 1 prompt.

 

How does it work?

 

The project is designed to each individual's needs.  For the 40 days project, I pledged to do a work a day.

 

For Bliss, we will work on a weekly basis. Either you pick your own day during the week to do it, or work for the whole week on one work or more . Obviously if you feel the need to make more, the more the better; it is all up to you! 

Once a week I’ll share a new set of creative journaling prompts and a project to help you connect with your creativity in our Facebook group. Projects include simple, easy and fun ways to incorporate mixed-media art, collage, and photography into your journaling. This is a simple way to stay connected with your creativity, me, and a community of kindred artistic people. You don’t have to do it alone!

 

How to register?

 

In order to start, just subscribe to the free E-course. You will receive a weekly email where I‘ll share the theme for the week, an inspirational quote to stir the creativity, images from my own journal and tips on mixed media techniques for working in yours, as well as inspiration and practical ideas for living more creatively and consciously.

 

Awake

Alive

Evolving

 

As a subscriber you will also receive updates on mixed media experiential workshops happening in Ireland to help to tap into the transformative powers of creative self-expression. These will run parallel to the challenge. During the workshops, participants will have the opportunity to learn new techniques and work with other materials.

This will also give us the opportunity to meet each other and talk about our creative journey.

 

If you decide to leave the challenge, you will obviously be able to unsubscribe to the weekly email. Just send me an email at: isabellegaborit@gmail.com

 

 

The blog and FB group will be set as private and secret and will only be accessible to those who participate.

 

What do you need?

 

 

Access to email or Facebook

A notebook

Something to write with

A spirit of curiosity and Awe

Each week, I will give you tips and ideas on how to create works with what you already have around the house.

 

 

 

It’s totally free to participate*.

 

Sign up today and be ready for weeks of Bliss. What a fabulous way to kick start the year!

This project is a big experiment and will grow as we grow as creative people, so let's do it and see where it will lead us

For a wonderful journey,

 

Isabelle

 

One more thing:

 

Enjoy the ride!

 

*For those who wish to participate in the monthly workshops with Isabelle, a small fee will apply for materials.

 

 

Below are some examples of the works done during the 40 days challenge.