Welcome to my JEMM!

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Hi there beautiful creators!

I wanted to explore today so I picked up one of my journals and I declared it my JEMM:
Journal for Experimenting with Mixed Media.:-)
The making of the journal itself was an experiment of it's own. The pages in it are an eclectic bunch of classes, experiments with papers, fabric, touchdrawings and so on. So I thought I would dedicate the last pages that needed finishing to this journey of experimenting.

Today I wanted to experiment with inks and paint.
The fact that most watersoluble inks bleed through the next layer and/or activate when you put another wet media on top always annoyed me.
I ususally fixate the layer of inks before continuing. With a fixative, or even with a spraybottle with water and a medium, just to stop it from bleeding and/or activating again.

I never liked the feeling of being annoyed by a material.
I mean, the inks can't help doing what they are doing right? They are what they are so I had to change something within myself.
I decided to play and experiment with the bleeding instead of working against it et voilà!
I looooved the effect of it!

It is not exactly where I want it to be but I am on the right track.
YES, no more irritation but a lot of fun!
The best thing I was reminded of again today is that working WITH a situation always works better than against it! I helps inspiration to flow and more ideas wil come to you. :-)

Off course the camera was rolling so here's a video with voice-over, I wanted to explain what I was doing for you. Enjoy!

Happy Creating,
~Monique

Exciting times!

How exciting life can be!
Once you get on the 'good-feeling-thoughts' train miracles start to happen. I can not even begin to tell you about all the good stuf that is flowing into our lives, really, really amazing!
I feel good and better every day.
Yesterday we took a little break from everything we are doing here, spent the whole day on and in the water.
Gosh, the underwater world is sooooooo beautiful!
Amazingly colorful and tranquil and very alive at the same time, what a blessing to be a part of that.
Here's the page I made about the last few days.

Although I don't want to be going home I also can't wait to be back in the studio again and make more art and videos!
Somewhere this week I'll be back in youtube-land! See you then!
In the meantime,  don't worry, be happy and create your dreams,  I know it's possible!

Half way through making this page a figure showed up. Wonder what message she has for me...

Happy creating! 

Monique

Nobody pops my balloon!

Hi there beautiful Creators!

Do you sometimes get thrown of your path? I do...
Or, better said, I let myself get thrown of my path.
Last week was a rollercoaster for us. Up and down we went from ecstatic to disappointed, from enthousiastic to right out angry!
For me it all had to do with my reaction to other peoples behavior. At first I blamed them for my mood and my disappointment.
Then I realised it wasn't them, it was me. I got caught in their vibration and forgot to take care of mine.

So, time to clean it up and get my vibe back! :-D

Good to know that this process takes less and less time for me. I can get my vibe back fairly easy now and I know I am responsible for it.

Funny, while writing this I realise this has happened big time twice during the last two weeks.
Good practise! LOL

Here's how I journaled about it...

Enjoy and happy creating!

~Monique

The Spanish Lady Spoke (or did she?)

Hello to you!

Remember the Spanish Lady from my tutorial on Touchdrawing?
At the end of filming the tutorial she hadn't 'spoken' to me yet, I wondered if she was camera shy... :-)

This is what she looked like at the time:

My sweetheart and I went on a short holiday with friends and when we came back I thought I'd find the message she was hiding from me.

Wrong! She remained silent so I put her aside and decided to wait...

In the meantime life went on, some things happended that were difficult for me to deal with at the time until I heard some dreadful news about a young boy who had tried to commit suicide. 

All the things I worried about, were difficult to talk about and had me going in circles for a day or two now seemed so ridiculousl, infinitly small and insicnificant! 

My thoughts are with the parents and siblings of Ewan. 

Ewan, I hope you are going where you realy want to be, I wish you wisdom and happiness wherever you are.

Now the Spanish Lady's message was very clear:

Humbled I am...

~Monique

Hello beautiful creators!

After a refreshing holiday that we've spend with friends I was finally able to finish the mixed media painting of my second (Svadhishtana) Chakra.
Al lot has changed in my life in the last year or so, that has a connection to this Chakra. No wonder it took me a while to get it 'right'. But here it is! :-)
No video this time but there will be some comming soon to my YT channel...

In the meantime I wish you a beautiful Indian Summer and Happy Creating!
~Monique

Mixed Media Mandala in mijn Dagboek

Dag mooie Creator!

Vandaag geef ik je een kijkje in mijn Mixed Media Mandala Dagboek.

Jaren geleden ben ik begonnen met Mandala tekenen. Ik heb lessen gevolgd, talloze mandala's getekend en gekleurd. Dit was voor mij een actieve meditatie, een moment van totale ontspanning en rust in mijn hoofd.

Dit heeft zich door de jaren heen, net als ik, doorontwikkeld. Ik heb daar al eens eerder een blog over geschreven. Deze vind je hier. 

Alweer enige tijd geleden werd ik gegrepen door het 'Art Journal-virus en ook dit ontwikkelt zich door tot mijn eigen manier van visueel dagboek schrijven.
Voor mij past de Mandala hier perfect in.

Het woord Mandala komt uit het Sanskriet en wordt vaak vertaald als Wiel of Cirkel.
Echter het woord Mandala is op zich niet zomaar te vertalen, het is meer een begrip dan een op zich staand woord.
Voor mij betekend het veel meer. Het staat symbool voor geen eind en geen begin, het draaien van de aarde en de steeds terugkerende seizoenen, eb en vloed, het komen en gaan, mijn centrum en tegelijkertijd het universum.
Het is meer een beweging dan een woord. Het staat voor het Leven, inademen en uitademen.

En zo past dit perfect in het maken van mijn mixed media dagboek. Ook dat is een plek voor in-, en uitademen, het registreren van de cirkels van mijn leven. Dat wat komt en dat wat gaat.
Dat wat van binnen leeft en naar buiten wil komen. Dat wat van buiten gebeurd en een plek van binnen krijgt door erover te schrijven en er op een creatieve manier mee bezig te zijn.
Ik kom meer tot mijzelf, er wordt meer van mijzelf tot uitdrukking gebracht waardoor ik voel dat ik groei en ontwikkel. Niets staat stil, alles is in beweging. In mijn mixed media dagboek krijgt dit een plek.

Hieronder vind je een filmpje van een Mandala die ik gecreëerd heb in mijn mixed media dagboek.
Wil je meer weten over Mixed Media Dagboek Schrijven? Laat het me weten. Ik ben beschikbaar voor demonstraties en/of workshops.

Happy Creating!
~Monique

Today will be tomorrows memory. A Visual Journal page.

Hello there art lovers!

Today I'd like to share with you a page in my Visual Journal.

Making this page was such a delight! I started out with the words: Today I Play! and ended up with a beautiful message about how today becomes tomorrows memory.

It made me realise once more that we live in the 'here and now' and that it is up to us to make it worth remembering tomorrow.

Many  thanks to Pink! who's music was playing while I was creating my page. Her words: 'These are the good old days' inspired my conversation with my muse.

I started without a plan, really just playing with color and materials. This creative play always gets me into a meditative state where I seem to open up to whatever my muse wants to reveal. I just love these conversations!

I hope you enjoy the video! I'd be happy to answer any question you might have, just leave a comment.

~Monique