Creative explorations Vol #7: Gratitude & Intentions
A sketchbook prompt to support your art and creative practice.
Creative Explorations are themed around a prompt that you can explore in your own art/creative practice over the coming weeks. From February, prompts will be sent out on the first Friday of every month. I hope this month’s prompt sparks your creative juices!
Since this prompt is coming out towards the end of the year, I’m switching things up slightly. I’m going to give you two prompts that you can explore over the rest of this month and in January. Going forward, the prompts will arrive on the first Friday of every month, starting February 2024. I think that will create a better rhythm for our art journal explorations.
As we get ready to bid goodbye to 2023 and step into 2024, it’s the perfect time for some reflection, gratitude, and intention setting. I like to curl up with my Visioning workbook and a deck of tarot cards and spend a few evenings closing out the year and dreaming into the new year. One of my favorite things to do is to choose a word of the year and then create some art around it, so it serves as a visual touchpoint through the year.
As we focus on GRATITUDE and INTENTIONS over this month and the next, here are a few ideas to get you started with your exploration.
Resources + ideas
Paper altars: Create a paper altar in your sketchbook or journal. Use a combination of paints, magazine images, photographs, symbols, and words to express your gratitude for 2023. You can also create paper altars for your intentions.
Gratitude chain: This is an easy and fun project that the entire family can do together. All you need are some colored papers, pens, a pair of scissors and a stapler. Cut your paper into similar sized strips. Write the things you’re grateful for on each strip. Once everyone in your family has listed everything they’re grateful for, turn the strips into a gratitude garland and hang it up in your home!
Matchbox shrines: Create a matchbox shrine for your word of the year, or make a few matchbox shrines to represent your most important intentions for the new year. These matchbox shrines can serve as an excellent visual touchstone through the year. Don’t have matchboxes? Here’s a tutorial on how to make a matchbox using cardstock! Need some ideas or inspiration to get started? You can watch this video for some ideas on making matchbox shrines, and this one for a more witchy/woo-woo take on matchbox shrines.
Vision board: I don’t think this one needs any explanation, but for a more artsy twist, try creating a more abstract vision board — one that is infused with personal meaning for you, but looks like a pretty painting to anyone looking at it. Here’s an example of one of the vision boards I created a few years ago. I know exactly what the intention for this one was, but to anyone else looking at it, it’s just a lovely piece of art.
Doodles + Lettering: Another interesting idea is to combine doodles and lettering to create a gratitude or intention spread in your sketchbook or journal. If you’re creating these in your journal, add some fun stickers and washi tape to enliven your pages!
My absolute favorite source for washi tape and washi stickers is The Washi Tape Shop. I love their designs, and their gilded washi tape is to die for! Use the code Modern10 for a sweet 10% discount.
Watch
I came across a project called ‘Strength’ by street artist Pejac, who painted a series of three murals in 2020 as a gesture of gratitude to the health workers in his hometown, Santander.
"The idea of the ‘Strength’ project arises as a gesture of gratitude to the heath workers of Valdecilla, for their work in general and during this Covid crisis in particular. Offering them what I do best, which is painting.” - Pejac
I’d love to see what you create and to feature your responses to this month’s prompt, so please share them with me! You can email your finished pieces to me on shinjinim@substack.com or share them on Notes if you use the Substack app and tag me. If you share on Instagram, tag me @moderngypsy.in
Like this prompt? Share it with your friends and invite them into our virtual studio. If you’re on the Substack app, please consider restacking this post.