It’s been a long 12 months, but one thing that brought me immense joy this year was the hour and a half I spent in my Expressive Arts groups on those special Saturdays. Here are the affirmations we closed with and carried with us throughout the year. I’m so proud of everyone who joined me. Thank you. 🌟😌
So very excited to announce the NAMI-NYC Expressive Arts workshop event I will be hosting this Saturday! This event will be via Zoom and on the NAMI-NYC website. You can find the link here. Click the Expressive Arts Zoom link for November 30, 2024.
IMPORTANT: This Expressive Arts workshop and the ones following this one are from 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm!
If you have any questions or concerns feel free to send me a DM or email 💟. The time of the event is in Eastern Standard Time.
*I will share any updates or changes and keep everyone posted.
Here are some details for the event:
Title:
Final Thoughts
Description:
“Final Thoughts” is a creative and reflective event where we will draw and write about the past year. We will begin with an icebreaker: sketching an image and listing five words we would use to describe 2024.
The main activity will then be choosing one of three options:
1. Draw a series of holiday ornaments, and next to each ornament, write an intention or message you want to carry forward.
2. Write an acrostic poem that spells “Thank You.” In each line, share something that inspired, motivated, or impacted you this year.
3. Write a farewell letter to what you want to leave behind in 2024.
We will conclude by sharing our creations.
Materials:
Paper, writing utensils (pen, pencil, markers, or crayons).
Schedule
2:00 – 2:20: Introductions and Ice breaker
2:20 – 3:00: Main Activity
3:00 – 3:30: Sharing and Closing
Hope to see you there!
What motivates and inspires your creativity?
Hi Pencil Case fam! ❤️
Over the past few weeks I’ve been trying my best to find inspiration and motivation to start writing and creating again, especially since October was really tough on my creativity. So far, I’ve found that connecting more with myself, resting, taking long walks, and exploring different art spaces in stores have helped me feel a little better and inspired new ideas. I even attended a storytelling workshop that I really loved with NAMI-NYC recently!
I’m curious to know what inspires and motivates you. What helps you work on your projects or start new ones?
Feel free to share your insights in the comments! 🥰
You can also find this prompt in The Pencil on The Mighty here.
So very excited to announce the NAMI-NYC Expressive Arts workshop event I will be hosting this Saturday! This event will be via Zoom and on the NAMI-NYC website. You can find the link here. Click the Expressive Arts Zoom link for October 26, 2024.
IMPORTANT: This Expressive Arts workshop and the ones following this one are from 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm!
If you have any questions or concerns feel free to send me an email 💟. The time of the event is in Eastern Standard Time.
*I will share any updates or changes and keep everyone posted.
Here are some details for the event:
Title:
Falling Away
Description:
“Falling Away” is a creative, reflective, and fun event where we will draw and write about how we’re doing this fall season. We will begin with an icebreaker, sketching an image and completing the sentence: “I’m learning how to better ______.”
The main activity will then be choosing one of three options:
1. Draw a collection of fall leaves, writing a habit or behavior you want to change, adjust, or improve on each leaf.
2. Write a brain dump journal entry or poem titled “This Year in Review.”
3. Create a word cloud that includes words describing you and how you’re feeling this fall.
We will close by sharing our works of art.
Materials:
Paper, writing utensils (pen, pencil, markers, or crayons).
Schedule
2:00 – 2:20: Introductions and Ice breaker
2:20 – 3:00: Main Activity
3:00 – 3:30: Sharing and Closing
Hope to see you there!
Guess what?! I have a new group on The Mighty called Mighty Mood Tracking. Check it out if you’re interested in regularly keeping up with and reflecting about how you’re feeling. ⏰
Have a second? Take this 3-step mindful moment with me!
When you come across this post, I invite you to take this 3-step mindful moment with me:
Step 1: Pause what you are doing and take three deep breaths. Count for two seconds as you inhale and two seconds as you exhale.
Step 2: Note how your body is feeling and what types of self-care you need to prioritize today.
Step 3: Set one positive intention or goal for the rest of your week.
Note: Feel free to share your notes, reflections, goals, and intentions in the comments below. 💌
Here are my notes and intentions:
Today, I definitely need to prioritize my emotional well-being and take a break from social media. I also want to take myself on a date, especially since I’ve been overthinking and having trouble sleeping.
My intention for the rest of the week is to show myself more love and do something that excites me.
You can also find this post here in The Pencil Case on TheMighty.com.
So very excited to announce the NAMI-NYC Expressive Arts workshop event I will be hosting this Saturday! This event will be via Zoom and on the NAMI-NYC website. You can find the link here. Click the Expressive Arts Zoom link for August 31, 2024.
IMPORTANT: This Expressive Arts workshop and the ones following this one are from 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm!
If you have any questions or concerns feel free to send me an email 💟. The time of the event is in Eastern Standard Time.
*I will share any updates or changes and keep everyone posted.
Here are some details for the event:
Title:
Shimmers and Glimmers
Description:
“Shimmers and Glimmers” is a creative, reflective, and fun event where we will draw, write, and share about positive moments that make us feel calm and secure. We will start with an icebreaker, where we sketch an image and write about three things that have made us smile recently. The main activity will then be choosing one of three options:
1. Draw a night sky full of stars, and in each star write something that brings you a sense of calm, connection, peace, or relief.
2. Write a thank-you letter to the last person, place, thing, or idea that has given you clarity, opened your perspective, or validated your feelings.
3. Create a list poem about activities you can do more often that would be beneficial to you.
We will close by sharing our works of art.
Materials
Paper, writing utensils (pen, pencil, markers, or crayons).
Schedule
2:00 – 2:20: Introductions and Ice breaker
2:20 – 3:00: Main Activity
3:00 – 3:30: Sharing and Closing
Hope to see you there!
✨It’s our final day of affirmations! ✨
Here is what I’ve come up with for today:
I welcome positive change and transformation into my life. I am equipped to face any challenge that comes my way. I am grateful for what I’m learning and I’m ready to continue on my journey.
Reflection: I did it! I challenged myself to create, write, and reflect every day for 7 days. I’m so proud of myself for keeping at it. I feel a lot better than I did a week ago. I’m ready for what’s next and will keep doing my best 😇.
Day 5 is here! 🥰
The theme for today is self-care. My affirmations are:
I allow myself to rest and regain my energy. I know how to manage my time effectively. I prioritize self-care because it’s important to me and I deserve to feel good.
Reflection: How I think about self-care is evolving and changing every day. Self-care for me can include being kind to myself, doing something creative regularly, and setting daily personal goals. The more I get to know myself, the better my mind and body feel.
What does self-care look like for you?
It’s day 4 already! 🦋
Here are my affirmations:
I’m capable of achieving the goals I set for myself. My efforts help me to succeed. I embrace my power and believe in myself. I’m focused on what I know I can do.
Reflection: I remember the dreams I have every night. Some of those dreams don’t have much significance, while others I can tell are showing me something important.
A few days ago I had a dream of a silkworm (a first for me despite often having animal symbols in my dreams). The silkworm was following me not too far away. Although I was confused and a bit scared of it, it continued to linger going from its larvae state to flying toward me as a mature moth. Similar to a butterfly, a moth too represents the ongoing cycles of transformation and rebirth.
I’ve been on an ongoing wave of transitions for the past year and it’s taken a lot out of me. The stress and the uncertainty alone has caused my confidence to plummet. I choose right now though, to push forward and use the silkworm from my dream as a guide to not give up on myself or my goals. I may continue to be challenged, but I know my efforts will pay off.
SparklyWarTanks 