Making space to pause, reflect, and create.
There are so many moments in life when we are moving from one thing to the next.
The next email.
The next appointment.
The next project.
The next thing on the list.
Sometimes we get so used to being busy that slowing down can feel almost unfamiliar.
But I've been thinking a lot lately about how important it is to create a little space to simply pause.
To take a breath.
To notice where we are.
And for me, creativity has always been one of the ways I find that space.
There is something about sitting down to draw, paint, color, or simply make something with your hands that can quiet everything else for a little while. It doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't even have to have a purpose.
Sometimes, it's just about being present in the moment and allowing yourself to create.
That's an idea I've been coming back to again and again, and it's also at the heart of a project I created called the Awakening Journal.
Why Creativity?
For me, creating has never been only about the finished piece.
Of course, I love seeing an idea come to life. There is something wonderful about starting with a blank page and watching it slowly become an illustration, a pattern, or a story.
But there is also something that happens while you are creating.
You slow down.
You pay attention to the colors you are choosing, the marks you are making, the way something feels as it comes together. You become more aware of the moment you are in.
I've been an artist and designer for most of my life, but I've learned that there is a big difference between creating for work and creating simply because it feels good.
That distinction has become increasingly important to me.
When I'm creating for work, there is usually a purpose. A deadline. A finished piece I'm working toward.
But creativity doesn't always need to be productive.
Sometimes, it can simply be a place to step away from all the noise for a little while.
It doesn't have to be about creating something perfect. And it doesn't have to be something you consider yourself "good" at.
Sometimes, the simple act of putting a pencil to paper, adding color to a page, or allowing your thoughts to wander while you create can be enough.
For me, that quiet space has always been valuable.
And over the years, I've become more interested in creating artwork that doesn't just give someone something beautiful to look at, but perhaps gives them a reason to stop for a moment, too.
That idea is at the heart of the Awakening Journal.
When Creating Doesn't Have to Be Productive.
The Awakening Journal actually began as a coloring book.
As I developed it, it grew into something more; a journal that brings together coloring, reflection, and mindfulness.
The idea came from something I had been experiencing myself.
My mind is almost always moving.
Work. Family. Ideas. Deadlines. The next project. The next thing that needs to happen.
There is always something going on.
But when I sit down to draw or paint, something shifts.
I start paying attention to the line I'm drawing.
The color I'm mixing.
The way the paint moves across the paper.
I become present.
And sometimes creativity helps me process things I haven't quite found words for yet.
That's one of the things I love most about art.
It doesn't always require an explanation.
Sometimes you can simply create your way through something.
What Does It Mean to Awaken?
I love the word awakening because it feels hopeful.
And Awakening is actually the first journal in a three-part series: Awakening, Growth, and Connection.
But awakening, to me, isn't about completely reinventing yourself or suddenly having everything figured out.
It's much quieter than that.
It's becoming aware again.
Noticing what brings you joy.
Listening to yourself.
Remembering pieces of yourself that may have gotten buried underneath work, responsibilities, expectations, and everyday life.
The Awakening Journal is really an invitation to wake up those parts of yourself again.
Your creativity.
Your curiosity.
Your dreams.
And maybe even a little bit of joy you didn't realize you were missing.
When Creativity Becomes a Doorway
One of the reasons I wanted to combine mindfulness, reflection, and coloring is because I think they naturally belong together.
I've experienced that myself.
When I was attempting to journal, my pages often ended up being colored doodles with some writing.
And I realized how naturally those things could work together.
Sometimes sitting down with a blank journal page and being told to "reflect" can feel intimidating.
But give your hands something creative to do, and suddenly your mind has room to wander.
Coloring gives you something tangible to focus on.
Reflection encourages you to look inward.
Mindfulness brings you back to where you are right now.
I love the idea that creativity can become the doorway into reflection rather than another thing we feel like we must be good at.
There is no perfect page in the Awakening Journal.
There is only your page.
A Place to Breathe
Creativity has been part of my life since I was a little girl, but there have been seasons when it became much more than something I simply loved to do.
It became a place I could return to when life felt uncertain, overwhelming, or simply too loud.
There is something incredibly grounding about making something with your hands when so much around you feels outside of your control.
I've learned that creativity doesn't necessarily make the hard things disappear.
But it can give us a place to breathe inside them.
It can remind us that beauty, curiosity, hope, and joy can exist alongside difficult seasons.
And sometimes, creating is how we begin finding our way back to ourselves.
Meet the Awakening Journal
That is really where the Awakening Journal came from.
I wanted to create something that gave people permission to step away from all the noise for a little while to pick up a pencil, add some color, reflect, and simply be present.
When someone opens the journal, I want them to feel invited in.
I wanted those first pages to feel beautiful and inspiring, but also approachable.
No pressure.
No expectation that you have to be an artist or even someone who journals regularly.
More than anything, I wanted someone to think:
Oh, this is for me. I can do this.
Maybe you color for ten minutes.
Maybe you answer a prompt that makes you think about something differently.
Maybe you sit quietly with a cup of coffee and don't accomplish anything at all.
That counts too.
You Don't Have to Accomplish Anything Here
If I could say one thing to someone opening the Awakening Journal, it would be this:
You don't have to accomplish anything here.
There is no right way to use these pages.
You don't have to finish every prompt.
You don't have to color inside the lines.
You don't even have to know what you're looking for.
Just give yourself a little space.
Be curious.
Add some color.
Write what comes to mind.
Sit quietly if that's what you need.
And pay attention to what begins to wake up inside you.
That is what Awakening is really about.
Making Space to Pause
When I look at the different things I've created over the years; from design and illustration to Nelly and the Night Sky and now the Awakening Journal they may seem like very different projects.
But there is a thread that connects them for me.
I want to create things that invite people to feel something.
To imagine.
To connect.
To pause.
Nelly and the Night Sky explores story, love, loss, memory, and connection.
The Awakening Journal explores something quieter; the space we create when we give ourselves permission to slow down, reflect, and simply be.
Both come from the same belief that creativity can create a little space in our lives.
Space to feel.
Space to wonder.
Space to breathe.
And maybe that's one of the beautiful things about creating.
You start with an idea.
You follow it.
You see where it leads.
And sometimes, it takes you somewhere you didn't expect.
Make space to pause.
Make space to create.
A little space for you
The Awakening Journal is available through my shop for anyone who would like to explore it for themselves; or share it with someone who could use a little more space to slow down this season.