Hi. Hello. Welcome to Balboa Park episode 11!
Wow. Every time I record a new episode I say “wow” but the thing is that every time I'm surprised that I’m still recording :)
And also like the past two episodes, it was so difficult to edit the podcast because I have a very very old computer (from 2012 bought second hand in 2020) and I don't know very well about all the ways of editing a podcast.
So I'm using this website called Riverside in the free option. And it's very cool because I can edit from a browser since my computer is so old and full and, and weird and sketchy without much available space
but also even from the browser, it was so, so slow to edit the podcast!
So I realized this, that I must edit the podcast in my brain before talking, but it's very difficult because English is not my native language.
AND if you are still here after 11 sketchy, slow, weird talking episode, and 2 months of substack in total: THANK YOU AND I LOVE YOU8
IN today's episode, I just wanted to go a little bit deeper in the art practice, but in a more practical way.
because it's December and 2023 it's almost over and this is the moment in which we start setting goals we start dreaming of the new year and all the things we want to accomplish as I don't know you but I always go with goals and setting up.
And then I feel like when the months pass by, my motivation gets a little bit weaker.
But this is often an impression, because when I then stop and I go into my graphic journaling practice and I do some exercise to maybe think about the year I just lived, I realize that maybe I didn't reach the moon, but I did some cool things anyway during this year.
If you're interested in those kinds of exercises, we just had a graphic journaling club meeting on zoom that you can vision HERE if you’re a member of the Graphic Journal Club too.
if you’re still hesitating , you can subscribe just for a month and try it because and when you subscribe you have access to all the past class replays (now all the replays are divided into collections so you can like cherry picking what you need + you have access to the live class the monthly class)
But today, here and now, if you are like, okay, I feel attraction, I feel a pull toward an art practice, but I don't know from where to start. I'm here to give you some practical hints!
Of course, I'm not like, I'm here to oblige you, you can take what you like and leave what you don't.
ok let’s go!
First thing first
the place.
Where do I go for my art practice?
So maybe you are already a professional artist and You just want to dig deeper into a more personal practice as the graphic journaling, which is more some something that is not destined for professional production to sell, but it's more for in introspection, or maybe you don't work in the arts, but you feel that this
tingly sensation in your hand because you want to start.
You will need to find a space.
Maybe you have an art studio, but maybe you don't and it's okay.
What about setting a space in your home, a dedicated space in which you can leave everything as it is, in which you can just go and sit and make it yours.
maybe you can just put a little table in your bedroom or maybe you have a desk but maybe you don't have this spare space and maybe you have kids or a flatmate and it's not so easy to set up a desk and it's okay! i got you! what i like to do it's like working with boxes
I like boxes.
Everything I own
goes into
boxes
that are into bigger
boxes
that are into even bigger
boxes
and then small
boxes
into the boxes.People who work with at Strangeland or even at home always makes fun of me.
But believe me, if you find a cool box in which you can put pouch with favorite colors and pencils, your journal, you can put what you like to concentrate maybe in this box you can put a lighter with a candle maybe you can put some tea bags or a special pair of socks that you like to get comfy at home or maybe you want to put in it headphones that then you can insert in your telephone and use it to concentrate while you practice.
The fact of having a box and it can be a box that you buy, it can be a colorful plastic foldable box, it can be a wooden wine boxe (Here in France, you have those that are like very strong wooden boxes) or maybe a cardboard box that you paint.
And you choose the shape, you choose the size, you put all what you need for your art practice into it.
And when you have a spare time,
you take the box off you put it on the kitchen table on your bed on your couch wherever you have space wherever you have calm where in whichever room you can close the door and then you set a timer and you decide how many time you need.
and you can experiment!
and then start your practice and when you finish you put everything into the box and then the box in the closet or in the cupboard or under the bed !
the time
and set a timer!
setting a timer, deciding what amount of time you want to give to your art practice, is the very same like when you go to the gym, you know that you have one spare hour, or if you go run, you know that you have maybe 20 minutes, half an hour, one hour, I don't know.
try to set your alarm at morning 20 minutes early and in those minutes you take your box while you sip your coffee (or tea) and you go into the practice!
it can be everyday or every week: you have to find the balance between what feels good and what feels like too much pressure.
some pressure is good!
I know that sometimes it's difficult to set the time, maybe 10, 20, 30 minutes early, because you are tired and you work all day and you have a lot of things to do.
And maybe you have insomnia or other things.
But in my experience, trying to make space for something that makes us feel good, it's always a win.
Just because this effing society still sucks and despite of technology and AI we still have wars and we still need to work and stay in the productivity in order to, to gain money -to pay the f***ing bills- it doesn’t mean that we let it absorb all of our time!
let’s notice that now a lot of our time goes by while being absorbed by social media and looking and watching TV shows (I do it too!)
And it's okay, but it's cool to say “okay, even if I don't have a lot of spare time, I want to be in control of this half an hour a day or half an hour every two days or 10 minutes every night and 10 minutes every morning”.
I don't know. what do you think?
And
In my experience, when I'm not connected to my art practice, it's very difficult to go back into my art practice does it make sense?
when I don’t take this time I'm anxious, i feel like I don't have time, I'm behind in paying the bills or catching up with friends. And I even complain about the fact that I can't find a place at home in which I'm alone and silent as you can (You can know this by listening to the last episode) but it's worth it commit into this.
not on a spare of a moment, but as a practice.
Okay.
Maybe I don't want to do it, but I try to stick with it.
And something that works for me, it's like going to my favorite coffee place
alone -or with my partner- and sit there and have maybe 10, 20, 30 minutes sipping a good coffee and going inward in my personal/graphic journaling practice.
So there is the supplies, there is where I create my space, when I create the time, and then there is
what do I do.
Once I'm:
taking off, taking the box of my art supplies from under the bed
set the timer of 20 minutes (or the time you choose)
then sit. breathe into your seated position. tell you’rself “I’m here”
open your journal at grab your pens and pencils
and then what?
Here for you 3 simple things that you can do:
First thing I always do is on top of the page, I write the date ( the day and maybe the time)
Because this is something that is very interesting when you have this practice, when you’ll go back there very int a fast way into the memory, into the setting of the memory.
write down three things you are grateful for. And if you have a daily practice, it can be in three things you are grateful
for in the last 24 hours or since last time you did the practice of the graphic journal.
draw a self-portrait. You can look at yourself in the mirror.
You can use this moment to check in with yourself and use the divided attention (does non-ADHD people can do it?) aka: While you draw, you look at yourself and in the meantime you feel.
So you see with your eyes and you feel with your heart and while you draw you draw what you see and what you feel.
This is a very cool exercise and if it's overwhelming can stay in this moment of discomfort by setting a timer ( 30 second timer and then you stretch it up to 2 or 3 minutes). the only thing: during the duration of the timer you can't stop / you can't walk away / you must sit with discomfort / you must stay in the exercise because you know that in a moment the timer will
ring and then you will be free of stopping the exercise.
You know, it's the same when you go to the gym and then you have 30 seconds of plank! It's freaking hard to stay in plank, but you know that it's a very defined amount of time so you can stick to it.
Do this every day or every two days. Give yourself like one month to doing this and then check in with yourself.
When you are on your graphic journal page of one month into the practice maybe instead of answering the question of “three things i'm grateful for" you can answer to the question “in which way my daily life has improved since i'm having this practice “ instead and then come and tell me.
And maybe you can consider become a graphic journal club member on Patreon to find a community of Graphic Journal Lovers!
Have a cool day.
Bye bye.
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