Coping Skills: Mixed Media Journaling
February 24, 2022, 12:00 PM-2:00 PM
We request you sign up at least 24 hours before you attend this session so that we can ensure the integrity of the group and answer any questions you may have.
Please make sure to note the details in the What to Expect section below.
The ways we choose to tell our stories sometimes can be as important as the actual stories we tell. This month, the art offering in our coping skills series involves using the visual arts in our journal making and storytelling. During the first part of this session, we will go over ideas of ways to use art in combination with or by itself as a way to journal. The second part of the session will be devoted to giving survivors the opportunity to create journal entries with the last part of the session giving space for participants to share what came up in the process.
Schedule
We'll be using the online offerings in the month of February to think about the ways we tell our stories. We'll think about the ways we describe ourselves, our loved ones, and our lives. We'll practice ways to take down, record, or represent the events and emotions that become our narratives. We'll consider questions like whether or not grief is the biggest part of the story, for how long this may be true, and whether or not there are other storylines weaving their way through our lives.
We've plotted (pun intended) online sessions for February along these lines - online groups geared toward building supportive communities where your stories are safe, workshops that help us learn how to listen to ourselves and others, and coping skills sessions to help us discover what we want to say and explore new ways of self-expression.
What to Expect
This online session will be between 90 to 120 minutes; duration varies based on participant numbers and discussion dynamics. Joining for the entire time is not a requirement but the virtual room will close 10 minutes after it begins.
No artistic experience is required. Below is a suggested supply list for this session. Please know that you can show up with as many or few supplies that feel right for you.
Suggested supply list:
Journals
- A journal, sketchbook or notebook
- An old book to transform through coloring, collaging, etc.
- Paper to create your own journal
Art Supplies
- Magazines and catalogs to cut out words and pictures
- Photos and other personal items of loved ones
- Markers
- Calligraphy pens & ink
- Adhesive such as glue sticks, mod podge, Elmers glue or tape
- Stickers
- Paper to draw on or watercolor paper
- Watercolor paint
- Paint brushes
- Ink pens
- Pencils
- Colored pencils
- Acrylic paint
- Etc.
The second part of the session will be devoted to offering the opportunity to share what you have created. Sharing is never required, only invited.