Oscraps

Today besides focusing on the theme of the month of {Patience}, I also want to address an issue that comes up pretty regularly. That is the feeling of “I’m not good enough yet to try” or “I just can’t do this”. ANYONE can art journal, and the actual goal of art journaling is to express yourself. That’s it!! Sure, there are some “guidelines”, but they’re not hard and fast rules. One thing you can be sure of – we are not the rule police here!! I like to say that there are no rules but one: Express Yourself through whatever art means works for you!

Keeping this month’s theme in mind, are you being patient with yourself? If you are new, are you giving yourself time to just play? Are you being brave? Just jump in!! I promise you that we are the most welcoming group of people – NO ONE is going to look sideways at you when you just start out! We were all beginners once, and many of us (me included) still feel like we are newbies too! This truly is a no judgement group of people.

If you want constructive advice, we are here for you as well!! Our best advice is to just play! Seriously. Don’t force yourself to get a page done so you can post it in the thread!! To be in the drawing, your pages just need to be done by the end of each month! Let your pages sit and flower…you may have noticed that we hosts sometimes take time to get ours posted. Just the weeks that we host do we usually have a page ready for the first day!!

So, on to week 2 of our challenge:

Sonja says: Hello and welcome to the February , Week 2 AJ Challenge! Our word for February is PATIENCE, and what a meaningful word it is. To me, patience isn’t just about waiting—it’s about trusting the process, embracing the journey, and allowing things to unfold in their own time. But let’s be honest, patience can be a challenge, too. It asks us to pause, to breathe, and to believe that everything will come together when it’s meant to.

So, as you create this week, let patience be your muse. Let it guide your thoughts, your creativity, and your perspective.

Here are some inspiring quotes on PATIENCE that I found:

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.” – Joyce Meyer

“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there someday.” – A.A. Milne

“With patience, even the mulberry leaf becomes silk.” – Chinese Proverb

Here’s my inspiration layout—while I focused on patience, you don’t have to. I’m working on embracing patience in the meaning of “change takes time, do not rush it”, and I hope my layout reflects a sense of calm and trust in the process.

Take your time, enjoy the journey, and let your creativity flow!

Here is her page! She does two pagers and they are always so deep with journaling as well.

Here is one of the pages, randomly drawn, by Vicky Day:

So… my friends…Be patient with yourselves, play, let your muse catch you, and enjoy the process!!!