October art journaling challenge week 1: Embrace

[svanderhaegen]

Welcome to the October Art Journaling Challenge, Week 1. Our word prompt for this month is EMBRACE. The word "embrace" carries a profound emotional and symbolic significance that goes beyond its literal meaning of holding someone close. On a deeper level, embrace can represent:

1. Acceptance: To embrace is to accept someone or something wholeheartedly, flaws and all. It speaks to the idea of welcoming someone into your life without reservation, often signifying emotional warmth and unconditional support.
2. Vulnerability: Embracing someone requires openness and a willingness to be vulnerable. It creates a safe space where trust and emotional connection can thrive.
3. Unity: Embracing symbolizes a merging of two individuals, not just physically, but emotionally or spiritually. It's a moment of connection where boundaries blur, and a sense of togetherness is felt.
4. Comfort: In times of hardship or distress, an embrace can be a powerful gesture of solace, conveying that words are sometimes unnecessary to express care or concern.
5. Letting go: Embrace also involves releasing fear, hesitation, or doubt. It invites the idea of accepting changes or new beginnings, offering hope and courage to move forward.

In essence, the emotional meaning of "embrace" is deeply tied to human connection, trust, and a sense of belonging, offering a bridge between individuals in moments of vulnerability, celebration, or healing.

Here’s a list of synonyms for embrace:

1. Hug
2. Hold
3. Cuddle
4. Clasp
5. Enfold
6. Cradle
7. Squeeze
8. Grasp
9. Snuggle
10. Wrap
11. Accept
12. Welcome
13. Adopt
14. Support
15. Cherish

These cover both the physical and metaphorical uses of the word "embrace."

Here are some thoughtful quotes about "embrace," reflecting its emotional and symbolic depth:

1. "Embrace the glorious mess that you are."– Elizabeth Gilbert
2. "Sometimes you just have to hold each other and cry. Tears are a way of seeing each other's souls, and an embrace is how we heal."– Unknown
3. "To embrace someone means to look beyond their imperfections and find beauty in their soul."– Anonymous
4. "When we embrace uncertainty, it gives us the freedom to make mistakes and move forward with an open heart."– Deepak Chopra
5. "Embrace the pain to become stronger, the tears to become wiser, and the struggle to grow more resilient."– Unknown
6. "The greatest gift we can give each other is the embrace of kindness, love, and understanding."– Unknown
7. "Embrace the present moment fully and with passion, because only through the present can we truly live."– Thich Nhat Hanh
8. "When we embrace love, we embrace life in its fullest and most meaningful form."– John O’Donohue
9. "Let us embrace our imperfections, as they are what make us human."– Unknown

Each of these quotes highlights the power of embrace in the context of connection, healing, acceptance, and living fully.

Here is my layout.

CREDITS:
Softly Grungy by Wendy Page Designs
Nevermore (stamps & stuff) by JoyFul Heart Designs


You can choose to do a single page/tag/TN each week, or do a divided template - one part for each week. If you don't have the Divided Template and would like to have it, you can get it here at Dropbox. Thank you to Ona @wombat146 for providing the template choices for us! If you do the template, we would love it if you would post it incrementally. Post one done in the first week, post an image of the two together on the second, and three on the third, and then the finished page on the fourth week.

Again - the template is NEVER a requirement to use, just something fun and different if you want to use it.

Everyone who participates in any of this month's challenges will be entered into a drawing for a $5 gift certificate to Oscraps. You can receive up to four entries into this month's drawing.

I can't wait to see what you have to share about the prompt EMBRACE



Challenge Rules:
You have until 11:59 p.m. CST on october 31 to complete your pages for this challenge.

1. To qualify for the drawing, you need to use 80% Oscraps products that are currently in the store (non-Oscraps products or retired O designer products can be used whether the designer is selling elsewhere or not).
2. You need to credit all the products used on your page.
3. You cannot use a page you create for this challenge for another Oscraps challenge.
4. Upload your page to the Art Journal Gallery and then add your layout to the challenge thread. (Below you will find instructions on adding your page to this thread.)

Adding a linked layout from the Gallery to a thread:

• Upload your layout to the gallery first. In your forum post click the Gallery Embed icon (little camera).
• This will open your gallery, simply click on the layout you require, then scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click the Continue button.
• Your linked layout is now in your post, the image will appear once you have clicked the Post Reply button