Behind the Art with Melissa

Good day everyone!

Today I'm sharing with you one of my favorite layouts. It definitely strays from my more typical "clean and simple" style and includes some super bright colors and Gelatos!

Gelatos don't come in this kit but we have had them in past kits and they are SUPER fun! I recently got a big set for my birthday and was looking forward to using them on a project. But I'm not really here to share technique stuff with you. Today I want to share the heart of my layout.

First, I was inspired by one of our journaling prompts. You can find these on our Inspiration Page. They are great as a stepping stone to visually journaling your thoughts and what is really stirring inside your heart. I just love how, each month, the theme seems to speak into exactly where my life is at. I'm ready to dive into that part of my soul. SO cool!

Anyway, the prompt that inspired me goes like this:

What's the plan? When you have a goal in mind, do you plan the steps you need to take to reach that goal or do you just go with your gut in the direction of your aim? Have you ever set an intention to achieve something and carried it out to your satisfaction? How confident were you when identifying the goal; did your confidence waver while you were pursuing your goal?

As I finished reading this prompt, a flurry of memories and thoughts came to mind. When I get a goal in my head, what do I do? I go after it. There is no stopping me. In fact, I get so into meeting that goal that it can get overwhelming sometimes. But, I love this part of me!  I haven't always been this way. There was a time when I might have had goals and told everybody the steps I was going to take in meeting them but, I never actually did it.

It's different now.

I loved pulling the bold and bright from this kit, for this layout. It made sense to create LOTS of movement and make the page busy. Because that's what I feel like, in the moment of pursuing my plans.

Lots of chevron, zig zag and arrows to use. They not only create lots of movement on my layout but, also provide the symbolism. I wanted to create an almost dizzying effect on my page. The reason is because that is what my head is like sometimes. SOOOO much busyness goes in my brain when I get these goals, plans and ideas. My intention is to meet every single one of them. 

No wonder I feel so overwhelmed and exhausted at times! Even though the fruit of my labors may not show, what is happening in my brain can be very scary. Haha! Now you get to see that on this layout. I loved adding in the painted background, with my Gelatos, too. Instead of just a solid background, I wanted something messy. Well... messy for me, anyway. :) 

Using the cameras on this layout reminded me of Instagram. Who else is SO thankful for that app??? Whoever created it was a genius. You can agree or not or have your opinions about social media but, I love this tool that captures my life in a second. I can share it with who I want to but, I love that I can use my little phone to take a quick snapshot of what is happening right now. And then, days, weeks, months and years down the road, I can look back at those photos and remember. I did that the other day as I looked at photos from Christmas. It brought so much joy!  But I digress, I love that these photos can help me recall things that I might have otherwise forgotten, because I was so busy pursuing my goal or plan. 

I'm thankful for how I've changed and morphed into someone who is driven and not afraid. In fact, I get an adrenaline rush from taking risks. I feel like I would have missed out on some amazing experiences in life had I not.

Thanks for swinging by today and I hope that this not only shows you a bit more of how you can use our kits and to visually journal but also how to take one of our prompts and personalize it for YOU.