5.27.2014

Behind the Art with Melissa: Trust Your Gut

When I begin to prepare my pages around the monthly theme, I like to make sure I'm being honest with myself and approach it from all directions. Intuition is a subject that I can do that easily. I know I have a gift of discernment. I have some amazing friends because of my "woman intuition" and have had moments of truly relying on my "gut feelings".  But, there are also times when I second guess myself. A sense of fear falls over me and I become stuck in it. 


There are many moments in my life that I find myself regretting my hesitation and/or decision to do nothing... because of FEAR. 

The symbolism for this journaling page is pretty simple. When it comes to the lightbulb... I envisioned times when I've had an idea but didn't say anything. I didn't email the person or speak up. Thus, the thread that is used to tie the lightbulb to my page. Ideas that don't go anywhere because of my FEAR.


Hidden journaling can be a design choice but, it can also be a symbolic choice. In my head, the girl has all these ideas that she is recording but... isn't going beyond typing it out because of FEAR. So, she keeps it hidden. Like my journaling.



After creating these pages, I always take a step back and reflect on how I feel. I also ask myself, "Why do I want to share this? Why did I record this?" 

The answers are... I feel good. It feels good to share it. It feels good to read about how I feel. It challenges me to move beyond that FEAR. The reasons I share it and record it? For my own self-healing, of course. But, I also love this platform of designing for Inside Out... I get to share with YOU... our readers, followers and customers... and show YOU that you are not alone. Perhaps you struggle with the same thing. And we can walk through it together. 




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