Cat Williams offers the following royalty-free article for you to publish online or in print. Feel free to use this article in your newsletter, website, ezine, blog, or forum. ----------- PUBLICATION GUIDELINES - You have permission to publish this article for free providing the "About the Author" box is included in its entirety. - Do not post/reprint this article in any site or publication that contains hate, violence, porn, warez, or supports illegal activity. - Do not use this article in violation of the US CAN-SPAM Act. If sent by email, this article must be delivered to opt-in subscribers only. - If you publish this article in a format that supports linking, please ensure that all URLs and email addresses are active links. - Please send a copy of the publication, or an email indicating the URL to [email protected] - Article Marketer (www.ArticleMarketer.com) has distributed this article on behalf of the author. Article Marketer does not own this article, please respect the author's copyright and publication guidelines. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use this article. ----------- Article Title: Why You Should Try Art Journaling Author: Cat Williams Category: Arts and Crafts, Stress Management Word Count: 451 Keywords: art journaling, art, journaling, journals, creativity Author's Email Address: [email protected] Article Source: http://www.articlemarketer.com ------------------ ARTICLE START ------------------
Art Journaling is a fairly new form of artistic expression that combines self-help with creativity. Art journaling is taking the diary, or journal, one step further by adding doodling, drawing, coloring, magazine cutouts, stamping and other forms of visual expression to the words you write. You don't have to be an artist to do art journaling. You just have to have a notebook or journal, writing tools, and perhaps magazine, scissors and glue. The arts have been known for their healing powers for centuries in other cultures. Today the U.S. therapy field is beginning to realize that creating art is a powerful healing tool. Researchers have found that keeping a journal has a positive impact on physical well-being. Psychologist and researcher James Pennebaker (University of Texas-Austin) believes that regular journaling strengthens immune cells, called T-lymphocytes. Pennebaker says that writing about stressful events helps to come to terms with them, thereby reducing the impact of these stressors on physical health. Other research has shown that journaling decreases the symptoms of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. Aside from what the scientists have discovered, there are many more benefits to journaling that we journalers have long known. Being creative without feeling you have to be "an artist" is a wonderfully freeing feeling. It can help you deal with all kinds of emotional problems, and bring you joy and a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. Some other benefits of journaling include: - Clarify your thoughts and feelings - Get to know yourself better by putting your thoughts on paper - Reduce stress - Solve problems more effectively - Track patterns, trends and improvement and growth in your life - Gain surprising and valuable insights into yourself - Get a broader and more accurate perspective on yourself - Provides a safe way to express negative feelings - Can get your creative juices flowing Remember being a child and coloring, glueing and cutting? Remember how fun that was? We all yearn to be creative, and it's a shame that only children and "artists" are encouraged to be creative. Pick up a pencil, crayon, or marker and start art journaling. Your project doesn't have to be worthy of an award, but it does have to be something that brings you pleasure. So don't be afraid that someone will judge you on your art. You don't need to show it to anyone. It is a journal after all. Heightened awareness, relaxation, vitality, healing, self-worth, and the ability to connect with others are a few of the words used by people who have found their inner self through art journaling. So go on, get out some paper and markers and start art journaling. You'll get lost in your own creative world in no time, and find yourself feeling free and alive. Cat Williams is a freelance writer and advocate of using art journaling as a healing tool. To find more info on the benefits of journaling, go to her website: http://www.self-help-healing-arts-journal.com/ ------------------ ARTICLE END ------------------ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
