Yesterday I blissed out and filled six pages in my journal. I’ve been including this sort of mind mapping thing in my journal process where I take a thought, scripture reference, or quote that has some energetic pull on me that day and write it somewhere on the page (I’m liking smack in the middle more and more). Then I go through it word by word, circling or highlighting words or phrases that I want to unpack more and from those words or phrases I draw little spokes away from the quote where I write additional thoughts about what I’ve circled.

I especially like engaging in this process with commonly accepted platitudes to see if they are true for me or not, in part or on the whole. (I recently examined the phrase “Your dreams don’t work unless you do” for Sketchbook Revival - more on that in the near future - and you’d be surprised how wide and deep I went to unlock the truth and lies of that statement. It was powerful work.) Yesterday this process led to some pretty potent epiphanies around the word “unbelief” in me and certain thoughts I’ve been thinking long enough that they have become beliefs + irrefutable facts in my mind.

What a prison unquestioned thoughts can be and what freedom lies in releasing my defenses and choosing new ones. Favorite side effect: I feel more joy and ease in my art making process.