Additional information
by Barbara M. Bustard (Author)
The Art of Healing is a resource to tap into your creativity to find joy, relaxation, healing and comfort, and a deeper knowledge of who you have the potential to be through meditation and step by step art exercises. No artistic talent or training is needed to create beautiful art which is personally meaningful to you.
This book is a resource for you to return to over and over for sparking your creativity, resting your mind, gaining insight, self-exploration and spiritual growth.
Each time you do the art exercises, you will have a different result, different insight, different experience, depending on your current life season, situation, or need.
After each exercise is a blank page for journaling or recording reflections of your experience.
The back of the book is an art journal. There are pages at the beginning labeled for the exercises that could be adapted to be done right in the book, if you choose. There is a traditional color wheel that you can color before making your own personal color wheel.
Following the pages for the exercises are blank pages for you to continue creating as you like! Writing is a great form of expression and insight. You could also create art journal pages combining drawing, color, and collage with your journal writing. Doodle, collage, paint, color, write, anything you like. Just create!
If you would like to try out the exercises first in the journal, most could be done with just pen, markers, colored pencil or collage. Be sure to separate the page you are working on from the remaining pages with a piece of cardboard or plastic to prevent bleeding onto the next page. You could also use watercolor and acrylic paints as long as you separate the pages. Just a suggestion, the Dollar Tree stores sell a 2 pack of translucent, firm but thin, plastic sheet cutting boards which you can easily cut to the size of your book and use for bleed proof separation. They are a staple of my art room. They can also be used as a reusable paint palette. If you let acrylic paint dry on the palette, it will peel off and can be thrown out rather than putting it down the sink.
If you choose to create in the book, when you have completed book size versions of the exercises, for your next experience, try using a larger canvas, either heavy watercolor paper, or stretched canvas and create some beautiful art to decorate your room or home.
The Clay meditation ball and the Splat painting are the only ones that cannot be adapted to be completed in the book. A visual prayer flag can be created in the book, similar to the painted prayer, but it would be best to create it in fabric and let it fly outside for the wind to carry its blessings.
AGAIN, these are suggestions on how to use the book. No rules. Just create! THE HEALING IS IN THE PROCESS!
