Gifts of the Muse Journal Pages: It's OK to Go Inside

Credit card scraped acrylic background, stenciled acrylic spirals

with Tombo Marker detail. Clipped out raised wall-paper scrap colored

with stamp ink, spray ink, Tombos. Magazine clips of sea vegetation.

"It's OK to Go Inside" page left

Recollections "snow" opaque marker, Pitt Pen, Office Max metallic marker
fish cut-outs recycled from copy of my prayer flags

"It's OK to Go Inside" page right

Recollections "snow" opaque marker, Pitt Pen, Office Max metallic marker
fish cut-outs recycled from copy of my prayer flags

In my visual art journaling group I've been opening each session with a 

guided imagery taking us down to a garden to meet with our creativity

muse.  In our meetings we've asked to receive a symbolic gift (like a shell,

etc.) or a message of insight and encouragement.  I've begun to call this

activity "Gifts of the Muse".  In this group my muse (yes, I meet with my

muse while doing the guided imagery) reassured me that "It's OK to

go into your shell".  I do a number of extrovert seeming things in the

world like teaching in the classroom and running groups but I am a

dyed-in-the-wool introvert.  In the US the extrovert rules and sometimes

I feel guilty or weak because I need alone time and become exhausted

when I overextend myself in the outer world.

I recently showed my psychology class this great Susan Cain

TED Talk about introversion.  

http://www.ted.com/talks/susan_cain_the_power_of_introverts.html

It reminded me about how our culture treats introverts like failed

extroverts.  Introverts need to remember the gifts available to 

those who turn inside to be inspired and energized.  Because I am

blogging for creatives and we tend to be an unusual and thoughtful lot

I just wanted to share my muse's words:

It's OK to be an Introvert

It's OK to be Reflective

It's OK to Think and Dream

Go inside

It's OK to go into your shell

Go inside.