Tuesday, November 5, 2013

The Gifts of Imperfection

Hello all! I am currently taking an ecourse with Brene Brown, based on her book, The Gifts of Imperfection. It's a great book, dealing with issues of vulnerability, why it is good and necessary for us, and all the things that get in the way of it. I myself never understood what vulnerability really meant, that it did not mean that you were weak in some way, but rather a way for connection and openness. Considering that I still struggle with creating walls, it is no wonder why this is important work for me.

The ecourse focuses on chapters of the book, while using art journaling to connect with them more deeply. The art assignments are geared towards the beginner, but I just do my thing with them. We created a "permission slip", and I created mine in a fun style (channelling Dana Tanamachi) with chalkboard/vintage style lettering. We also had to take a self portrait with the words "I am imperfect and I am enough" written on our hand. I admit, I spent too much time worrying about the photo, did I look good in it, and wondering if I had missed the point completely. From what I have heard, I am not the only one. The assignments may seem simple at first, but they still challenge and sometimes they come easy, other times I strain against them. So far this is a good class for me. Creatively light and manageable, but also allowing me to learn and be challenged.

6 comments:

  1. I love Brene Brown! Hurrah for vulnerability (and art, of course). Love the sketches.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love this page. This class sounds really good. I bought two of Brene's books but haven't read them all the way through. I think this would be a great way to do it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I agree, the class is a good way to put the reading into action.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love your photo and permission slip. Haven't really jumped into ecourses, but love her ted talks. Need to read her books. Vulnerability can be such a scary and brave thing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Jessica, loved your work which was featured in the No Excuses Art Journaling book. Wondering if you could tell me which Gallery Leather journal you used for your work?

    ReplyDelete
  6. I used the larger size desk planner, approx 7wx9h. It has a week on each spread. I bought it at Barnes and Noble. the larger size does a better job of laying flat. Good luck! There are more pages from my No Excuses journals on this blog. Please take a look and enjoy!

    ReplyDelete