My Abundant * Wild * Life – Week One

The Thirty Day Challenge

Diving in and opening with Intention” was the theme for week one of the Abundant * Wild * Life  online workshop with Alena Hennesey and my personal 30 Day Challenge.

Since this is an online workshop each day Alena would create a post to help guide us with our intentions for the day. Along with the daily instructional posts there is a private FaceBook group for all the participants to share images and thoughts during the workshop. There are 70+ members participating from all over the world. I think one woman is from Iceland and to my knowledge it is all women. This is a recap of my first Abundant * Wild * Week.

Week One – Diving in and Opening with Intention

Day One: A Warm Welcome – It all began with a warm thoughtful video featuring Alena introducing us to the process and leading us through meditation and deep breathing. As she explained the importance of taking time for ourselves as we set our intentions for each day. Expressing ourselves through meditation, journaling and creative exercise.

Our first journal entry was to set our intention for the course. An intention may be a goal, a wish, aim, design, purpose, objective, desire almost anything you want it to be. After doing a free write in our journal we did a creative exercise with india ink and either smeared it over our journal entry or on the next page writing over it with the main fears and intentions of our writing as a release.

Everyday we start with either a prayer or intention, meditation and a free form journal entry. I practiced this for the past five days and I did feel a difference in my out look for the week.

Each day would start with Day One’s journaling, meditation and intention setting.

Day Two: Nature as Muse – Noticing nature and our world around us. Going for a walk in nature and taking pictures. Then sharing them as you wish on the FaceBook page. Everything can be shared on the FaceBook group page. It is wonderful to see all the different images from around the world and learn about each person through their pictures.

Day Three: Hand Lettering with the Acquabrush – this is when the fun really started. I had never used an Acquabrush or knew that it existed. Alena provided us with a instructional video on how to use the Acquabrush and the india inks. Alena is very gifted artist he work is colorful, uplifting and spiritual. Along with our journaling we sketched out our intentions on watercolor paper and lettered them with the Acquabrush and decorated with doodles. These are the materials needed if you would like to try:

  • Aquabrush – definitely the Pentel is the nicest. I bought a set of cheap ones at Michael’s and later splurged for the Pentel
  • India inks
  • Gel pens – to outline and add detail if needed
  • Water cup
  • watercolor paper
  • pencil & eraser – to lightly sketch in what you want to draw for placement and then erase.

We also hand lettered some of our favorite quotes. I am a printer meaning I do not write in cursive. Now I am practicing writing in cursive. I am finding is not easy and take concentration to connect the letters together. I don’t know when I stopped writing in cursive because I remember enjoying cursive writing.

Day Four: Pattern Making + Jena Coray of Modish – Today we made a list in our journal of habits and patterns that don’t serve us well on one side of the page and on the opposite replace a positive pattern that would enhance our being and way of life. This day gave me time to reflect on what we had done the past three days and practice my hand lettering with the Acquapen, intention setting and meditation. For inspiration Alena interviewed Jena Coray, aka: Miss Modish who believes in keeping a daily practice to stay centered in her busy life of full time blogging plus more.

Day Five: Kindness Grows Good Things – This was a roundup of the past four days and setting our intention for the weekend

  • do something intentionally kind for yourself and another without expectation
  • Creating more space to make art
  • *Continue to free write
  • Walk outside and continue taking photos
  • work on the creative exercises, painting/intentional journaling and lettering with the Aquabrush.

What a special week filled with guided meditations, daily intention setting and creative experience. I feel much lighter coming into the weekend. The beauty of a course like this there is no right or wrong, it is not competitive and it is a personal journey.

The first image is from my day two and below is some of my hand lettering and a piece by Alena. It won’t be difficult to tell which one is Alena! Image enlarge when clicked.

 

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5 Responses to My Abundant * Wild * Life – Week One

  1. Mary Brent May 20, 2012 at 6:03 PM #

    I’m inspired! Thanks for sharing.

    Mary Brent

    • Toni May 20, 2012 at 9:32 PM #

      Thank you for your comments I appreciate your reading and listening.

  2. Sally_K May 6, 2012 at 9:14 PM #

    Sounds like a really wonderful & fun group. Thanks for sharing.

    • Toni May 6, 2012 at 9:59 PM #

      Sally It has given me a different focus which has been nice and new things to work on.

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