How to Use Positive Affirmations in Art Journaling and Change Your Mindset

We all struggle with daily challenges and negativities in our lives. There are times when we want to scream our heads off and when calmness and serenity are foreign words to us.

What if I told you that you could change those shitty, annoying daily problems by just taking care of yourself a bit? Try using positive affirmations and you’ll be surprised at how powerful they are.

I’ve been practicing positive affirmations for more than 20 years. They’ve changed my daily life from the grounds. At first, they were fun to do, but later I found that besides the fun part, there was so much more to them.

So, I want to share how they’ve helped me become more positive, confident and creative in my daily life. Also, a few years back, I started using positive affirmations in my art journals. And this was a discovery! I was Columbus and this thing was my America.

What you’ll find in this post

So, let’s go down this road together and I’m going to explain:

what positive affirmations are

how they work

the benefits of positive affirmations (and art journaling)

and how you can include them in your art journals to enjoy the process even more.

Also, in order to get you started, I’ve made a list of positive affirmations that you may use for your art journals. But that’s not all. I’ve even made free affirmation cards you can use for this purpose. It’s in my resource library and you can request the password at the bottom of the post.

WHAT ARE POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS?

Basically, a positive affirmation is a sentence you mindfully construct with positive and reassuring words. I firmly believe that words are powerful, and when you combine the most positive words in one place, backed up with strong intention, you hit the spot. You get to be the boss. The sassy girl who owns it.

How to create positive affirmations?

When you focus on a struggle you have at the moment, think about what outcomes you want from this situation. How do you want to feel in the end? Imagine the situation you desire and become aware of how you feel. Then, write down those feelings.

For example, if you wanted to build up your self-confidence, you would imagine yourself feeling satisfied and happy because you are confident. Then, you’d write this down. It’ll go something like this:

My confidence is growing every day with every action I take.

Or

I am confident in everything I do.

Or to be more specific:

I am confident in making art and I love my artwork.

How to use positive affirmations?

When you have created your positive affirmation, promise yourself that you’ll use it every day. Reserve a few moments for yourself, close your eyes and begin by saying these words: the words I’m saying become my reality.

Next, repeat your affirmation as many times as you feel the need. I do this until I feel a smile on my face. This practice really helps you be more aware of yourself and more awake in general.

Also, if you do this right before you fall asleep, it’s even better. Why? Because these positive thoughts are then sent to your subconscious level and stay there. They bring the sunshine to your subconscious level after a long rainy day.

Have you ever felt how someone’s negative comment about you stayed deeply rooted in your mind? And you couldn’t get it off? See how powerful words are? Then why not replace such negativism with positive affirmations? If negative words stick so strongly, imagine how positive ones can affect us, but now they work for us, and not against us.

I agree with a writer, Sherry Chapman, in a Medium article on positive affirmations, when she says that “If we create an environment in our mind and with our mouth that consists of positive components, our lives will follow them just like a moth to a flame.”

I bet you’re now curious to try this.

How do I make my affirmation more powerful?

I want to highlight some tips for writing and using positive affirmations so you can really benefit from them.

1. Write and say them in the present tense

If you use them in the present tense, you immediately affect your mindset in the present as well. We can’t undo the past and know little about our future, but we can influence how we feel now.

It’s like saying to your mind: this is how I feel now, this is my reality. And with time somehow you start believing in that. It really becomes your reality.

2. Set a strong intention

What this means is that you don’t approach this as something you just do here and there without being mindful of it.

While creating and later using a positive affirmation, you need to dedicate your time to this process, a peaceful place and silence. And what’s also important is that you evoke the feeling you want for yourself, and then truly and wholeheartedly believe in it.

That’s the intention you try to create.

3. Write it down in your art journal

Don’t create a wonderful affirmation and then forget about it. If you have something valuable on your mind, write it down. Because you’ll definitely use that later on.

And then, rewrite it again and again. Notice how things have changed inside you since the first time you wrote down a particular affirmation. Observe how you react to it now, as opposed to your first reaction when you created it. If the overall feeling becomes lighter and more freeing, then it must be a sign this affirmation is changing something within you.

That’s why writing it down more than once, and using it daily, is a great idea for changing your mood and your mindset. To make it more artful, use my watercolor tags for positive affirmations, and get them at the bottom of the post.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS?

Speaking from my experience, I began to notice how my mood changed. I became more joyful and peaceful inside. What’s more important, I realized I’d become more grateful and started to appreciate everything in my life. Even the negative. Why? Because in every experience, there’s a lesson to learn. And with every new lesson, you become smarter, wiser, and richer.

By creating positive affirmations and using them daily with my art journals, I’ve somehow got to know myself better and what I love, whether it’s about my art or about my life in general.

I even stopped smoking cigarettes. I was having a hard time quitting but I knew I had to. So, I used positive affirmations for months and they went something like this: I can’t stand cigarettes and cigarette smoke. Smoking is not attractive to me anymore. I can easily quit smoking whenever I want. I don’t need cigarettes.

For me, this was powerful.

POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS AND ART JOURNALING

Isn’t it wonderful to connect these two? They’re like two of your friends who have been single forever and you feel they’re just right for each other. And then you hook them up!

Well, you are the one getting the most benefits from this relationship. Yes, you.

Benefits of using positive affirmations with art journaling

Besides the general benefits I’ve already mentioned, this combo lets you practice mindful art. And this is a wonderful thing.

The thing is, at the same time, you are mindful of yourself, your art, and how your art connects to your feelings and thoughts.

So, if you combine positive affirmations and art journaling daily, you’ll enjoy precious alone time and grow while creating art that’s the expression of yourself: your likes, needs, fears, cravings, battles, victories, etc.

HOW TO USE POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS AND ART JOURNALING

First, follow all the steps in creating a positive affirmation. Remember?

1. Define your struggle/negative thoughts

2. Describe how you want to feel in the present tense/change the negative with the positive

3. Set a strong intention behind it (really be mindful about it, reserve time and a peaceful place for this, and believe that you can change how you feel)

4. Write it down in your art journal

Ideas on putting positive affirmations on your art journal pages

1. You could type your affirmation on the computer and then print it out. Try gluing the whole sentence down or cut each word separately and glue them like that on the page. you could make this more interesting by writing each word in a different font and color, in graffiti style.

2. Make positive affirmations on paper cards and glue them down on plain paper or the background you’ve made. I’ve already made these for you!

You can download printable watercolor cards for your positive affirmations from my free resource library. (Request password for the library at the bottom of the post.)

3. Use magazine word cut-outs. If you find words that fit your affirmation, combine the words with your handwriting to make it visually more interesting. And of course, this is the way you’ll spend more time being mindful.

4. Paint a black background and write your affirmation with a white pen. This contrast will make the words stand out.

5. If you have letter stamps, use them to stamp your words in your journal.

6. Don’t write only from left to right. Explore how your affirmations look written from top to bottom, or in a circle shape.

7. Use a paintbrush with watercolor, ink, or acrylic paint to write the words.

8. Make a whole art journal only for your positive affirmations. You can keep it by your bed, so you can remind yourself to use one before you fall asleep.

LIST OF POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS

I’ve listed some general affirmations, affirmations for artists, and for anxiety (we all struggle with anxiety from time to time, and meditation with positive affirmations can help with this).

Feel free to use these exactly or adjust them to suit your needs. Make them more personal by adding words that feel more connected to you.

List of general positive affirmations

Every day of my life is a blessing.

I attract only the positive in my life.

I am successful in everything I do.

I am getting more confident every day.

I am independent financially, socially, and in my relationships.

I am love, I radiate love, I attract love.

My life is filled with love.

All my relationships are healthy and full of love.

I am grateful for everything I have.

I can achieve anything I want.

List of positive affirmations for artists

My inner artist is free and creative.

I am a creative and artistic person.

My creativity is growing every day.

I love what I do and it makes me happy.

I am confident in my creativity and art.

I easily express myself through art and my art heals me.

I find inspiration everywhere around me.

I am creative, inspired, and full of new ideas.

My art skills are improving every day.

I am talented and intelligent.

List of positive affirmations for anxiety

My mind is filled with positive thoughts.

I am calm and serene in every action I take.

Fear does not control my actions.

I am patient and I can deal with anxiety.

POWER OF POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS AND ART JOURNALING

Words are powerful. They can hurt us but also elevate us so high instantly! Remember how compliments from other people make you feel. Why wait for others to say something nice to you? You can do it yourself, on your terms, and with your own words.

This is even more powerful than other people’s words because yours are more mindful and have a strong intention. And who knows you better than yourself?

What steps do you need to take in order to experience the power of positive affirmations?

First, identify the struggle or the negative thoughts you might have.

Then, replace the negative with a positive statement. Make the affirmation in the present tense.

Set a strong intention by really understanding your struggle and choosing to believe in the power of your own mind. Before saying affirmations out loud, say this first: Words I’m saying become my reality. And then continue with your affirmations.

Finally, write down your affirmations. Not just once. Keep using it in your art journal as many times as you feel the need and observe any changes in your reactions.

So, don’t consider this homework or task but a mindful (and artistic) tool to get the things you want, to be mucho confident during your next job interview, or to finally manage to be calm when your mum calls just to ask what you’ve eaten today. For the second time that day.

Art journaling is personal and totally carefree. I believe it’s a safe and unique place to use positive affirmations and experience their power.

I promise it’s better than the chill pill.

Do you feel inspired? Pin these ideas for later, so you can check them any time!