CHENNAI: Basking in the pleasantly warm sun, listening to the ambient score, and pouring out the inner turmoil on a card captured the hearts of the art journaling instructor Bhanu Priya Mathi and her attendees during an art journal workshop on Friday morning. The journal workshop staged baskets of stickers, washi tapes, and textured papers, as they dived into the quaint space and the vivid hues of the Backyard, Adyar.
Experiencing the art session for the first time, Rasika, a maths teacher calls art journaling an exceptional way of expressing oneself. “It made me connect towards myself, understanding and channelling the inner me through labels.”
Commenced in November 2023, the workshop accomplishes its third session, articulating people to spare a little ‘me’ time in the bustle of their daily lives. While working as a software engineer, Bhanu spares some time from the regular routine, aspiring to create a social space for people to vent their emotions out, through stickers and writing.
Cultivating gratitude
Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. Carrying this notion, the attendees reciprocate the essence of being thankful for what they are given.
Padmaja, proprietor of an art school, collaging stickers to thank nature says, “There are many creations of nature which are left unacknowledged. I have collected the stickers of plants, animals and Mother Earth for providing us with a comfortable life.” The theme provoked people to accent the unnoticed possessions they have achieved. “When the topic of gratitude was mentioned, it made me reflect on my life and shifted my focus towards being grateful for what I have, instead of dwelling on what I have lost,” shares Rahavi, a communication specialist.