Emotions In Color

Our emotions are clues to our needs. Being present to our hearts, learning to name our feelings, and finding healthy holy means of expressing those feelings is essential to our growth and emotional wellness.

This is a simple but helpful creative exercise to help you grow in your understanding of your emotions. The goal is to create a your personal emotions record using colors and varying lines or brushstrokes. I used watercolors for this one. I have also done this exercise using crayons and colored pencils.

Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and remember a time when you felt “emotion”. What color comes to mind? Pick up that color and begin filling the space on your paper with lines and movements that express how you experience that emotion.

You can also use this activity to focus on just one emotion. Perhaps an emotion that is difficult or uncomfortable. I have filled many pages with sharp, stabbing, frenzied strokes as I processed anger. I have, likewise, filled pages with soft, gentle, pastel brushstrokes as I used watercolors to restore my peace and calmness.

Remember - There is no right or wrong technique or answer; your art journal is a safe place to follow your heart, to be intuitive, to let the Holy Spirit lead.