Welcome to Amida52...A Guided Art Journal Project for A Year of Your Nembutsu Life!

Welcome to Amida52

A Guided Art Journal Project for 

A Year of Your Nembutsu Life

This project was born from an art class that I recently found.  Through a weekly blog entry, I will give you a nudge, some inspirational quotes, pictures and a few examples of how you can easily create an art journal that will help you creatively capture a year in your life and how you reflect on the Nembutsu.

What does it mean to you to live in the Nembutsu?  Is it always a bed of roses? No, of course not.  Is it always full of suffering? Not if we can help it.  Is it a life full of gratitude? Absolutely. 

By working together you and I can create a weekly journal entry for ourselves that will capture our thoughts and feelings as Shin Buddhists.

What to look forward to:

• Creating a Journal

Your weekly journal page could simply be a word written on a blank page, a picture cut out and glued onto a blank page, or a detailed drawing or story that captures your feelings for the week.

This is meant to be a fun and creative project.  Have fun, get creative, feel like a kid and get out your crayons and glue...make this a fun project for the whole family.  You could even make a family journal and have each member contribute a little item to be added to the journal page.

• Little to No Cost

The Amida52 art journal project will not cost a lot to create.  Recycle, reduce, and reuse!  Make, find or buy a journal to your liking.  You will ultimately make 52 pages for your journal.  At the end of this year long journey, you will have an incredible book about YOU! Even more importantly you will have a book that captures your thoughts and feeling about your life in the Nembutsu.  A life well lived in gratitude and compassion.

• No Artistic Ability Required

Your Amida52 art journal will reflect your feelings and thoughts on life as a Shin Buddhist.  You might choose to write a few words. You may choose to draw a little picture.  You may find a picture in the newspaper or a magazine, cut it out and paste it in your journal.  This is not about artist excellence...this is about just being free to express your feelings ANYWAY YOU WISH! Enjoy this freedom..be creative.

• Weekly Ideas
  

I will create a weekly "nudge" that will inspire your creative juices!  Each week I will post an inspirational quote, a picture of my own journal page for the week, and share ideas as to how you might create your journal page.  There are no rules.  There is no "right" way or "wrong" way to do this.  It is simply a journey in reflecting on the path we both have in common: Shin Buddhism.

• Share with Others

Though this particular project has a focus on Shin Buddhism, the idea can be replicated for any spiritual path that one embraces.  If you find this process helpful, pass the word along.  Have your friends and family subscribe to this blog and share in the creative process together.

If you like, you can post a picture of your journal page here on the blog.  Inspire others to do the same!

Thank you for joining me on this journey.

Let us inspire each other to push through the difficult times, remember the daily joys and embrace the compassion and wisdom in our lives!

Namu Amida Butsu!

Diane Jishin Johnson