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Area artists invite you to take a 'Journey-In'

Tara Bitzen, Lifestyles Editor
07/14/2006

For the past six years, Janelle Sundberg of Alexandria and Michelle Ahlquist of Garfield have been getting together to bounce their creative ideas off one another.

Both are quick to admit that while the ideas are plentiful and full of possibility, few ever make it past the brainstorming stage. The two were recently together in Sundberg's Garfield studio, where they talked animatedly about their dreams and ideas. Like two peas in a pod, the women share not only the same infectious bright smile, but also a passion for art and creativity – and for inspiring others.

"We have many, many, MANY ideas," Sundberg said with a roll of her eyes. "We just don't get around to doing more than talking about them."

"We've come up with hundreds of ideas together," Ahlquist agreed. "We take them back to our husbands and say 'what do you think of this??' "

While both admitted that their husbands aren't always as ambitious about their ideas as they are, there was one that seemed to get a more positive reaction.

The women wanted to create a coloring journal that would help people find their inner selves.  "There is coloring therapy and there are coloring books and there are journals, but we haven?t found any that have been melded together," Ahlquist said. "People do it, but it hasn?t been put together into one book."

"Our purpose is to come up with learning tools to help people learn how to get in touch with themselves," Sundberg added. "We want to help people step away from stress and focus back to a calmer being. We want to offer life-inspiring products for people seeking to grow beyond the box!"

"We had enough encouragement about the idea that we knew we had to do this," Ahlquist said. "We set a goal and got going on it."

The women took a few days off from work and headed for a timeshare, where they spent two straight days drawing designs. Within a year, they had taken the idea and made it reality. Journey In – A Meditative Coloring Journal was self-published in April.

"This was one of our ideas we actually completed!" Sundberg said enthusiastically. While being a product that aims to give something to others, the book has actually offered a lot to its creators as well.

For Ahlquist, who has served as the student activity director at Alexandria Technical College for about 10 years, the book has served as a creative outlet.  "If I'm too busy just getting through every day, I know I have to stop and do something creative," she said. "Anything that keeps me creating keeps me going. I've learned that I need that for balance in my life."

Sundberg, on the other hand, has made creative work her career. She obtained an art degree and spent the last decade working in watercolor and portraits, along with raising kids. She is well known for the "Celebrate" plates and journals she has created (www.celebrateplate.com). "I've always had a creative outlet to keep me going, yet I was still drained as a person," she said. "Everyday stressors drained me."

Sundberg has since learned about energy work and meditation and teaches others how to use active meditation to energize and "de-stress.  This has changed my life," she said. "I am now healthier, physically and mentally."

Both women explained that the book is a perfect tool for a person to begin learning to meditate.

"Not a lot of people know how to practice meditation," Sundberg said. "This book teaches you to do that.  Our mission is to inspire people to think beyond their physical self," she added. "You need to center yourself, balance yourself. This book is a simple tool to start that process and begin to heal yourself."

Ahlquist added that the coloring journal is a concept many are quick to grasp. "Most people you talk to love to color," she said. "This is something they can do and don't feel intimidated by. It's fun no matter what age you are. It's for anyone. So many people say 'I'm not creative' and step away from so many things," she added. "You don't have to be creative to do this – the lines are already there for you!"  Ahlquist noted that considerable research has been done on color therapy and the results show that the simple act of coloring can have a healing effect on people. "The purpose of coloring is that it can take you into a quieter place," she said.

The book includes 35 hand-drawn designs. The designs are drawn in circular patterns, originating at the center and radiating outward. This leads the eye in orderly procession around the circle as a person colors.  The pages facing each design are journal pages where a person can write the intention of their coloring "journey" and record the thoughts and feelings they experience during the process.

"It's basically a tool to get a person going," Sundberg said. "It gives the gift of quiet time. It can be done alone or in a group of friends or family members."

The women admit that even though the book is published and now available, they still have some work to do.  "Now comes the next challenge – getting it out there," Sundberg said. "So far everywhere it's gone we've had an incredibly positive response."

"We also want to give a portion back," Ahlquist added. "We have a variety of charities and organizations that have touched us in some way."

And of course their creative juices are ever-flowing and the women have many other future projects forming in their minds. "It's spiraling," Sundberg said with a smile. "We have a few new products we're working on – more tools for people to think beyond the box."

copyright(c) 2006, Echo Press