# data[].attributes.headline
Creative Journaling in the News: Wellness Wins {Podcast on Spotify with Aleisha Theisen}

# data[].attributes.subject
Creative Journaling in the News: Wellness Wins {Podcast on Spotify with Aleisha Theisen}

# data[].attributes.body
I had the good fortune of being interviewed about my Creative Journaling for Resilience Calendar project by Aleisha Wagenman Theisen, a Mayo Clinic-trained health and wellness coach and host of the podcast Wellness Wins. What a gift to have the origins of this passion project recorded on the Wellness Wins pod!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Natalie Lu on creative journaling for resilience

# data[].attributes.headline
To a Life Well Occupied: podcast interview with Kary Gillenwaters

# data[].attributes.subject
To a Life Well Occupied: podcast interview with Kary Gillenwaters

# data[].attributes.body
What a treasure to be featured in a podcast and blog post by OT, Kary Gillenwaters!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Natalie Lu: Refueling by “Trying new things during trying times” — Solidago

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
0:00 Hello, everyone! Today’s guest at To a life well occupied is Natalie Lu. Natalie talks with us from the perspective of being a Minnesotan, wife, mother, RN, founder of the blog “The Reflective Nurse”, Certified Meditative Movement practice leader, and nursing coach in the area of patient saf

# data[].attributes.headline
The RNscribe ScribeBytes with Katja Manrodt, BAN, RN

# data[].attributes.subject
The RNscribe ScribeBytes with Katja Manrodt, BAN, RN

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
The RNscribe LLC | Freelance Nurse Writer

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
ScribeBytes: Creativity and Resilience with The Reflective Nurse, Natalie Lu — The RNscribe LLC | Freelance Nurse Writer

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
By: Katja Manrodt, BAN, RN , Freelance Nurse Writer with The RNscribe, LLC

# data[].attributes.headline
Join us though the screen for a virtual workshop! 

# data[].attributes.subject
Join us though the screen for a virtual workshop! 

# data[].attributes.body
Looking for some added journaling inspiration? Jump on one of our monthly virtual workshops!

These virtual workshops feature creativity coaching and prompts that follow my self-published calendar. Free and open to all!

Calls are 40 minutes and rally some social connection around creative expression. No writing or art experience required, cameras and sharing are optional!

Next creative journaling call (published in Central Standard Time) will be announced here on 6/1

Come back to this space for more monthly virtual workshop dates! Links to join will be published here by morning of each call.

# data[].attributes.body
Let's kick off a year of creative expression! Each month, I'll share a creative prompt on this Padlet to give your creativity a boost. Themes follow what's featured on my self-published desk calendar.

Want more inspiration and some social connection around creative expression? Join one of our monthly virtual workshops for some lively creativity coaching. Scroll back to the left for the "Monthly virtual workshops" tab on this page for the 2025 schedule!

Jump into our gathering gallery to see what I did with this journaling prompt. You're invited to share what you did with the inspiration, too!

# data[].attributes.body
Choose a word of the year! An alternative or complimentary approach to a New Year’s resolution, have you ever tried picking a word as an anchor for the coming year?

Some journaling or conversation that might inspire the selection of your word: you can write out a list of what you want more and/or less of in your daily life. Then, look up definitions in the dictionary of words that capture any themes you observe in your more/less journal entry. Making a list of synonyms can bolster your word choice or even give you a word idea to serve as a lens.

This tradition has served my creative process far more expansively than the "shoulds" that often come with New Year's Resolutions!

# data[].attributes.headline
Spring Retreat at Big Raven Farm! April 10-13, 2025 in Spring Grove, Minnesota!

# data[].attributes.subject
Spring Retreat at Big Raven Farm! April 10-13, 2025 in Spring Grove, Minnesota!

# data[].attributes.body
Immerse yourself in a spring retreat!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
2025-04-10 Creative Expression for Resilience

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” - Maya Angelou Reflection, connection, and creative expression - immerse yourself in a retreat for replenishment! The Reflective Collective is a movement started by multidisciplinary healthcare workers in response to the Surgeon General’s Advisory on Health Worker Burnout, but is for all persons who consider themselves caregivers in all fields and functions. You are invited to join us for an experiential weekend of care for caregivers, rooted in nourishment and inspiration for creative expression. In this retreat, we will slow down and learn simple, evidence-based creative techniques to give our minds a break, restore our sense of wonder in the world, and give ourselves permission to simply play. Participants will be guided through creative journaling exercises to include the Japanese philosophy of Kintsugi and the art of being whole. Although we will be exploring these ideas using art and journaling, you do not need to be an artist or even consider yourself creative to benefit from these lessons. Joleen and Natalie will walk you through your projects, step by step! We will learn how to work the creative process into your life and discuss ways that creating or beholding art can be helpful to your mental health. (Please note, this retreat is not art therapy and does not replace the care of a trained mental health professional!) Embark on a rejuvenating journey of creativity, connection, and relaxation with our 4-day, all-inclusive retreats at Big Raven Farm. Nestled in the rolling hills and rugged limestone bluffs of southeast Minnesota, our retreats offer a unique blend of hands-on workshops, self-directed leisure time, and a tranquil environment in which to unwind and reconnect with yourself. Come to this retreat to try or to build on practices of creative expression that can provide a new lens on who we care for...starting with ourselves!

# data[].attributes.headline
Podcast interview: Joleen's Happy Time Craftcast! {December 2024}

# data[].attributes.subject
Podcast interview: Joleen's Happy Time Craftcast! {December 2024}

# data[].attributes.body
What a hoot to spend a lunch hour in conversation with Craftonian and Head Raven of Big Raven Farm, Joleen Emery! Come join us for a special retreat in Spring 2025 to immerse yourself in the self-caring practice of creative expression...in community with others!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Creative Expression for Resilience: Art Journaling for Healthcare Workers - Happy Time Craftcast 35

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Podcast Episode · Joleen’s Happy Time Craftcast · 12/21/2024 · 1h 11m

# data[].attributes.body
Hi! I'm Natalie Lu, MSN, RN, CPPS, Founder of The Reflective Nurse, LLC and our multidisciplinary community: The Reflective Collective™.

I have a passion for creative journaling for resilience! My background in communication and art education colors my approach to sharing this passion project with you: combining creative expression with social connection. I'm so glad you are here to follow along on my journey through creative journaling - and to maybe even find a path of your own into this joyful hobby!

# data[].attributes.body
To navigate content on this page, you can scroll along the bottom of the page from left to right, as well as up and down within each column.

# data[].attributes.body
This Padlet is a place to visit and revisit examples of creative journaling entries -- and an entry point for you to try your hand at creative journaling! A dozen of my original artworks are featured each year on my creative journaling for resilience desk calendars. These artworks and accompanying quotations will anchor a starting point for us to connect on this site and beyond!

Come here to find a sprinkling of prompts and inspiration for creative journaling, invitations and links to monthly virtual workshops, and news about upcoming events to experience creative journaling in community with others!

Questions? Feel free to email me at: thereflectivenurse@gmail.com

# data[].attributes.body
The Reflective Collective is a community started by The Reflective Nurse, LLC and multidisciplinary healthcare workers in response to the Surgeon General's Advisory on Health Worker Burnout, but is for all persons who consider themselves caregivers in all fields and functions.

The Reflective Collective provides evidence-based and time-tested well-being strategies to heal and sustain.

All are welcome to try and learn new tools...and when you're ready, we also encourage you to share your gifts and story with our community.

Events are offered in a variety of settings: virtually, outdoors, and in other community spaces suited to the featured activity. I'll update this page periodically with upcoming events.

Please reach out to: thereflectivenurse@gmail.com with any questions or ideas to contribute to this community effort!

PS: Logo design by my daughter!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
ARCHIVED CONTENT: As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date each article was posted or last reviewed. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
Follow me on Twitter @srinipillay

Have you ever found yourself listening to something really boring, then wafting off into your own mind, your hand scribbling random things on a piece of paper in front of you? Whether it's a conference call or a tedious lecture, being all ears can be a challenge when your hands want to be a part of the moment. Nobody is immune to this either. Even American presidents have found themselves sketching away: 26 of 44 American Presidents doodled, from Theodore Roosevelt, who doodled animals and children, to Ronald Reagan, who doodled cowboys and football players, and John F. Kennedy, who doodled dominoes. Traditionally, we have thought of these doodles as a sign of distraction - an indication that your mind was not where it was supposed to be. Yet, recent research has shown that doodling is not an enemy of attention; it may in fact be a friend.

Doodling and memory

In 2009, psychologist Jackie Andrade asked 40 people to monitor a 2-½ minute dull and rambling voice mail message. Half of the group doodled while they did this (they shaded in a shape), and the other half did not. They were not aware that their memories would be tested after the call. Surprisingly, when both groups were asked to recall details from the call, those that doodled were better at paying attention to the message and recalling the details. They recalled 29% more information!

While there are no definitive reasons for why this occurred, we are learning more about how this can happen. When you're bored, your fight-or-flight system will do all that it can to rally and stay alert. Doodling (a form of fidgeting) may be a last-ditch attempt at staying awake and attentive. Doodling keeps you from falling asleep, or simply staring blankly when your brain has already turned off. The permission to "free-draw" keeps your brain online just a little while longer.

In addition, paying continuous attention places a strain on the brain, and doodling may be just the break your brain needs to keep attending without losing total interest. A report on the learning styles of medical students (who generally have to absorb large amounts of information) indicated that even they may find doodling helpful, as long as they limit the time they do it. A simple 30-minute doodle helps them remember information, fills in gaps in their thinking, and provides a much-needed reprieve from the loads of information they must wade through.

Doodling for stress relief and improved focus

Spontaneous drawings may also relieve psychological distress, making it easier to attend to things. We like to make sense of our lives by making up coherent stories, but sometimes there are gaps that cannot be filled, no matter how hard we try. Doodles fill these gaps, possibly by activating the brain's " time travel machine," allowing it to find lost puzzle pieces of memories, bringing them to the present, and making the picture of our lives more whole again. With this greater sense of self and meaning, we may be able to feel more relaxed and concentrate more.

Although doodles may look like a scribble, random words that make no sense, or a partial face that suddenly becomes something extraterrestrial, they are not quite as random as we might think. Dr. Robert Burns, the former director of the Institute for Human Development at the University of Seattle, uses doodles to diagnose the emotional problems of his patients. He believes that doodles can reveal what is going on in the unconscious. He asserts that, in the same way that EEG leads transmit brain activity to a piece of paper, your hand also does the same. Many other doodle researchers would agree.

It seems then that if you're struggling to concentrate, find yourself stuck or feeling "incomplete," a time-limited doodle expedition could be just the thing you are looking for. It will likely activate your brain's "unfocus" circuits, give your "focus" circuits a break, and allow you to more creatively and tirelessly solve a problem at hand.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The "thinking" benefits of doodling - Harvard Health Blog

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
ARCHIVED CONTENT: As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date each article was posted or last reviewed. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Here she is, my second-annual self-published desk calendar, featuring 12 original artworks by me! 

# data[].attributes.headline
My Creative Journaling for Resilience self-published desk calendar!

# data[].attributes.subject
My Creative Journaling for Resilience self-published desk calendar!

# data[].attributes.body
Let's see what you're making! Click here to jump into our collaborative gallery! Feel free to add posts and photos as a show-&-tell for The Reflective Collective!

# data[].attributes.headline
Word of the year workshop: 1/4/25 (10-12 ~ in person!)

# data[].attributes.subject
Word of the year workshop: 1/4/25 (10-12 ~ in person!)

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4BA5AA2AA0FFCE9-54075106-word

# data[].attributes.body
Three questions to write on each day. I’ve been practicing this for over 30 years to attune to my gratitudes, attitudes, and aspirations for day-to-day life!

Credit to the mama of a friend of a lifetime, Char Albers, who invited me to start this practice when I was a homesick freshman in college wondering what to do with my life!

Jump into our gathering gallery to see what I did with this journaling prompt. You're invited to share what you did with the inspiration, too!

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
This is a page from Kenzie Wilcox Ingebrand’s workbook, Self-Care for Healthcare. 

# data[].attributes.headline
Inspiration: Introducing yourself a la your values!

# data[].attributes.subject
Inspiration: Introducing yourself a la your values!

# data[].attributes.body
On our March creative journaling call, we reflected on how we might introduce ourselves without saying what we do as an occupation. Kenzie teed up a couple pages from the workbook she designed to accompany her work as a certified coach and intuitive.

As a precursor to journaling on the prompts on this featured page, Kenzie recommends looking over Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead Values or Saturday Gift’s Core Values.

Let's show Kenzie some love for being our featured Muse en Place in the month of March! Jump into our gathering gallery to see what I did with this journaling prompt. You're invited to share what you did with the inspiration, too!

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Kenzie and I met in 2022 as fellow presenters at Minnesota Cares, a wellness workshop for our healthcare community. Our fast friendship has since taken us all over Minnesota, hosting resilience retreats for Emergency Medical Service first responders. We do some of our best reflecting together over fast food tacos.

# data[].attributes.headline
Creative journaling: Let’s TACO bout it with Kenzie Wilcox Ingebrand!

# data[].attributes.subject
Creative journaling: Let’s TACO bout it with Kenzie Wilcox Ingebrand!

# data[].attributes.body
What a joy to feature Kenzie Wilcox Ingebrand on our March creative journaling call!

Kenzie shared a couple pages from her self-published workbook: Self-Care for Healthcare. Have a look above for some inspiration!

# data[].attributes.body
Creative journaling pushes the limits on traditional journal approaches to include a myriad of mediums and unassuming canvases. The idea is to make time and space to savor your reflections on the life you are living. More, creative expression has been proven to be one of the most effective ways to relieve stress.

There is an entry point for everyone! No art or writing experience needed. Jump in with a lens for new discoveries on your journey!

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."

-Pablo Picasso

# data[].attributes.body
It’s been a DEEP dive down the ZINE rabbit hole, this spring! Our April Creative Journaling virtual workshop was bursting with flow… I can’t even count how many messages and images I’ve received from those of you who are folding it in to your creative process routines and rituals!

All are welcome to post in our Gathering Gallery — I’ll share an update on the little ZINE library that’s coming together here in my corner of the world!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
42nd Street | How to Make Your Own Zine |

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Zines have been used throughout history, most famously known in the 1970’s punk scene, to promote music and political agendas. However, they have made a revival in recent years with social movements such as; Black Lives Matter.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Identity maps are as individual as their creators!

# data[].attributes.body
Fabuloso-5th grade teacher, Ms. Taraleen Wildly was featured as our resident muse for our May virtual workshop!

Guiding us through inspiration, thought-work, and prompts, Taraleen's takeover of our monthly creative journaling session gave participants a canvas to find the extraordinary details in the art of living out an identity.

Gratitude abounds for talent like Taraleen's - she lead a virtual room full of adults back to the 5th grade version of ourselves with this activity!

# data[].attributes.body
I’m happy to share that I’ve obtained a new certification: Certified Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach from Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching!

Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching™ (KMCC) is a trademarked model of creativity coaching designed by Jill Badonsky, M.Ed., with added elements from Dr. Robert Maurer and his book One Small Step Can Change Your Life the Kaizen-Way.

This coaching framework has brought so much joy and rigor to my understanding of the creative process. I can’t wait to discover all the ways to use KMCC tools to enhance care delivery and resilience among my colleagues in health care and beyond! You can get a taste of creativity coaching during my monthly virtual workshops. Reach out to me via email at: thereflectivenurse@gmail.com learn more about 1:1 offerings I'm developing!

The personal impact of Kaizen-Muse on my path has been like reeling the energy of fireworks into a fleet of fireflies: a softer, more sustainable light from within to embark upon creative endeavors in my field.

Thank you for teaching me, Jill Badonsky!

More to come...

# data[].attributes.body
Stay tuned for a seasonal forest therapy walk with Mel Schneider! Forest bathing is my favorite lens to slow down and recharge in nature. To be guided by Mel in this Japanese tradition, is a gift. The ultimate fuel and rest for creativity at its best: nature!

Forest bathing registration is through Wild Wanders, with a portion of each walk fee going back to the land we roam.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Wild Wanders Forest Therapy Walks | Minnesota

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Wild Wanders offers forest therapy walks in the Twin Cities, Minnesota area. Forest therapy is a scientifically-backed practice of spending intentional time in nature, slowing down, and using our senses to connect to the more-than-human world and to ourselves.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Old books make great art journals! Here's an example of some scrappy collaging I did on a vintage book (bought at a used-a-bit store). 

# data[].attributes.headline
Choose a journal: A vessel for your journey!

# data[].attributes.subject
Choose a journal: A vessel for your journey!

# data[].attributes.body
Maybe you’ll find a journal that feels inviting without any special tailoring. Journals of all shapes, sizes, colors, (and price ranges!) are out there. A composition or spiral-bound notebook can be made into its own work of art with some simple collage supplies. A little acrylic paint, glitter, glue, and special photo(s) from your own travels or a magazine can make your journal feel like a mini vacation or a personalized charging station!

One of my new favorite approaches to journaling is to use 4x6" notecards. Stored in a recipe box on the kitchen counter, this sets up journaling to be a habit, keeping it right in front of me in daily life, and easily stacked on top of something else happening in the kitchen (waiting for the coffee to brew, the pasta water to boil, etc!). Following a simple journaling prompt on a 4x6 notecard feels very approachable...it only takes a few minutes, removing the barrier of thinking that I don't have time for my creative journaling hobby.

More important than the vessel you choose for your journaling journey, is considering what you want from the process of putting things on a page. For me, journaling provides a space to go deeper in my observations and thoughts. We can't slow down time, but I've found that pausing to make note of observations helps me to slow down in the context of time-flying.

If you don't know what to "creatively journal" about, I'm glad you're here! This space is meant to keep creativity on the calendar, in community with one another. As 2025 unfolds, you'll see monthly prompts and opportunities to come together in social connection around creative expression. And I want to see what you're inspired to do outside of virtual or live events that bring us together! Be sure to check out the "Padlet within our Padlet" to add posts of your own about what you're inspired to create in your daily life, along with sparks of inspiration worth sharing with others.

# data[].attributes.body
Here's a whimsical tutorial for anyone to follow for some ideas on making an identity-map. If you're looking for a creative flex that returns you to who you are in the world, the three approaches shared in this video might get your wheels turning!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Creating an illustrative Identity Mind Map

# data[].attributes.body
Check out our creative journaling inspo for June: dopamenus! One of our creative journaling call participants talked about this whimsical approach to lining up some ideas for right-sized go-to self care. Let’s make & keep some dopamenus on hand for these summer months & beyond!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Experts Reveal The Best Ways To Get A Natural Dopamine Boost—And They’re Seriously So Easy

# data[].attributes.body
Ever start something only to get in your own way before you finish? Enter: Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching™

I lucked upon this wonderful approach to coaching/being coached in spring of 2020. Burnout in health care was well documented before the pandemic -- I had a hunch that those of us in the biz who wanted to "keep the light on" were going to need to find new approaches to resilience.

Enter, creative expression: one of the most well-documented approaches to decreasing stress and increasing quality of life! My stupendous KMCC Coach Kathy Grundei has become one of my dearest cheerleaders in creative endeavors. The KMCC tools Kathy used to guide me in our coaching sessions made all the difference in bringing my Creative Journaling for Resilience desk calendar to life.

In 2025, I became a Certified Kaizen Muse Creativity Coach! I share tools and approaches to bringing your creative process to life in our monthly workshops. The KMCC questions I’m sharing in the image above are like water and sunshine for metaphoric seeds you may have planted in 2025! You might want to try reflecting on these questions with a journal entry or a conversation with a peer.

You can reach out if you'd like to learn more about what I can offer 1:1 as a creativity coach: thereflectivenurse@gmail.com

Check out some of the other offerings of KMCC Founder Jill Badonsky if you are looking for more creative fans for your embers - check out Jill's programs and free newsletter: The Muse is In!

# data[].attributes.body
Mise en place is a French phrase (borrowed from the culinary world) that translates to putting things in place: preparing and arranging tools and ingredients for cooking.

The approach can apply to creative journaling by way of gathering something to write with, something to write on, and anything else that might inspire your space and journaling session.

A book that inspires reflection, a candle, and something to sip on -- these are a few of my favorite things to set the tone and intention for reflection. Creating space space and time for reflection is like curating your very own personal charging station!

Consider how you might set the table for your reflective space...

# data[].attributes.headline
Harvard Health's highlight reel on doodling...

# data[].attributes.subject
Harvard Health's highlight reel on doodling...

# data[].attributes.body
On our July creative journaling call, we reflected and connected on the virtues of doodling! Link above to the full article we discussed as we drew on inspiration from the literature. Doodling is a low-stakes, high-return on investment when it comes to creative expression!

# data[].attributes.body
Albert Einstein said, "Play is the highest form of research." And it just so happens that there is a HEAP of research on how playfulness is serious business in the sphere of well-being. Link above to how we can help each other with the buddy system in playing the game of life.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”  George Bernard Shaw

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Creativity Workshop: Blessing Nov 16 Natalie Lu

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Thank you to Tekla Johnson for guest co-hosting our September workshop!

# data[].attributes.headline
Podcast interview: A return to Joleen's Happy Time Craftcast! {February 2025} 

# data[].attributes.subject
Podcast interview: A return to Joleen's Happy Time Craftcast! {February 2025} 

# data[].attributes.body
Join Joleen and I for a conversation about the TOP 10 things I am looking forward to as we anticipate our upcoming retreat at Big Raven Farm!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Creative Techniques to Give Our Minds A Break with Natalie Lu - Joleen's Happy Time Craftcast 42

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Thank you, to my talented friend Tanya for sharing some junk journaling techniques for the blank page. Look how this came together! Simply wad up a piece of paper, color in the segments, then outline in gold for a polished finish. Wowza! 

# data[].attributes.body
Looking for a gentle start to 2026? Here are some sparks for journaling or conversation to ground us in a reframe of starting anything ASAP.

More, on our January virtual workshop, Nationally Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, Kerry Appleton will guide us in a reflective timeline activity.

# data[].attributes.body
The call is scheduled for 40 minutes. If we are having too much fun and it goes over this allotted time, the call will be automatically disconnected. HOWEVER, you can click on the Zoom link and come back to same call!

Cameras optional. Vibe is low-key — and the social connection is rich! Bring something to write on and something to write with.