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Finding Joy

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Lessons from a First Home Builder
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Lessons from a First Home Builder

My husband and I have been house hunting for quite a while. Like… a few years. Earlier this year, it…

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A Filipina woman with brown skin and dark wavy hair writes on a writeable wall/whiteboard wall in the Reward Gateway office

hi there! I'm Joy

I am a writer and artist from Western Sydney. A lover of all things creative, colourful and curious. Hoarder of books, stationery and wine. Collector and teller of stories. You'll find some of my art and writing here, along with my a̶d̶v̶i̶c̶e̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ misadventures while attempting to balance a creative career + family life. I'm on a mission to cultivate courage and connection through creativity. Subscribe below and join me on this crazy adventure!

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Just realised my nails match my shake and had to t Just realised my nails match my shake and had to take a photo coz life's too short not to notice the fun little details that make us smile. 😂🤩 #glimmers Oh and if you haven't yet tried @burgerpointofficial's Purple Dulce milkshake get onto it 💜💜💜
Still absorbing, processing, sitting with all that Still absorbing, processing, sitting with all that we went through and (re)discovered at yesterday's Diocesan Pastoral Plan launch.. . flicking through notes and cherishing the gems of wisdom shared by so many beautiful people who give selflessly to the Western Sydney community and love with the tenderness and compassion the world needs. I am a child of this Diocese... My faith has been nourished, challenged and cultivated here, and my heart is hopeful for its future. We walk together... and we walk with a God who has promised to accompany us. "Behold, I am with you always." - Matthew 28:20
Sending a little love (and lettering) in a box. Sending a little love (and lettering) in a box.
I'm trying to get back into the habit of writing m I'm trying to get back into the habit of writing my Morning Pages. The practice of writing 3 pages every morning is from Julia Cameron's book/program, The Artists Way. I used to think it was too lofty a goal to write 3 pages every morning, until I committed to it during a holiday earlier this year and did it for a few months - I found the practice SO freeing. I dropped it unintentionally during the last school term because I was travelling so much, but I am keen to get back into it - if anything to soothe my anxious mind. I normally use a plain exercise book because I don't intend for anyone to read these ramblings (I don't even intend to read them myself!) but yesterday, Mr 7 asked if he could have his own journal to write/draw in, so I have him a blank notebook and we spent the last morning of his school holidays decorating covers. 💕 Knowing that he's picking up on all these little things (and knowing what a privilege it is to give him the space and permission to exercise his creativity) made it even more special to sit down this morning with my coffee and my little floral journal and put pen to paper. #ArtistsWay #MorningPages
Well this is different! Looks like I've temporaril Well this is different! Looks like I've temporarily swapped watercolours and brush pens to nurse a healthy (and really fun!!) addiction to acrylic paint (I thoroughly blame @partyinapaintbox for this 😆). It started with our gal cousin's paint party a few weeks ago and 3 paintings later, here we are. I have no idea what I'll do with these, but I kinda like that I get to practice with a medium that, up until now, has mostly been quite foreign or daunting. I'm sure I'll start freestyling eventually, but if I'm honest having a kit with instructions has been really nice. It gives me the freedom to play within boundaries... A template gives me something clear to work towards without feeling constrained. I've always found painting to be hugely therapeutic - it forces me to slow down - and after a pretty busy and tumultuous couple of weeks (school holidays/WFH life!), I've needed this. In the quiet of the night, when everyone else is in bed, I get to pause and play. I could do a million other things, I know. But something in my heart and mind has drawn me to this, and I'm not sad about it. The upside is that this set up (two brushes, a tray of paint, foldable easel, a jar of water and a rag) makes it all pretty easy to set up, and I can pack it all down before the kids are even awake again. 🙌🏽
Just added the new slide out desk to my Billy book Just added the new slide out desk to my Billy bookcase so I have a dedicated paint/journal spot. Why does this make me so happy?? 😭😭🎨🖌️
We did a cousins Pasta and Paint Night!! It's been We did a cousins Pasta and Paint Night!! It's been soooo long (too long) since we've had a girls night and gave ourselves permission to be a lil silly and a lil creative, so we got some paint kits, gathered around pasta, KFC, wine, cheese and dessert and painted (and talked) our little hearts out. There was much laughter, a new found love affair with a heat gun, many needed deep conversations, and some truly gorgeous masterpieces to end a memorable, relaxing evening. 🎨🖌️👩🏽‍🎨 Lessons learnt: 💕 Trust the process. What starts off as blank or messy will turn into what it needs to if you give yourself time and put in the effort. 🎨 Embrace the mess that comes with creating just the right colour. 😖 Frustration is also part of said process. Lean into it, problem solve, embrace the imperfections. 🖍️ There are infinite ways to paint a picture. Some of us followed instructions, some of us freestyled our way to the end. All of it is good.
It's been a while since I sat down to make jewelle It's been a while since I sat down to make jewellery but I MISS IT and it's calling my name!!! How fun are these? Such a fun pop of happiness in what is usually a monochrome winter wardrobe. I should probably update my website with these... Add that to the list of things I need to do 🤦🏽‍♀️🫣🫠 #ArtistLife #HandmadeJewelry #HandmadeEarrings #FindingJoy
Trying to manage my mid week anxiety with some cre Trying to manage my mid week anxiety with some creative down time while listening to a webinar. #CreativeJournaling #CreativeJournaling
Had a little creative date with my little man at t Had a little creative date with my little man at the @artgalleryofnsw the other day - we had the BEST time! I got a bit emotional actually... Just watching him soak up all the beauty, colour and expression. There's so much life that comes with spending hours and hours amongst incredible work. We went to see the #ArchibaldPrize portraits - there were so many moving pieces, I could spend an entire day in that exhibition alone (he wouldn't let me though - had to keep moving lol). It's the first date we've had in aaaaages and neither of us really wanted to go home. I think we would've happily stayed in the library on the bottom floor long after closing time. Tempted to turn his bedroom into a permanent reading nook. 🤭 #CreativeDate
Back to the creative exercises that I've been negl Back to the creative exercises that I've been neglecting. This was tricky at first - it took me ages to draw even one bird and I kept getting stuck and (over) thinking about what I wanted to portray. Eventually the creative muscles warmed up and I just started scribbling. And suddenly there's a bunch of little blob personalities staring at me from the page. 🤭 Sometimes I leave it too long between creative journaling and I find myself stuck. But... change requires a bias for action creativity requires accepting imperfections. 💕 Do you have a favourite bird? What are some of the stories you see in these little moments of fun? 😜 #CreativeJournaling #CreativeFirstAid #CartoonBirds
It's been 2 years since I walked out of the hospit It's been 2 years since I walked out of the hospital with a bleeding body and a broken heart. 🖤 My heart aches for you today. My heart also aches for the parents who've had to say goodbye too soon, who've grieved the loss of possibilities, who've wrestled with the heartbreak of unspoken and unrealised dreams.
Happy place. Words that comfort, uplift, empower, Happy place. Words that comfort, uplift, empower, inspire 💖✍🏽🎨🖌️✨
Real plants vs sticker plants? 🤭🪴🌱 Does a Real plants vs sticker plants? 🤭🪴🌱 Does anyone else struggle to keep their pot plants alive? #NotAGreenThumb
I've been using dot-grid bullet journals for about I've been using dot-grid bullet journals for about 8 years (B5 size @leuchtturm1917au notebooks are my go-to - so versatile and dependable) 💕 Every time I break open a new one, I pick a quote to letter on the "cover page" - usually something to keep me grounded and to turn to or reflect on when life gets a bit stressful. This volume's #WordsToLiveBy are: "The only one who can satisfy the human heart is the one who created it." 💖💖
Art is how I cope with tragedy and grief. Painting Art is how I cope with tragedy and grief. Painting is not the only form of creativity or art that I turn to, but it's definitely been one of the tools I use when I need to calm down, find flow or be reminded that what is true, good and beautiful will continue to exist even when the world seems full of darkness. This simple skyline reminds me of driving home and seeing the sun setting behind the Blue Mountains in the distance. The late afternoon sky is one of my favourite things. 🌄 #Watercolour #WesternSydneyArtist #WesternSydney #ArtJournal #WatercolourArtist #CreativeFirstAid #MentalHealthFirstAid #MentalHealth #SelfCare
This verse has seen me through so many of life's h This verse has seen me through so many of life's highs and lows 🩷 it's one of the verses I'm asked to letter the most often. 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. ' — Jeremiah 29:11 #CatholicCards #BirthdayCard #BibleQuote #CatholicGift #Jeremiah2911 #WordsToLiveBy
"Come to me all you who labour and are burdened an "Come to me all you who labour and are burdened and I will give you rest." - Matthew 11:28 The reminder I needed this Divine Mercy Sunday ❤️ #EasterOctave #DivineMercy
Poetry and 🌈🎨🖌️ Poetry and 🌈🎨🖌️
One of my favourite projects from earlier this yea One of my favourite projects from earlier this year ❤️❤️💒👰‍♀️🤵‍♂️ It's always a huge honour to be asked to letter anything for a wedding because I know it's already such a special day - not just for the couple, but for anyone lucky enough to witness and celebrate their love! So I was very grateful that Mary and Michael entrusted me with a special job of providing a very personal touch to their reception place settings. ✨ Lettering these place cards was actually a really therapeutic way to spend a quiet afternoon.
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Finding J😜y 🎨

Hi! I'm Joy. I am a writer and artist from Western Sydney. I'm on a mission to cultivate courage and connection through creativity. I created Finding Joy in 2016 to share my art and writing, along with my a̶d̶v̶i̶c̶e̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ misadventures while attempting to balance a creative career + family life. Hope you take a moment to pause and enjoy what you find here!

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