Continuing Your Journaling/Art Journaling Adventure with A Summer Read!

In celebration of our 2021 “A Summer Read” entitled You Belong: A Call for Connection by Sebene Selassie, York County Libraries is continuing with an adventure in journaling and art journaling – an opportunity to reflect, record, create, and express our thoughts about what is going on in our lives or the world around us. Using the themes inspired by the book, You Belong consider the following Journal and Art Journal prompts for your writing and/or creating:

Journal Prompts:

These journal prompts are shared with permission by Harper Collins Publishers from the book You Belong by Sebene Selassie.

The Delusion of Separation: We Were Never Separate

What does belonging mean to me? To whom or what have I felt I belonged or not belonged in my life?
What is evoked for me by the idea that we are not separate? What about the idea that we are not the same?
What margins or centers do I occupy? When and how did I understand these social locations?

Domination: Fueling the Fire of Not Belonging

List memories of comparison or competition in your life (gold stars, contests, trophies, weighing yourself, grade point averages, test scores, sales rankings, performance evaluations, etc.). How have these impacted you?

Ground Yourself

Stop three times each day (e.g., at noon, end of workday, and just before bed) and ask yourself the following questions (take brief notes to notice patterns):
- How connected am I to my body in this moment?
- How can I tell?
- Any other observations about this?

Know Yourself

Where are your people from? What do you know about your ancestors? If there are gaps in your knowledge, is there anyone you can ask? If not, can you do a little research about the general information you have (e.g., if you are adopted, research your country or culture of origin and learn about the beliefs and practices of the place)?
How would you describe yourself to a new friend? To a new colleague? To a stranger?
What parts of yourself do you see? What parts of yourself do you not want to see?

Love Yourself

What messages did you receive about what is good or allowable about you? What was considered bad or not allowable? How were you encouraged to be? What was rewarded? What was discouraged? Did you accept these messages? Did you internalize them? Did you rebel against any of them?
Notice your inner committee today. Who is sitting on it? What do they have to say? Do you believe them?

Connect Yourself

What can you disconnect from? What is absolutely necessary? What do you hold onto out of a sense of obligation/guilt/ decorum/fear? What are you willing to drop? And what happens when you do? To whom and to what do you connect when you make space?

Be Yourself

Can you allow yourself to be open to the mystery of you? Your everyday life? What stops you? Are you too rushed? Are you too busy to appreciate with wonder and awe those flowers by the window?
What inspires awe in you? Can you allow yourself more opportunities to witness a sunset froms tar to finish (and when does it start and when does it finish?)?

Art Journal Prompts