Heron Dance art journals and books explore the inner work underlying creative work and creating a life.
The primary tools in this practice are the use of art journaling in combination with meditation.
All Heron Dance books are published (or shortly will be) in both inexpensive e-formats (PDF and Kindle) and premium, first-edition art books.
All prices include taxes (and shipping for books, art and other physical items).
The following options start with the least expensive.
Book exploring journaling tools and techniques to be published in late 2024. PDF will be included in paid subscriptions to either A Pause for Beauty or Creativity as a Way of Life.
Free Subscriptions:
Creativity as a Way of Life and A Pause for Beauty.
Free subscribers receive, once a week:
A summary the past week’s posts.
A link to a YouTube video of Rod MacIver, founder and artist at Heron Dance, painting and discussing those posts.
A new painting.
Subscribers to both Creativity as a Way of Life and A Pause for Beauty would receive two of these summary posts each week, generally on Thursdays and Sundays.
If you are not currently receiving Pause for Beauty e-journal, and would like to receive the free version, you can do that here.
You can sign up for the free version of the creativity Substack, Creativity as a Way of Life, here.
If you want to receive either, or both, of the paid Substacks, but cannot afford $5 a month, just send a quick email to Rod, and he’ll add you, no questions asked.
rod@herondance.org.
Heron Dance now requests a modest $5 a month for access to either of our two Substacks. We ask that readers who value the work, read it frequently, not leave the support of it to others. But for people who truly can’t afford $5 a month — like people still living in their mother’s basement — we’ll add you without cost. Just email Rod (rod@herondance.org).
But just about everyone else can, if they wanted to, afford $5 a month.
Creativity as a Way of Life:
Journal Meditations of Working Artists
An exploration of the inner work underlying creative work, and the usefulness of art journals in that process. How artists, novelists, filmmakers, etc. use journaling to explore possibilities. Excerpts from interviews, memoirs, autobiographies, letters and Heron Dance interviews of artists.
Published on Substack two or three times a week.
Each post contains a perspective from a working artist on the use of journaling in creative work.
Once a week, Creativity as a Way of Life includes a video of Rod MacIver, founder and artist at Heron Dance, painting and discussing the week’s posts.
E-Format
$5 a month or $50 a year on Substack here.
Includes the e-book Using An Art Journal To Probe Deep (PDF format, to be sent to subscribers December 2024)
Links to the PDFs are automatically included in the posts you’ll receive.
Founding Member:
$150 a year. Includes the hardcover first edition of Nurturing the Song Within, and the print edition of Using An Art Journal To Probe Deep (available in late 2024). Subscribe on Substack here.
A Pause for Beauty Gratitude Journal:
Gratitude as a philosophy of life and spiritual practice.
E-Format
Published on Substack two or three times a week.
Each post contains a perspective on gratitude as a way of life and as a spiritual practice.
Once a week, A Pause for Beauty includes a video of Rod MacIver, founder and artist at Heron Dance, painting and discussing the week’s posts.
$5 a month or $50 a year on Substack here.
Includes the e-book Using An Art Journal To Probe Deep (PDF format, to be sent to subscribers December 2024)
Founding Member:
$150 a year. Includes Meditations on Gratitude, Beauty and Mystery, and the print edition of Using An Art Journal To Probe Deep (available in late 2024). Subscribe on Substack here.
Founding Membership: Heron Dance Sustainer
A Sustainer subscription includes:
Both Substack e-journals.
Nurturing the Song Within (first edition, premium art book, only a few copies left). Sent on receipt of your subscription.
Meditations on Gratitude, Beauty and Mystery. Sent on receipt of your subscription.
The wire-o bound softcover Using An Art Journal To Probe Deep, Sent when completed, late 2024.
Published on Substack four to six times a week.
$30 a month or $300 a year.
Subscribe here.
The Works: Heron Dance Patron
Both Substack e-journals.
Nurturing the Song Within (first edition, premium art book, only a few copies left). Sent on receipt of your subscription.
Meditations on Gratitude, Beauty and Mystery. Sent on receipt of your subscription.
The wire-o bound softcover Using An Art Journal To Probe Deep, Sent when completed, late 2024.
The Pausing for Beauty Poetry Diary for the 2nd quarter of the year (or any year) with room for appointments and daily journal notes.
Four quarterly wire-o bound print editions of the Substacks sent at the end of each quarter. First publication date April 2025..
Cost $50 a month, or $500 a year.
Subscribe here.
Everything I Got Including The Kitchen Sink
Everything Heron Dance publishes as described above in The Works, plus
An original painting, including recent paintings from Creativity as a Way of Life or A Pause for Beauty — any painting on the Heron Dance website priced at $1000 or less. You can view all of the available originals here. Just let us know which you’d like.
Nurturing the Song Within (first edition, premium art book, only a few copies left).
Meditations on Gratitude, Beauty and Mystery.
The wire-o bound softcover Using An Art Journal To Probe Deep, Sent when completed, late 2024.
The Pausing for Beauty Poetry Diary.
The Nurturing the Song Within planner and diary.
Four quarterly wire-o bound print editions of the Substacks.
My sincere appreciation for your good heart and goodwill.
$100 a month or $1000 a year
Subscribe here.
Meditations on Gratitude, Beauty and Mystery ($39. Ships first week of November)
Gratitude as a philosophy of life and spiritual practice.
Our lives are a brief spark between two eternities. We are surrounded by natural beauty. The nature of the gift we've been given -- life -- is elusive and mysterious. This book celebrates that gift from a wide variety of perspectives. What we express gratitude for gains power in our lives.
The work in this book evolved out of the popular Substack, A Pause for Beauty as well as The Heron Dance Book of Love and Gratitude, the book published twenty years ago that remains the most popular book Heron Dance has ever published.
156 pages.
Softcover, lay flat wire-o binding, 11 x 8.5 inches horizontal.
Order the lay-flat, wire-o print softcover here.
Order the PDF with an immediate download here.
There are still a few copies of the first edition of Nurturing the Song Within available. This is a premium art book with a Smyth-sewn lay flat binding printed. It explores the inner work underlying creative work.
Each day two-page spread includes a painting and journal notes on living a creative, meaningful life.
Hardcover first edition with dust jacket. $95 including shipping and taxes. Order here.
PDF $9.99 including tax. Order here.
More information here.
Day planner (print version): 196 pages, full-color diary and planner: Wire-O lay flat binding
Room for appointments and goals
A daily key inspirational quote and/or journaling prompt from the full color art journal.
This Planner is dated April 1 to June 30 but can be used in any year, or any time of year if you don’t mind seeing the date notations at the top of the page — for example “April 1”.
$49 including tax and shipping.
Order the softcover (lay-flat, wire-o bound) edition here.
Order the PDF ($9.99) here.
More information here.
The Pausing For Beauty Poetry Diary
This beautiful undated diary contains dozens of poems selected to inspire thought about the nature and meaning of life and our connection to the natural world. The poems are accompanied by dozens of Roderick MacIver watercolors, some in full color, some watercolor sketches and delicate washes.
The Poetry Diary contains plenty of room for your journal notes and own poetry.
114 pages in total.
$44 print version. Order here.
$9.99 PDF. Order here.
Can’t Find Something?
If you ever can’t find something that is part of your subscription, or have other questions about your subscription or purchase email Rod:
rod@herondance.org.
. . .
Cancelling Your Support
If you ever want to cancel something that you are receiving via Substack you can do that by clicking on the Unsubscribe link and following the instructions, and, separately, by canceling your recurring payment, which you can do via the link you’ll receive when you unsubscribe. Please try to do this on your own — it isn’t difficult.
If you want to unsubscribe or cancel a recurring payment placed through this website, you can do that here:
www.herondance.org/cancel-your-subscription
And thank you for your past support!