Art Journaling in Perspective

In the midst of the more "practical" preparations for my craft show on Friday evening, my art journal has been a daily creative constant.

Right now my attention has been on creating inventory lists, tying business cards to shopping bag handles, and fashioning a Studio 791 sign for the front of my table.

There is a certain amount of creativity involved in this work, but a lot of it is more practical or repetitive in nature.

On top of this work, there have been family responsibilties, and, more recently, terrible flu symptoms.

Sometimes I only manage a few minutes at my work table--I put down a few lengths of paper tape, stamp out a phrase, or create a quick Zentangle design.

I definitely like it best when I can sit down for 20 minutes to an hour and make a full page or spread.  But even these stolen daily moments give me a feeling of satisfaction to take to sleep with me.

For awhile, I felt like working in my art journal was my only creative endeavor, and I felt like I was limiting myself.  But I didn't have time for much more.

Now I feel that art journaling is in its proper place--for me, that is.  It's not the only creative work I am doing.  But it's a daily discipline, a daily playtime, a daily satisfaction.