Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Inspirations for Art Journaling

If I were to count up all of the books, magazine articles, and blog posts I have read about art journaling, I'm pretty sure they would add up into the "zillions." 

In every source that I remember reading, the writer begins with strategies for addressing the blank page, usually by offering a series of techniques for creating background papers with paint, stencils, stamps, and ink. 

Leslie, over at Words of Me Project is offering a free eCourse that turns that structure on its head...with very effective results!

Each week of her course "Mind.Body.Soul," Leslie offers a focus word, such as "Believe," "Reach," and "Do."  She then gives us a writing assignment--a series of questions, usually, to answer in our journals.  No paint, no glitter, no doodles.  Just us and our thoughts and the words we can put them into. 
Then, when she moves on to an activity to get us messy and playing in our art journals, we have some great "fodder" for making our pages even more meaningful. 
I really respect this approach.  I have been journaling on and off since I was eight-years old, doing it "the old fashioned way," as I've come to see it--with words alone.  Only in the past year have I really focused on introducing art and images into my journaling, and while it is loads of creative fun, it can sometimes be tough to make the pages meaningful instead of just "pretty."
By beginning with thoughts and words, and then moving on to paint and imagery, it becomes much easier to ensure that there is beauty and meaning in my pages.
I have several books with wonderful and meaningful writing exercises that I think would make great starting points for art journal pages. 
If you are interested in using written inspiration in the creation of your art journal pages, I encourage you to check out Leslie's eCourse, as well as some of these titles:
What role does actual writing play in your art journaling practice?  How do you ensure that your pages are both meaningful and attractive (if, in fact, it is important to you that they are both)?  I would be curious to hear your thoughts in the comment section.

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Just a quick side-note:  Whenever someone leaves a comment, I was hoping to reply with an individual email, to make my responses more personal.  After writing several email messages, I discovered that many of them were being sent off to "no-reply comment@blogger.com," which must be the equivalent of Blogging LaLa Land.  I obviously have to work the kinks out to make sure that my messages are being sent to actual accounts.  In the meantime, I apologize if you never heard from me!  Please know how much I value and enjoy every comment I receive.

12 comments:

Sharla said...

I loved reading about your creative process. Taking Leslie's class has been my first attempt at art journaling, I'm having a lot of fun and need to post a few pages to our group. Thanks for the book suggestions! I really like your pages!

laurie said...

i have several of those same books! it was such a wonderful discovery when i realized i could combine art and journaling. but sometimes i still do just one or the other. i love your colorful pages and kindred spirit. :-)

aprilmariecole.blogspot.com said...

The e-course sounds very interest and I really like your journal pages, WOW!! :]
Thank you for sharing this list of books as well... you always has so much to offer while visiting. ((hugs))

suzanne cabrera said...

Such beautiful...and even more important, meaningful...pages!

uncustomary said...

Lovely work!! I'm actually planning to get back into art journaling this weekend by preparing some pages that I can journal on when the moment strikes!
Thank you for visiting my blog. I'm excited to read through yours!

lee said...

thanks for the heads up on the ecourse, and look at your journey, very interesting

Karenann Young said...

Thanks for sharing about Leslie's class. I think I heard about it weeks ago, but never really looked into it! Looks really good!!! I maybe behind, but since it is on her blog, I can always catch up!

Karenann Young said...

Thanks for sharing about Leslie's class. I think I heard about it weeks ago, but never really looked into it! Looks really good!!! I maybe behind, but since it is on her blog, I can always catch up!

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