Art Journaling

Creative people exhibit a continuous discontent
with uniformity. (Glenn Van Ekeren)

No member of a crew is praised for the rugged
individualism of his rowing. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Art journaling is probably only new to me. Basically, its an illustrated journal. Beyond that, the definition is open to individual interpretation. Some like a lot of text, some prefer to let the pictures do the talking. For some, the journal records dreams. For others, the journal gives inspiration or a record of events. For me, its probably going to be a little bit of all of that. Doesn't matter. However you envision your journal, the important point is that the art journal is a playground, a place to try out techniques and limber up your creative muscles.

Part of what I have internalized in my research on the "SENSOR", that part of me which seems to want to do anything and everything before art (suddenly, I have to do shopping or sweep the floor or ... well, you get the idea), is that I need a transition from the mundane, the every day part of my life, to the creative.

If you're as interested as I am, here are a couple of sites that provide a lot of information on art journalling basics:

• http://www.aisling.net/journaling/journalingarts.htm
• http://www.artistsjournals.com/instruction.htm

Now, the site I promised. Sarah Whitmere is a mixed media artist and instructor. On her site she provides a series of prompts which show you how to make pages for what she calls a soul journal - part journal, part mixed media and entirely fun. Here's how you get started:

• Sarah Whitmere's website
• Her soul journaling prompts starting at Day 1 with instructions

I'm just finishing up my first two pages, following her prompts, but from there, who knows? Because the more I do, the more possibilities open up for me. My creative spark, hidden behind a monumental barricade erected by my very own sensor, is finally breaking free. And ... its fun. Its not work, its actually fun.