A Little Imagination and a Pile of Junk

an unveiling

I'm excited to finally share with you a little project I'm honored to have been a part of. Journal It!: Perspectives in Creative Art Journaling, by Jenny Doh, is a collection of books and pages by 19 diverse mixed-media artists that includes detailed descriptions of our favorite techniques plus discussions on why we do what we do in the first place and why we all feel so passionately about sharing our love of journaling with others.

If you've been fascinated by others' visual journals but never stuck your toes in the water to give it a try yourself, this beautiful book will be an excellent place to gather ideas to get you started on expressing your own unique voice through words and images. If you are a seasoned pro, the diversity of expression alone will motivate you to try something you've maybe never tried before (journaling is all about experimentation and play, after all) and inspire a fresh vision and passion for your own books.

Many of the journal artists you will recognize, but there are many more new faces I know will inspire you! Let me know what you think! Here's a little sneak peek:

light study (in the studio)

fall color

Last week we went for a drive up in the mountains to see what fall had to offer this year. As expected, her color palette was spectacular.

We only live 30-40 miles from the mountains, but the dramatic difference from the landscape we see in town everyday (think flat, brown and dry) never fails to leave me in absolute, jaw-dropping awe at the beauty so close to me. There is only a small window of opportunity to see the aspens in all their glittering splendor. A week too early or too late will leave you disappointed. But if you plan your trip at just the right time, you will be rewarded with the most dazzling hues dancing before your very eyes.

On our drive my daughter asked, "So, Mom, are aspens the trees with leaves like sparkling gold sequins?" Yes, exactly.

Although it was a cloudy day with rain threatening at any moment, we were blessed with pockets of sun that seemed to set the entire forest ablaze.

My favorite part of the day was driving through a quaint, little mountain town admiring the leaf strewn streets and quiet houses. Especially this cute pink one with the lace curtains and the...odd garden decor.

Are those...really real? And how do I get one for my flower beds?

put a bird on it

Recently I was commissioned for a journal by Ashley back in my home state of Texas. I love commissions because I get to personalize the journal for the client's specific tastes and personality while still keeping my own artistic vision in the mix as well. It can be a challenge and is quite nerve-wracking waiting to hear if the book's new owner loves it as much as I did, but they always do and the experience is more like giving a gift to a friend by the time it is all said and done.

Ashley was a good sport in answering my 101 get-to-know-you questions that more than anything gave me a feeling for her likes and dislikes as well as her interests and aspirations that I hoped to somehow magically conjure up and impart into the pages of her journal before she ever laid pen or brush to it.

It is easy to get carried away with selecting and arranging the perfect combination of papers for each journal (my favorite part of the process). By the time I was able to force myself to stop, I had 8 fat signatures for almost 2 hulking inches of journaling bliss. You can see why it is sometimes hard to let these babies go!

 

So many wonderful papers! Hand-painted and stamped, wallpaper, transparencies, graph and leger paper. Thick and luxurious watercolor paper, cut to size file folders, hand-picked security envelopes. Many of these I've been collecting for years just for such a special occasion.

Whatever journal I'm working on now is always my favorite, but somehow an extra big chunk of my heart was left in this beauty. It is probably my favorite journal I've ever made--including the ones I've made for myself. So much love and attention is put into every detail of each journal I make that I can't help love them like children. And as difficult as it sometimes is to ship them off to their new homes, knowing a bit more about where they are going and what adventure awaits them makes the leaving a little sweeter.

If you would like to have your very own custom art journal, email or convo me via my Etsy shop. It takes a little more patience, but is well worth the wait. If you just don't think you can wait longer than a few days to start your next journaling adventure (believe me, I know how it is), just check out the journals already in my Etsy shop anxiously awaiting their own inner transformation. Each one is just as painstakingly and loving crafted as if I had you in mind!

stuck

I'm kinda stuck in my journaling right now. For the last week or so I've tried to get lost in its pages, but just keep finding myself...stuck. I know what it is. I started this journal exactly a year ago (it isn't even half filled yet) and haven't strayed an inch. But a year ago's pages sound too much like yesterday's pages and I'm a little burned out of going there.

Don't get me wrong, I still love my huge, glorious...never ending...overwhelming book. When I thumb through the (many) pages that still await me, I feel excited, even giddy, at the possibilities. But then I browse the years worth of completed pages and they feel heavy with emotion, heavy with memories--not all of them good--and then I'm stuck again.

But I will plough through. I love the idea of looking back, a decade from now, at several years of work invested in one overstuffed book. But carrying the weight of those years can be burdensome to the creative process. Yes, it is good to look back at where you've been, but mostly it's better to look forward.

So, I'm taking a break from its overly familiar pages without any guilt (or without too much guilt), knowing I won't be able to stay away for long. Other creative projects are keeping me occupied for now. Lavishly beaded mobiles and necklaces. Wire wrapped feathers and a few last painted signs. Its good to keep working, to keep the creative juices flowing--even when they don't always flow in the direction you think they should go. And its good to remind yourself that pushing through the mental blocks is as much a part of the creative process as discovery, experimentation and play. Even if it is a whole lot less fun.