One of the many benefits about keeping an art journal is that you can date your pages (or at least your inside covers, when you begin and when you end) so that you can see your progression
over the years. It always fascinates me to see the visual vocabularies
that people develop. I can tell by looking at the journals of my regular
students who did what by seeing their use of color, images, patterns and more. It is always fascinating to me to see how people pour themselves out onto their pages.
When you flip back through your pages, it is always interesting to note what colors, images, shapes, patterns and words pop up repeatedly. Over time your interest in certain colors and images will change but your voice, your style, your passion will always shine
through in your work. The more of yourself that you pour onto your pages, the better your artwork will be.
2016
The more you do the work. The louder and stronger your voice will be.
We
walk into a museum and we can tell the difference between a Van Gogh
and a Paul Gauguin. A Corita Kent and a Andy Warhol. A Teesha Moore and a
Tracy Moore. A Kelly Kilmer and a Juliana Coles.
Art
journaling is about discovery and self expression. Your journal is your
safe place to explore, express and experiment. It's your place to get
lost as you repeatedly find yourself between the layers of paper, paint
and pen. It's where you learn to see. It's your place where you
repeatedly do the work and your voice comes through loud and clear.
I
love working with repeat, regular students because I can walk around
the room and point out who did what. Why? Because each and everyone of
us has our own voice that comes through in our work.
2018
One
thing that I find fascinating is how your voice changes over the years.
It's still your voice but it gets stronger. Louder. You do the work.
You gain knowledge and confidence (two of the most important things with
art making: you know your tools/materials and you know how to work with
them, learn from them, push them, grow with them.
You
make a mistake and you know how to learn from said mistake. Your
mindset changes. You become like an artist mad scientist. You discover
that there are no mistakes. Only opportunities to grow and learn.
In
my more than twenty years of being a professional artist and
instructor, I’ve found that the best way to find and strengthen your
voice is to do the work. Making and taking the time to work in your art
journal (or whatever art form it is that you are most passionate about)
on a regular basis, will help you to become a better artist.
2019. (The most recent page I finished.)
I
have been working in my journals since I was a little girl. I would cut
and paste things in that interested me, add drawings, write poetry,
snippets I heard or read and bits about what was on my mind. Over the
years my journals have evolved into what you see today, my art journals.
When
I sit down to work in my journal, I tend to think of myself as a mad
scientist. I like to experiment with color, images, shape, text, line
and more. I try to see how I can create pages in a different way than
what I’ve done previously. Is there a new color combination
that
I can use? Is there a different composition I can try when I go to
collage the page? I use the same materials and tools but I like to PLAY
AND experiment with them. How can I use them in a different way? How can
I SEE differently? Can I try writing on the page or making marks in a
different way than what I’ve done before? What can I do differently?
By keeping an art journal on a regular basis and not being afraid to do the work, make a mess and learn from what you do, you will become not only a better artist, but also (in my opinion), a better human being. By keeping ourselves open to new experiences and
new ideas, we grow both artistically and as people.
Some things that may help you:
Being mindful and curating your images:
Finding images:
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