Keep It Real

My blog (and facebook posts) of late aren't meant to evoke sympathy or sadness. They're meant for two things:

1. Documentation (it's my blog about my life experiences and the world as seen through my eyes.)

2. Encouragement

My attitude has always been if I can do it, so can you. If I can keep a journal, you damn well can, too! If I can pour my heart and soul out onto the pages, so can you.

Keep it real.

I keep thinking of the peeps who say that journaling should only be about happy things.

Are you fucking kidding me?

Seriously?

Journaling should be about your LIFE and life ain't always gumdrops and roses.

Keep it real. Keep it you.

If I could offer any words of advice to a journal artist just cracking open a book for the first time, there they are. Of course "'dems may be fighting words" to some but I always stand by what I say (as well as by what I write.)

Try it. Crack it open. See what happens.

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Comments

Nancy said…
I am so far behind in reading your blog - damn Facebook gives me little shots, so I forget about the 'real' blog posts! - but, to respond to this post?
EXACTLY!
Your journals, your blog, your whatever are YOURS. To do with as YOU please.
Yeah, can you tell I don't handle others trying to tell me what to do well? lol
11:14 AM
Cheryl said…
You are so fucking awesome! I revel in your openness. Thank you for keeping it real.
11:22 AM
TopazPearleGirl said…
My art journals are for me and about me. My life is chaotic with it's ups and downs, it's my right to include whatever I damn well please the way I see it. Thanks for sharing :)
11:36 AM
crimsoncat05 said…
YES!! sometimes I might *wish* my life was all gumdrops and roses (but not really, since that would be boring-- you need the lows to appreciate the highs), but my art journals aren't about 'pretty art' at all. Oh, if I'm lucky, I might like the way the pages come out, but that's not my goal- they're a place for me to get the stuff (good AND bad) out of my head and onto a page. Keep on keepin' it real, Kelly!! :D
12:38 PM
Anonymous said…
Love it! Well said and I agree 100% If we can't show aunthenticity in our journals where can we show it?
4:31 PM
Carol said…
Wholeheartedly agree with you!
4:37 PM
jonreneewebb@msn.com said…
I really love your blog and your artwork. You will always have my support.
7:39 PM
Anonymous said…
The way you work and the pages you share simply exhibit your unwavering integrity and self respect. Feel nothing but good things by that. You tell your truth. That's highly commendable in a world that encourages social and personal myth as a way of living.
12:36 AM
Anne with an e said…
Damn straight! I've been getting frustrated with the "happy shiny people" lately.. it's not just about making pretty pictures.
3:27 AM
Unknown said…
I love this post. I feel the exact same way! I really dislike the idea that art journaling has to be all happy & pretty. Keep it real is a great motto!
4:59 AM
Carin Winkelman said…
No life is all happy go lucky and hopefully no life is all misery and sorrow either, and whatever one is going through at the time it really should go into the journal, otherwise, what is the point. If you want to create pretty pages with wonderful memories, please get into scrapbooking. A journal is a reflection of a life. I have no problem posting my personal musings online (and definitely no problem being negative in my journal), but I do draw the line when it comes to other people's privacy. If I were to rant about a coworker for instance or have a page with a picture of the people in my life on it I wouldn't post that online, because as comfortable as I may be with it, they may not be. I don't think I have the right to decide that for them. But still...into the journal they will go! ;-) Keep keeping it real, I love your pages!
7:18 AM
Brian Kasstle said…
Kelly after all this time "I" have just now started writing in my journals. My attitude is "I don't give a fuck-It's MY journal!" Keep it real Kelly it's your fuckin' journal. Go ahead.

I don't often swear but I feel a bit strongly on this.
7:58 AM
Pattie said…
Thank you for the reminder, Kelly. It's so much healthier to recognize and honor our emotions, and to then, be able to release them and move on. Love and blessings to you.
10:35 AM
sheilasab@sbcglobal.net said…
kelly--with every breath that was taken, i had such a hurting feeling--everyday i have a ritual--i sit with a favorite photo of my sweet Mom and Dad and chat with them--- i feel as if we really are together-- some time has passed; now i can take more breaths before that horrible hurting starts in again..

Kelly, i am loving your journal pages---since i had that horrible accident this past year, i just can't get any emotions down in "our" journal --i think, because so many medical mistakes were made plus the accident itself---the only word i have on my pages is "BELIEVE"---please keep your fingers and whatever else you have crossed--in 2 weeks i am having a major surgery in hopes that i'll be able to walk again---xxxooo sam p.s.--sorry guys, this e-mail is so long--had alot to say...
12:25 AM
Susie said…
Y E S!!!!! I couldn't agree with you more!!!!! Life can dish out a lot of nastiness sometimes and I've had more than my share some days and my journal is the one place I can sort it out, yell, scream, cry rivers and when I get it all out I can begin to heal. All I can say is thank goodness I have a journal for all of it cuz my friends wouldn't be able to carry all of my baggage plus their own. I feel the whole world would be a far better place if everyone kept a journal, had a place to vent and crack themselves open from time to time. And yes, when life is good, when everything is in balance by all means; happiness fills the pages too but if I'm feeling heavy inside...my journal is the first place I take my heart.
8:51 AM
Kathi said…
what a great post...I needed this reminder right now! Thank you
8:51 AM
Desert Mermaid said…
I love the whole RANGE of emotion that enters and colorized my journal. I call the shadow-y moods 'undertones' ... I don't want fake pages, or pretty for the sake of pretty pages (written or visual or combined). I keep my journals for my sons, so one day when they read them, they'll have an even more enhanced real idea of who I am as a woman and individual ... there shalt be NO editing of the content of my journal pages, period. Love this post!
11:09 AM
Madeline Hill said…
I started out only journalling the sweet and wonderful stuff.. then it evolved.. I retired from Nursing and had some sad thoughts about that--I ended up taking one of my old nursing text books and altering the crap out of it:The good the bad and the ugly.Whew..catharsis.. spent a month with that book!

Now some of my journals are very private and personal!! And powerful. osme are for lighter times or vacation stuff.. I say journal journal journal about ANY AND ALL OF IT!!!!!
11:11 AM
Karenann Young said…
I don't have your blog on my list of blogs to look at everyday. A few weeks ago, my computer got a virus and I lost everything. So glad I happened to get to your blog and remind myself to keep my journal "real"!!!! You're the best!!!
1:14 PM
martha brown said…
I'm a bit (hahaha) behind on my blog reading, Kelly. When i was young (10-20sih) I kept a journal. I ONLY wrote when I was stressed or unhappy. It was my outlet! Sadly, I burnt them all when I was in my 20s. They were so depressing :). I don't really journal anymore, but boy, they filled a hole for me then. We journal for ourselves. Not for other people. Keep it true :)
2:27 PM
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