The Journey


Thinking. Trying to figure out how to put this into words without sounding snarky or elitist. I've written and rewritten this post several times. 

I have kept a journal in some form since fourth grade. My pages are constantly evolving and changing as I do. My work did not look like this overnight. I've practiced, pushed and experimented on my pages. I have struggled to find my own voice. Pretty, perfect pages are not my priority. They never have been. Pages that reflect my thoughts and experiences are what I'm after. 

I am constantly learning (aren't we all?) I am taken aback by folks who insist that they know everything. How is that possible when we are always growing and changing as we age? We learn by trial and error. We learn by experience and by doing. 

That is one of the many things that is so wonderful about our journal pages. We can document that process and see how we grow, change and unfold upon our pages. We can hold a glimpse of the process in our hands. There's something almost magical about being able to harness a moment in time and hold it in our hands.
We can look back and see how we've changed and how our pages reflect that change. We should be able to look back without judgment. There should be no such thing as a pretty, perfect page. It should be the honesty in our pages that we strive for. Honest, real, messy pages full of life and passion. Pages that reflect us in all of our ups and downs. Pages full of life, your life. Don't let anyone lead you to believe anything different.

*****

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Comments

Anonymous said…
I love messy and out of control. There is something so very human in it. So very real. I look back on my messy work, that is not "pretty" at all and I know how REAL it is and how REAL my emotions were when I created it. It is extremely satisfying to know that I was able to capture a moment in that page. I don't want to forget those moments. And like the page, those moments were messy and dark and emotional. They were jumbled up and confusing. I like knowing I was true to myself when I created the page. Thank you for teaching me that it is okay to be me on every page --- no matter what.

Rachel from Colorado
LuLu said…
Howdy Kelly,

Like you, 'Pretty, perfect pages are not my priority' either.

Your work is so inspirational to me. I have a link to your blog from mine...

Peace,
LuLu
Pretty, perfect pages are not my priority.

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