See My Journal

At last, some long-awaited photos from my art journal adventure! And what an adventure it has been. Not just from a journal standpoint, but just looking back over the past two weeks. I jumped from a very relaxed summer to a sometimes breakneck speed here at school. Between classes, homework, friends, and work, it's hard to make time for blogging! I have managed to draw quite bit since school started, and I'm in the process of writing a blog post about that. Exciting stuff. But for now, be content with this quick update on my art journal:

So those are a few pages from my journal. I shall continue with this experiment, but I think when I finish I'll go back to my usual style, except for maybe the occasional art page. I enjoy sitting down with my journal and writing everything I can think of, no matter how many pages it takes. It's also a lot more difficult to write in places outside of my dorm room. I'm accustomed to taking my journal everywhere with me, and writing as needed throughout the day, but the need for art supplies prevents that. I miss the freedom. I have to put a lot more thought into what I write and when I write. I can't just pick up a pen and write for pages and pages, because in most cases, the writing should be added after the art-ing.You can't do much painting and gluing on a page already covered in writing. However, it's not all bad. I do enjoy adding color to emphasize feeling, and on that last picture, it was cool to sketch those floating lanterns instead of merely writing about the experience. 

Remember, if you've done any art pages in your journal, snap a picture and share it on my facebook page or add the hashtag #seemyjournal. 

-Cailey

My Art Journal

Recently I've been thinking a lot of about art journals.

What is an art journal, you ask?

Like art, art journals are difficult to define. Most involve turning the pages of a regular notebook or journal into collages, combining art with traditional journal- or diary-keeping. There are some really amazing examples of art journals online if you want to hop over to your favorite search engine and look them up. Most art journals involve gluing things on the pages, painting, drawing, even embroidering them, and incorporating writing into these collages.

As you know, I'm an artist. I love art. And specifically, I love making collages. I mean, I really know my way around glue and scraps of paper and whatnot. Take my journal habit into consideration, and you'd think an art journal would seem like the most natural thing in the world for me, right?

Wrong.

I've read blog posts on art journals, explored them on Pinterest, and played around with the idea of creating an art journal for about a year now, but I still have yet to enter that world. I don't know how to start! And when it comes to art, especially my own, my slight perfectionism kicks in full-blast. I want the "perfect" art journal! As if such a thing could possibly be determined.

I think my problem is that I've thought about it too much. I've built this up in my mind until it's become a sort of far-off, barely-achievable journaling ideal. It's silly, really. Why should I feel so nervous about combining these two favorite things of mine?

However, that's all about to change. I've just finished my latest journal, and I've decided my next one will be a art journal.

I won't stress about it, I won't put hours upon hours of effort into each page, I won't strive for perfection. I'll simply open my journaling world a little more and let art explode all over the pages.

So why am I telling you all of this? Because I want to share my art journal with you. My plan is to photograph my process and share this art journal with you. Each week I'll share pictures from the past week. And if you want, you're all more than welcome to join me! In fact, the more the merrier. Take pictures of your own art journal pages and then share them on my Facebook page or post them to Instagram with the hashtag #SeeMyJournal.  Let's make some art journals together!

For my first page, I glued on a couple scraps of paper and a page torn from an old book, added some red paint, and doodled a bit in the corner. I'll add more when it dries, and later I'll come back to it and write, but this is my start:

Need some ideas? Check out these sites for inspiration:

Journaling Journeys

Artists Journals

Art Journaling 101

Need a journal to get started in? Check out my shop, CaileysArt!
Don't forget to post pictures from your art journal on my Facebook page or on Instagram! #SeeMyJournal
-Cailey