What’s an Art Journal Anyway? - from benefits to prompts + beyond

Imagine a place, just for you, where you get to express yourself without judgement and where being creative is an act of self-care. Enter the art journal.

When I was a teenager I used to pepper my journals with collage, illustration and comic-strip style stories pondering what seemed like hugely consequential incidents and emotions mostly concerning: boys, clothes, what-she-said, my place in a baffling world, and the like.

So, a few years ago when I [re]discovered art journalling it turned out my teenage self knew something thirty-something me had forgotten - that art you create just for you is a powerful way to express and explore your thoughts and feelings, and gain new insights.

That’s why art journalling has me hooked. But like any good book, there’s much more to this art journalling story. I believe anyone, whether you consider yourself ‘creative’ or not, will find art journalling an immensely pleasurable way to reconnect with yourself and rediscover hidden depths.

And, fortunately getting started with art journalling is pretty darned easy.

What’s an art journal?

Let’s make sure we’re on the same page and start off with a definition from moi.

“Put simply, an art journal is a book where you explore your thoughts, feelings and ideas visually.”

There tend to be two key types of art journal:

• The artist’s journal - Creative types will often keep art journals, or sketchbooks, to record inspirations, delve deeper into ideas, and try out new techniques without the pressure of having to create a finished piece.
  

• The personal journal - But the kind of art journals we’re talking about here are more akin to the written journal. Think Adrian Mole, but instead of a biro-brandishing spidery scrawl the art journalist primarily uses images, doodles, colour and patterns, and more.

But I’m not creative...

“Drawing prowess is often equated with being creative, but this is nonsense.”

Creativity is in our nature. As children most of us revelled in playing with paint, felt tips and crayons. Now, keeping an art journal will provide you with the perfect space to play.

Because art journalling is about the process. Often, the daunting thing about art is the thought of producing a finished product. You know, a painting or song or play, you then share with the big scary, critical world. But, in contrast, art journalling is focused on the journey and sharing is optional. Phew!

What do I do in my art journal?

The beauty of art journalling is that anything goes! Yes, that means all that stuff you enjoyed as a kid can be put to good use, think:

• Scribbling

• Doodling

• Collaging

• Painting

• Splodging

• Delicate drawing

• Destructive messes

• And, everything in between…

There are oodles of prompts and ideas out there on places like Pinterest and other art journalling communities - examples include Get Messy Art and Art Witch Academy. Prompts help you overcome blank page block and just get started:

• Get inspired by nature like Kristal Norton

• Create a collage by tearing and layering found images like Monique Vettraino

• Pick a photo or magazine page and alter it with pens and stickers like Naomi Vona

• Or play with pattern and colour like Sangita Chandrashekher

What are the benefits of art journalling?

I’ve mentioned some of the benefits you might experience by keeping an art journal, but in case you need a bit more convincing art journalling can help you:

• Record memories

• Work through emotions

• Get into your creative flow

• Get stuff off your chest and relax

• Get to the crux of a problem

• Rediscover what you want or need

• Reconnect you with your sense of self

• Be more present

• Have fun

And much more...

What do I need to art journal?

“Art journalling doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated.”

• The book - It goes without saying that you need a book. A5 is a good size to start with. Ideally choose a book with paper which can deal with mixed media, otherwise your pages are liable to crinkle - which doesn’t matter in the least, of course, it’s all down to personal preference!

• Art materials - Start collecting a range of art materials. At first you might want to explore the discount stores or charity shops. Felt tips, permanent markers, indian ink, acrylic paint and glue will all be put to good use. And, remember, when it comes to art journals anything can be an art material, think: stickers, wrappers, vintage or found paper, feathers, nail varnish, fabric, etc.

Your art journal is for you

Your art journal is a space where you can relax and explore with colour, pattern, lines, and words. All you need is curiosity and an open mind. You can produce ‘ugly’ art or Instagrammable spreads. Share the results or keep them to yourself. In short, your art journal is your oyster.

• Check out my Instagram feed for more details of current art journal events in or near the Leigh-on-Sea and Southend areas in Essex.

Creative Journal Course 2016 - The Transformative Process

How do artists expand their horizons?

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly but rarely admit the change it’s gone through to achieve that beauty ”

— Maya Angelou

It’s over eighteen months since the Creative Journal Course began and our “visual conversations” have continued - with varied results. 

I mean that both in the sense that producing and sharing work in a group exposes you to the ways other people interpret a direction; as well as the ups and downs of personal exploration.

In Class

Facilitator and artist, Heidi Wigmore, may “suggest” we:

“[Create] a collage of mixed elements from travel brochures to make a ‘dreamscape’ - a non-place. [M]ix up scale / places / cultures to make ‘a landscape of the imagination’ that expresses more how you’re feeling than a ‘real place’– an Escape...”

And the results will be so multifarious that you’re encouraged to question and test your own creative boundaries - the road less travelled and all that.

Then, when we go away and work in our sketchbooks or altered books - see Creative Journal Course 2015 - alone the ideas sown in class grow into individual journeys which inspire all over again.

Alone

The other way our creative explorations have varied, results-wise, is through quality and success.

While, there is always the nagging inner critic - I call mine Nosferatu, always lurking in the shadows - waiting to inform you of your rubbishness; there are also, simply, ideas that work for you and ones that don’t.

Lessons:

• Finding the right altered book

It took me a while to find the right book to work in.

The first - essentially an encyclopaedia - was too big, the second, a book on dreams with some funky graphics, seemed simply too wacky to expand on.

Then came the annual-style book. From vintage editions of Film Review to retro Japanese flower arranging guides the combination of photos, illustrations, text, page count and size is the Goldilocks effect of altered books - to me, at least.

• Ideas need to percolate

When I first began the Creative Journal Course, although I was open-minded some of the ideas kind of skimmed over me - some positively ricocheted!

This was often evident in my sketchbooks - which range from bare to over analytical. But over the months I began to feel that ideas and suggestions were percolating more deeply.

I felt more able to flex my creative muscles and more confidence in broadening my artistic horizons.

• There doesn’t have to be a ‘why’

Previously not having enough ‘why’ meant I came to the conclusion my creative pursuits were pointless.

But having come to realise that those creative pursuits are my chicken soup for the soul - meditative, soothing, uplifting - I understand that is reason enough.

• Relinquish control

Where are these ‘visual conversations’ are taking me? I am in a hurry to know, but I am also endeavouring to relinquish analytical control.

Too self aware and things become forced. As ever creative gems are most often discovered via the unintended: the random ink blot, the reverse side, the one minute sketch…

Remember:

• It may take time to find the altered book that works for you
• Sharing your work can inspire both you and others - don't be shy
• Mistakes can be creative magic

Find: Heidi Wigmore

Locate: your nearest Metal team in Liverpool, Peterborough or Southend-on-Sea 

Discover: more on the power of keeping journals to inspire creativity with Julia Cameron

Get inspired: on Pinterest

Creative Journal Course 2015 - Learning to Take Risks

Where do artists get their ideas from?

If you’ve ever studied anything creative you may have been encouraged to keep a sketchbook to collate ideas and record your work in progress. Well, the Creative Journal course I attended from February to May 2015, at Metal, took this concept and ran with it as a kind of self contained concept.

There was no final destination, as such -  it was all about riding bareback on the force of your ideas. Facilitator and artist Heidi Wigmore called it,

“...a visual conversation with yourself.”

Taking Dadaist poetry, Surrealist experiments and mandalas as launch pads class participants had their preconceptions challenged and their creative boundaries stretched as Heidi encouraged us to engage in unexpected ways with images, text, music or blank space our creative endeavours became more liberated.

“A journal is a place to take risks,”

she advised.

Overcoming blank page fear

Particularly freeing, for me, was the altered book. To be honest, this wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Defacing books is anathema to some folk - with good reason - but ever since we were invited to make notes in our university course books I’ve been happily scribbling over my reading material.

The premise: choose an unwanted book you take a fancy to - preferably with illustrations - and get interacting with it - artistically speaking. The advantage: you’re no longer faced with the daunting prospect of the blank page. Result: yet more ways to access ideas.

Granted, I would suggest choosing something slightly smaller than the Readers’ Digest Book of Facts - which was a bit of a tome, to say the least - but it really fulfilled its role as a kind of chunky creative portal.

“[D]o not consider [keeping a journal] self-indulgent but something worthwhile and important– it’s creative, it may be self-revelatory,”

says Heidi, who cites Jung’s practice of creating drawings he believed corresponded to his inner feelings. If it was good enough for Jung...

Remember:

• Don’t decide what to do, just start 
• Draw how you feel
• Allow yourself to express yourself in unknown ways
• Embrace mistakes
• Work through doubt

Find: Heidi Wigmore

Locate: your nearest Metal team in Liverpool, Peterborough or Southend-on-Sea 

Discover: more on the power of keeping journals to inspire creativity with Julia Cameron

Get inspired: on Pinterest