Would you like to take advantage of art journal benefits so you can explore your creativity and exercise your brain at the same time?
If you answered yes, keep reading. If you answered no, read anyways, I don’t know of anyone that can’t use some creativity an drain exercise at the same time 🙂
Are you one of these people?
- visual artist
- retiree
- arts and crafter
- jewelry designer
- writer
- scrapbooker
- chef
- baby booty designer
- portrait artist
- personal or business coach
- photographer
- landscape painter
- graphic designer
- web designer
- dog trainer
- parent or grandparent
- archaeologist
- inventor
ok, so with the last two entries, I was thinking of Dr. Daniel Jackson from the TV show Stargate and my visit to the Michelangelo exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario in late 2014. This list is just a sample, anyone can benefit from art journaling, doesn’t matter who or what you are.
Types of Art Journals and Art Journal Benefits
Many people keep journals, some on a daily, weekly, monthly or sporadic basis. You can buy journals from book stores, Michaels, the $ store and you can even make your own. I have many free videos on how to make your own journals, including one from recycled weekly flyers.
You can document your daily life, quotes, designs for new art pieces, thoughts for a new book, sketches and thoughts of a scene you want to paint or a wire-frame design of a website you are designing. You can do stream of consciousness writing to help empty out your brain. Here’s a question for you: Why would an archaeologist and inventor have so many journals?
Faces Journal
This is my faces journal where I draw nothing by facial elements.
I always work in this first before starting a formal drawing.
Kitchen Journal
This is my kitchen journal where I’ll design and create painting studies before crafting the formal kitchen artwork.
Portrait of Rachel and Charlie
Using my faces journal, I did a lot of sketches of Rachel, worked out proportions, hair, values and skin tone. It’s not always about writing in a journal, but using an art journal as a tool to improve not only your brain, but your skills.
Art Instructor Kit
Side Note: the study of the apple was used as reference in an art kit featuring painting lessons I designed in book and video formats.
What if You Don’t Want to Write?
So what if you don’t want to write about your personal life, but want to express yourself in an art journal? I say, more power to you! You use your art journal any way you want. If you want to use it for doodling, why not! When I’m taking a break and find myself on the sofa, I reach down into a journal I always keep on the table, grab my pencil and sketch whatever Joe is watching on TV. Because TV shows move so fast, I sketch fast to keep up and I’ve make some of the most amazing sketches that I’ve been able to use as prints for other forms of art. Other times, if the news is on, I will make a fast sketch of the topic and write my feelings whether they are positive or negative.
I’ll Let You in on Two Secrets
- I have a journal that I do nothing in it but draw “eyes”. yes eyes… it’s kinda creepy, but I feel so good about myself when I draw them in my journal and they look so amazing. Sometimes, I’ll write a few notes about my thoughts during the drawing and what I need to work on.
- I’m obsessed with making art journals. Here’s a photo of my current stash of journals I’m working in.
Enjoy the Journey, Embrace the Imperfections
I personally think that art journaling is more about the process and not the finished piece. Taking words, colours, bits and bobs of papers, stamps and other stuff, bring them all together with layers, cover ups, rub outs, writing, stamping, scribbling, more layers and I can go on and on and on…with each step, your creation evolves into something new. Designing your products using colourful pencils and markers can bring your ideas one step closer to reality. Sketch out a composition for that award winning photograph you’re planning on taking.
If you are tight for time, have no fear. You don’t need to finish a page in one day, I have art journals that I’ve been working on for months and some I’ve even re-purposed into new art journals. You can work at your own pace, at anytime, anywhere you can sit comfortably and have access to a few of your supplies and you can even work in your pj’s if you want.
Creative Business Journal
Here is my art journal for a creative business course I was taking.
The Art Police is Not Invited to This Party
- you don’t have to be gifted with drawing or art skills
- you don’t have to spend hours writing down your thoughts
- you don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on supplies
- there are no rules
- nobody can tell you that you’re doing it wrong
- the only rule (yes I lied) is to have fun and just get down on paper what’s on your mind. If you’re stuck for ideas on what to create in your art journal, join the Art Place private Facebook group for a new art prompt delivered every day.
What did you think?
So now that you’ve had time to absorb this, what ways do you think you could use art journaling in your personal or business life?
Art journaling is fun – actually, any kind of journaling is fun. 🙂 I used to keep an art journal in my late teens. It was great therapy for moody nights. I still have it, in fact. I may just have to start it up again.
Great post, Gisele!
Thanks Erika! glad you enjoyed the post.
I used to love painting and pastels and collage when I was in my teens. I even have a whole stash of art supplies that I don’t use. I’m pretty sure it’s the Art Police who have been holding me captive from actually creating something.
I think art journalling is going to have to go back on my list. 🙂
oh oh Kerryn… abandoned art supplies can get you into trouble 🙂
I used to keep a daily journal as a child and even now, I smile when I see my entries and my impressions about certain adults who treated kids as flies on the wall, Gisele.
Even now, I keep a different journal for my ideas where I jot down my thoughts, draw diagrams and a host of other information on different creative ideas. I call it my Dump File but it is more than that.
That’s great to hear Vatsala! isn’t it fun when you look back on what you created to what you are creating now? I looked at my very first journal this morning and giggled on how raw I binded it.
Love your passion for art journaling. I was never attracted to art or to doodling and over the years seem to appreciate art more. I always loved coloring which adult coloring has had a comeback and love making paper collages. Who know, someday I might do an art journal.
Roz, you could sketch out some jewelry designs in a journal, work out colours with some pretty markers.
One of the things that came to mind reading this post was the current popularity of adult colouring books, Gisele! I have been a colouring addict from a young age and even something like this, can really encourage your inner artist to the surface. I think all kinds of journalling are fun and I love the idea of creating visuals and documenting life through the visual lens. Thanks for sharing your tips and I might just have to add some colourful drawings to the journalling I’m already doing!
I hope you have fun colouring in your journal 🙂
Hello Gisele, I absolutely love the idea of having an art journal! I started writing and enjoy it immensely, but I have been struggling with finding a way to get more art/creativity into my life other than through the written word. I might just have found it! Thank you 🙂
Hi Murielle,
An easy way to start is using coloured pens. After you’ve finished writing, take another coloured pen and draw a rectangle shape around important words.
Great post. I’ve been working to get my daughter into journalling, perhaps an art journal is the way to go. She loves to draw.
Thanks!
Thank you. I have lots of prompts and activities to explore creativity and without knowing how old your daughter is, there are some videos on how to make your own journal.
Hope she enjoys it.
It’s funny because as an artist I don’t like to use an art journal but I like to write.
Marti
how do you play with colours and sketch designs for your formal art?
I’ve never done art journaling Gisele ~ and love your approach. Perhaps I’ll give it a try!!
You can design a webpage layout, postcards or anything visual in a journal. It’s just another tool we have to help boost our creativity. Hope you try it and hope you enjoy it 🙂
Art journal sounds very interesting! Sometimes I feel that no words can’t express my feeling… but art journal can do that! Such a great idea! Thank you for sharing and I totally agree with you about “Enjoy the Journey, Embrace the Imperfections”!
I know of your Art Journals OH so well. I don’t need to do any Art Journaling, your could say my journaling is to create boxes and shelves to store them all.
Gisele, I have writing and drawing journals all over the place, and each has its own purpose. Maybe I should ask Joe to build some shelves for me, as well? lol
Gisele, I like this post. I keep looking for different ways to get out of my head. I journal sporadically though I seem to follow “rules” like I can’t draw or use cut out images in some pages like a vision statement and then write in other pages. I think I’m going to live more outside my head this week and see what happens…especially since the art police are not invited!