Welcome Back
You might have noticed my growing side panel now includes links to more art related places. This is because back in May, for the first time I stared an Art Journal. For several years I have been following Suzi Blu, both on her blog and on You Tube and she made journalling look so much fun. Like a lot of people though I felt intimidated by paint and brushes, not worthy and not really sure how to use them to create the kind of looks that I saw on other people’s pages.
I purchased a digital download of a new publication by Stampinton & Company called Art Journalling. This is the perfect place for someone like me, interested in what art journaling is all about but not sure where to start. Well a few pages in and I was so excited, I discovered like all art that it is all a matter of personal taste, and like my comfort zone of ‘crafting’ there is no right or wrong way to go about it. The magazine highlighted the fact that there were many different styles out there and people use all kinds of different mediums (paints, inks, pens, pencils etc).
Over the years I have ‘collected’ all kinds of different art products, paints, pencils of all kinds and quite a few pens, but never really felt confident in using them, not really feeling worthy and not wanting to ’spoil them’ by using them and wearing them out!!!! Sound familiar?
The one phrase in the Stampington Art Journal magzine that really shouted to me was a page with the phrase
‘He offers you wings, and asks the question ‘Can you forget your fear of falling long enough to fly’
That summed my relationship with art up completely! It has been a fear of ‘getting it wrong’, creating something that wasn’t beautiful that has put me off. That and years of a BAD secondary school art teacher, telling me my stuff was rubbish. Well I decided I did want to fly and found a blank spiral journal and started to make pages.
I re watched all Suzi’s Art Journal videos on You Tube and the phrase that has made the biggest difference to me from her was;
‘My journal is a sacred place, where I give myself permission to make the worst art imaginable’
I created a page around that and you know what, because I had accepted that this journal was just for me, not to show people and have them maybe say it was no good. This was for ME. By giving myself permission to have a go I cut the restricting ropes of ‘what if it turns out rubbish?’ that didn’t matter anymore. This journal was a place to play and discover what I do and don’t like, what works with paints and colours and what doesn’t. It was the most liberating thing I’ve done with my creative life and at last art was as much fun as it was when I was a small child. Just drawing and painting and having fun with colour.
Wow that was a bit of an essay wasn’t it! Sorry about that, but this was one of those moments where just one little change, one small step made a HUGE difference and changed how I look at my art.
Links
If you are struggling to be able to do the same with your art, to make friends and have fun with it like when you were small and there weren’t rules. Have a look at some of the links below, they really could change you life for the better!
Suzi Blu
Julie Pritchard
Julie’s Art Journalling Tutorial Pt 1
Best wishes and thanks for reading, see you soon
Billie 
I saw Glenda from Graphicus on television demonstrating some and really wanted to give it a go, but didn’t want to invest in a whole packet so never got round to trying it. My wonderful friend Glitter Monkey kindly sent me a few pieces to try and I’m hooked.
