New! New! I'm so excited

[syntaxofthings]

Hi there! I'm Stephanie. I saw the advertisement for this community in dw_community_promo and thought with all the journaling I've been doing lately, I should join up. :) I never joined the Embodiment community on LJ because I don't want to commit myself to writing every day; to me, writing in a journal should be relaxing, and something that I want to do. About a week ago I wrote really honestly to myself in my journal about things that I haven't been honest with myself about, and since then I've felt such relief to write in my journal that I've been writing a lot!

I collect paper notebooks with the idea to use them as journals and have all my life. My current one I bought in 2009. It's a blank journal with a cover in French, but the title is "GOETHE", who is important to me. I've been writing in this journal since the end of last July and very much enjoying it still. I'm mostly a writer in my journal rather than an artist. For me my journal is about getting out my thoughts rather than doodles, and since I love language my thoughts tend to come out in it. I wish I did more, but there's only so many hours in the day! ;)

For those of you who do a combination of writing and art, what motivates you to do art? Does your art in your journal reflect the things you're going through at the time? How do you decide what to draw/create?

Comments

[listenwithopeneyes]

I usually revolve any art in my journal around magazine clippings or stickers, but about 99% is text.

[syntaxofthings]

I'm also a fan of stickers and have a few in my journal. They just make things easier!

[thesynchronomes]

Hi, Stephanie! Great to have you on board. :)

I do a lot of art and writing in my journal - when I'm feeling ranty there's more writing, but I'd still say there's a good balance. I'm hoping to become a professional illustrator, so I surround myself with inspiration - illustration and journalling blogs, VAROOM magazine, little odds and ends I collect, including clippings and textures as I love to collage - and often, I find this motivates me.

The art in my journal often is related to personal events in my life, but there's a lot of experimenting in there too. I often just draw or collage what comes to mind, rather than plan things out.

[syntaxofthings]

Ah, and I'm quintessentially a writer, so I guess it makes sense for me to write mostly, whereas for you having visual inspiration is useful. I've heard that in creating art it's good to have a journal where you try new things, but I'm terrible at trying new things. I expect perfectionism from myself, which makes it hard to try something new and let myself fail at it. :)

Do you also do more "professional" art, like illustrations to add to your portfolio and so on? Are there concrete ways that your journal feeds these illustrations? I love to hear how artists tick. :)

[filhotedelua]

if you have problems with perfectionism and trying new things, Keri Smith's books are good exercises.

[syntaxofthings]

Author of Wreck This Journal, yeah? I haven't looked at that too closely. I'm almost too afraid to wreck a wreckable journal. xD;

[filhotedelua]

Yes,I assume I bought two copies, so I can destroy one in creative ways and keep the other safe, but I believe is a beginning,lol

[thesynchronomes]

My 'proper' illustration (such as those I'd put in my portfolio/submit for university work) isn't done in my journal, but the two kind of feed and bounce off each other. There's nothing really concrete about it. ^^

I'm the perfectionist type as well, but my journal is the one place where I can let myself make mistakes. If it was my artist's sketchbook, I'd flip and tear the page out. xD

[syntaxofthings]

If it was my artist's sketchbook, I'd flip and tear the page out.

That I can relate to. XD; Thanks for answering my questions! I really enjoy getting a sense of how others use their journals.

[filhotedelua]

I have dysgraphia. It's hard to me write when I'm not using a keyboard, because I write very slowly, my handwriting is incomprehensible and write more than few paragraphs is painful. Before having a computer, I used a typewriter to really write.

Using images, stickers, colages, sketches or doodles, is the only way I'm capable to express a complete thought, I use them as complements to my words, since I can't write enough to show what I'm thinking (is where the keyboard enters).

The doodles are my personal code to catch how I was feeling when wrote that.

[syntaxofthings]

I hadn't thought about that kind of thing, but it sounds like you have a system all figured out. Like your own personal written language! :)

[tarnished]

HELLO FRIEND. I totally just joined this today on a whim and scrolled down, browsing entries, and BAM there you are. More evidence that we have a mind-meld going on. :)

[syntaxofthings]

LOL! Embodiment was so long ago... I miss my paper journals!