Art Journal Every Day: Profiles Laurie & Lori

At one point, I pulled off the plastic cover and decorated the outside with rubber stamps. The one in the lower right corner is of my cartoon character and alter ego, Estonia.  

Q: What is the best thing that ever happened to you because of art journaling?

The best thing that's ever happened to me because of art journaling is that it's gotten me reconnected with my creative side. Some bad stuff happened in my life towards the end of 2009, and for a long time, it took all of my physical, mental, and emotional energy just to get from one day to the next. Once I noticed that I was able to do more than just the minimum and, indeed, was getting bored with just making it from day to day, I knew I was ready to go back into the studio. For a while, that meant watching how-to videos and reading art-related email lists. Then, finally, the day came when I pulled out the acrylics and started laying down backgrounds on as many pages as I could get through.

I'm still mostly not ready to put my own words on the pages. The beauty of the art journal format is that it lends itself just as well to showcasing favorite quotes or words. My day will come. In the meantime, I'm basking in the healing effects of paint, paper, ink, glue, stamps, stickers, and whatever else I find tucked into boxes and drawers.

Next up is Lori Wostl.

Lori Wostl is an entrepreneur, a writer and a self-taught artist who enjoys art journaling, collaging, jewelry making and altered art. Lori has been journaling and collaging since high school, but in 2007 she came across art journaling and it felt like a match made in heaven.

Lori has two grown children, two grandkids, and a dear husband of forty years. She loves her family, being outdoors, her studio and blogging – not necessarily in that order.  It is hard to choose between a weekend out on her snowshoes or a cozy weekend by the fireplace in her studio.

Lori’s day job, in addition to Art Camp for Women, is her small business, and personal coaching business. She loves coaching women in issues that impact the workability of every day life.  Blog: Keep an Art Journal

Q: Why did you start art journaling?

I have written all my life, daily journaling being as natural as breathing to me.  Throughout time, my journals started having borders or small sketches to illustrate something I was thinking or a place I was visiting. In 2006 or 2007 I went with a couple of friends to an adult education “Art Journaling” class and I was in love.

At about the same time I became involved in a legal case and it was recommended I stop writing everything down…yikes! Also at that same time I was suddenly parenting two small children unexpectedly. Sometimes life does a 180 on you – y’know?

So I moved right over to collaging, drawing, stamping and acrylic paints, name it I was trying it. I have always had more than one journal going at a time. With the advent of my second childhood (LOL) I was suddenly waiting for kids again and one of my first real Art Journals was what I called “Waiting for Kids." The other was “Quotes and Sayings.”

Q: Why do you art journal now?

I think if people were more expressed and less suppressed, the world would work better. That is in the background of my attempts at being expressed in any form. Art journaling appeals to me as I need a daily outlet for expression and for growth. I think many people think there is a time when you can stop learning and rest on your laurels – I think that when that happens – you are on your way out.

I did the red and green page Tuesday this week and the green page on Wednesday. I have an adult education class every Monday night. Sometimes the seminar leader can go on and on or the other participants…so I have been prepping pages ahead and then doodling along when the class material slows. This notebook is a plain Moleskine so I have to strengthen the pages with gesso or extra paint. The last several pages in this particular series of Moleskine are perforated for tearing out so I have reinforced them using decorative tape I made – having learned how to do that from the infamous Julie Fei-Fan Balzer.  I also have had to add pocket pages. I thought this would be my Transformation notebook for a year, but it will soon be full and it’s only 6 months.

• Sarah Whitmire: She has 22 free prompts for beginners (It takes 21 days to develop a habit). I started out with Sarah. 
• Kelly Kilmer: I took an IRL class with her, learning to make journals and about painted pages. Then I took some of her online classes, which have a very reasonable fee in the $25 range.  I love her A Prompt A Day and others. 
• Teesha Moore: I love her edgy, edgy journals but have not figured out how to do what she does without it looking like her work.  She has a series of YouTube tutorials showing how she makes her journals. Her videos get better quality as she goes on. 
• Ingrid Dijkers: I have yet to take a class with Ingrid though I love her journals. She is on my To Do list. She leans toward altered books and book making too which I am also interested in.  
• Julie Fei-Fan Balzer: I took an IRL class with Julie in Chicago and had a blast. I am now participating in her Art Journaling Every Day challenge. It is nothing if not motivating. I am working in about 4 journals (including the class notes above) in order to do Art Journaling every day.

Other artists whose mixed media work I enjoy –

• Carla Sonheim: I’ve been working through her Drawing Lab book and will take an online drawing class with her starting in May.
• Jill Berry: Another artist on my To Do list. She leans more towards altered books and book making.
• Beryl Taylor: Met her through her book Mixed Media Explorations and then put her on my To Do List.  I went to an IRL class with her last summer sitting across from Julie Fei-Fan Balzer and her mom! 
• Kelli Perkins -  Also met her through her book, Stitch Alchemy, put her on my To Do List and also went to an IRL class with her last summer!

Q: What kind of journal are you currently working in? 

I told you about the Class Notes Moleskine above. In addition I am working in 2 handmade journals, one for the Sketchbook Challenge and one for my Zoo Book Journal (mostly to have enough to do Art Journaling Every Day).

Also 2 Altered Book Journals, for trying out various methods I find online and again to have enough projects for Art Journaling Every Day fodder.

And then I have 2 store-bought sketchbooks for the road:

Q: What is the best thing that has happened to you because of art journaling?

Personally the best thing is that I am a centered, expressed, happy woman who is fulfilling on her purpose in life.

Results in the ‘real’ world? I have started the business Art Camp for Women as a result of my Art Journaling (Camp is not all Art Journaling – lots of Mixed-Media Arts). This means I have a job that now has me doing what I love to do – spending time in the mountains, with other women artists,  taking art classes with extraordinary teachers, writing for the website and newsletter, running a business (entrepreneur blood here), going to other art retreats to meet and interview more teachers…tough life…

I am blogging on my personal blog www.KeepanArtJournal.com, which also has me writing and sharing my art journaling with others.

I’ve found the online art world! The women, the art and the classes – could sit right here and never go anywhere if going were a problem.

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P.S. I'm hoping that this will be a regular feature!  If you're interested in being profiled, and you're an active Art Journal Every Day participant, send me an e-mail!