If you're new to Art Journal Every Day, there is a short introduction here. All of the previous posts can be found archived here. Remember, it's just ten minutes of nourishing your creative self every day! No need to finish anything or even like it. If you've done some art journaling this week, use the hashtag #artjournaleveryday so that we can all take a peek. Even if you're not on social media, you can see everything (from twitter, pinterest, instagram, and facebook) that uses that hashtag here.
I think it's highly probable that I will keep an art journal my whole life. There are many other artistic endeavors that I've abandoned over the years, but my art journal remains a constant. Why is that? Well, I thought we could discuss that topic today.
Here are five reasons that I keep an art journal:
ONE: It's a place to put everything.
This might be a silly reason to some people, but I *hate* throwing things away. A palette covered in leftover paint must be used up! A scrap of paper or an abandoned collage. Some tags stamped and doodled on. All of these things must find a home and my art journal is that home. Since I started creating Junque Journals, I never feel that anything is wasted. It's a wonderful feeling to glue all of those random art leftovers into my art journal. I know that I've found a safe space for them!
TWO: It's a space for practice.
I use my art journal as a place to practice.
2012
2014
2018
Most days it doesn't feel like I'm making any progress, but when I flip through the years, I can see it. It's one of the many reasons I believe in the "Art Journal Every Day" philosophy. Progress comes from practice. And even though ten minutes of art a day doesn't seem like it can change your life, it has unequivocally changed mine. I am better at drawing faces because of my daily art journal practice. Period.
THREE: It's therapeutic.
People often ask me about all of the writing in my art journal. The truth is, I write a lot of absolutely nothing. It's a brain dump of all of my worries, random thoughts, and the things that I'm currently obsessing about. Sometimes it's just a stream of consciousness about what I need to get done later in the day. Committing all of that crap to paper is super helpful to me. I find that getting it into my journal means that it's not pinging around in my brain. I write it down, close the book, and move on.
FOUR: It's pleasurable.
Why do people do things they don't enjoy? It's so difficult to keep going when you don't enjoy the process. I'm not sure if I believe in exercise endorphins, but I have experienced art making endorphins! I enjoy the process of art journaling. I like working on my pages. I love walking into my studio and opening up my journal. I look forward to it. I find the process relaxing and pleasurable.
FIVE: It's an incredibly flexible art form.
You want to draw? You want to stamp? You want to paint? You want to use watercolor? You want to use spray ink? You want to cut? You want to tear? Whatever you want to do, you can do it in an art journal. The fact is, I get bored really easily. I don't like to do the same thing over and over and over again. I'm always looking for what's new and what's exciting to me right now. My art journal is so flexible. I can work with a wide variety of mediums and subjects and never get bored. I love it!
Why do you art journal? I'd love to know!
Thanks for stopping by!
I am a firm believer that the exercise endorphin high is a myth 😉 However the art making one? absolutely, scientifically proven…at least by me.
I agree with all the points you make on this post 100% and I want to thank you for starting me on the (almost) daily journal practice. It has been a lifesaver.
I am a firm believer that the exercise endorphin high is a myth 😉 However the art making one? absolutely, scientifically proven…at least by me.
I agree with all the points you make on this post 100% and I want to thank you for starting me on the (almost) daily journal practice. It has been a lifesaver.
I am a firm believer that the exercise endorphin high is a myth 😉 However the art making one? absolutely, scientifically proven…at least by me.
I agree with all the points you make on this post 100% and I want to thank you for starting me on the (almost) daily journal practice. It has been a lifesaver.
I am a firm believer that the exercise endorphin high is a myth 😉 However the art making one? absolutely, scientifically proven…at least by me.
I agree with all the points you make on this post 100% and I want to thank you for starting me on the (almost) daily journal practice. It has been a lifesaver.
I am a firm believer that the exercise endorphin high is a myth 😉 However the art making one? absolutely, scientifically proven…at least by me.
I agree with all the points you make on this post 100% and I want to thank you for starting me on the (almost) daily journal practice. It has been a lifesaver.
I am a firm believer that the exercise endorphin high is a myth 😉 However the art making one? absolutely, scientifically proven…at least by me.
I agree with all the points you make on this post 100% and I want to thank you for starting me on the (almost) daily journal practice. It has been a lifesaver.
I am a firm believer that the exercise endorphin high is a myth 😉 However the art making one? absolutely, scientifically proven…at least by me.
I agree with all the points you make on this post 100% and I want to thank you for starting me on the (almost) daily journal practice. It has been a lifesaver.
I love that you use your journal to put loose papers hanging around. I must pull out an empty journal and do this as a way to use all of those bits that I cannot seem to part as the color or texture is yummy. Thank you for always teaching better ways. I have learned so much from you!!
I love that you use your journal to put loose papers hanging around. I must pull out an empty journal and do this as a way to use all of those bits that I cannot seem to part as the color or texture is yummy. Thank you for always teaching better ways. I have learned so much from you!!
I love that you use your journal to put loose papers hanging around. I must pull out an empty journal and do this as a way to use all of those bits that I cannot seem to part as the color or texture is yummy. Thank you for always teaching better ways. I have learned so much from you!!
I love that you use your journal to put loose papers hanging around. I must pull out an empty journal and do this as a way to use all of those bits that I cannot seem to part as the color or texture is yummy. Thank you for always teaching better ways. I have learned so much from you!!
I love that you use your journal to put loose papers hanging around. I must pull out an empty journal and do this as a way to use all of those bits that I cannot seem to part as the color or texture is yummy. Thank you for always teaching better ways. I have learned so much from you!!
I love that you use your journal to put loose papers hanging around. I must pull out an empty journal and do this as a way to use all of those bits that I cannot seem to part as the color or texture is yummy. Thank you for always teaching better ways. I have learned so much from you!!
I love that you use your journal to put loose papers hanging around. I must pull out an empty journal and do this as a way to use all of those bits that I cannot seem to part as the color or texture is yummy. Thank you for always teaching better ways. I have learned so much from you!!
I’ve been “seriously” art journaling for almost 10 years now (before that, I wrote in little books, kept scrapbooks etcetera) and my reasons are the same as yours, you just put my ideas and words in this blogpost!
I’ve been “seriously” art journaling for almost 10 years now (before that, I wrote in little books, kept scrapbooks etcetera) and my reasons are the same as yours, you just put my ideas and words in this blogpost!
I’ve been “seriously” art journaling for almost 10 years now (before that, I wrote in little books, kept scrapbooks etcetera) and my reasons are the same as yours, you just put my ideas and words in this blogpost!
I’ve been “seriously” art journaling for almost 10 years now (before that, I wrote in little books, kept scrapbooks etcetera) and my reasons are the same as yours, you just put my ideas and words in this blogpost!
I’ve been “seriously” art journaling for almost 10 years now (before that, I wrote in little books, kept scrapbooks etcetera) and my reasons are the same as yours, you just put my ideas and words in this blogpost!
I’ve been “seriously” art journaling for almost 10 years now (before that, I wrote in little books, kept scrapbooks etcetera) and my reasons are the same as yours, you just put my ideas and words in this blogpost!
I’ve been “seriously” art journaling for almost 10 years now (before that, I wrote in little books, kept scrapbooks etcetera) and my reasons are the same as yours, you just put my ideas and words in this blogpost!