Journal Pages and a Thank You
[Originally posted on iris-impressions.com]
I am working on a blog post listing my 10 favourite art supplies. I need to take some pics to jazz it up a bit and then I'll post it, hopefully within a couple of days.
In the meantime I wanted to share these two journal pages I did this past week. Although I usually don't plan my journal pages before starting, I do tend to work in a deliberate way where I think about something before I do it. With these pages, especially the second one I tried to 'switch off' that part of my brain that over-thinks things and makes conscious decisions. I literally just kept moving and grabbing the supplies that spoke to me.
You can click the images for full size.
It was actually quite an enlightening process. It wasn't just a different way of creating, but I also felt very different about what I created. Afterwards I felt very.. I don't know exactly, like the process had been cathartic. Usually I'm very critical of what I create: if I create something pretty that I like I'll feel very proud, if I create something ugly or badly executed I'll feel badly about myself. In this case neither positive nor negative judgements about the work came to mind, I just felt like I had expressed something that needed expressing but which I didn't necessarily know consciously or verbally. That might also be a reason why the second page is much darker and more gloomy than I would ordinarily create if I were working 'deliberately'.
I dunno, I hope this all makes sense and doesn't sound like some kind of mumbo jumbo! If you've had any similar experiences I'd love to know about it. I really feel like art isn't just about creativity and expression, but also about self-discovery and accessing the subconscious.
On another note, I just wanted to thank the handful of people who have left comments on my blog the past week or so (and also those people who visit but don't comment). I really appreciate you taking the time to read my blog and interact, it's very motivating and encouraging!
I am working on a blog post listing my 10 favourite art supplies. I need to take some pics to jazz it up a bit and then I'll post it, hopefully within a couple of days.
In the meantime I wanted to share these two journal pages I did this past week. Although I usually don't plan my journal pages before starting, I do tend to work in a deliberate way where I think about something before I do it. With these pages, especially the second one I tried to 'switch off' that part of my brain that over-thinks things and makes conscious decisions. I literally just kept moving and grabbing the supplies that spoke to me.
You can click the images for full size.
It was actually quite an enlightening process. It wasn't just a different way of creating, but I also felt very different about what I created. Afterwards I felt very.. I don't know exactly, like the process had been cathartic. Usually I'm very critical of what I create: if I create something pretty that I like I'll feel very proud, if I create something ugly or badly executed I'll feel badly about myself. In this case neither positive nor negative judgements about the work came to mind, I just felt like I had expressed something that needed expressing but which I didn't necessarily know consciously or verbally. That might also be a reason why the second page is much darker and more gloomy than I would ordinarily create if I were working 'deliberately'.
I dunno, I hope this all makes sense and doesn't sound like some kind of mumbo jumbo! If you've had any similar experiences I'd love to know about it. I really feel like art isn't just about creativity and expression, but also about self-discovery and accessing the subconscious.
On another note, I just wanted to thank the handful of people who have left comments on my blog the past week or so (and also those people who visit but don't comment). I really appreciate you taking the time to read my blog and interact, it's very motivating and encouraging!