Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Shiny Happy People and Art Journal Ponderings...

Happy Wednesday everyone! The new challenge at Scrapping The Music this week features the song "Shiny Happy People" by REM! What song could be more fun than that to scrap??? I had an awesome time making my layout for this one!!! Here's what I came up with...
the background paper is some old SEI that I had, and the rest of the layout is done with miscellaneous Studio Calico kit stuff. The title is painted with gesso.

Come on over and play along with us this week! We have a fabulous prize!!! It's free registration in Marit Barentsen's upcoming "Let it Loose" workshop!!! It's a fantastic workshop - I've taken it myself and it was one of my favorites EVER!!! So don't delay!!! Click here to go directly to the challenge!

On another note, I've been pondering the subject of art journaling lately. It's a subject I think about frequently. I think about all the different kinds of possible art journals, and how I want to organize mine. For example, I was recently inspired by this video on creating a "junque journal..."

So, I decided to start my own junque journal. It was super fun to make and I've been really enjoying using it! This however, led me to question the difference between my junque journal, and the other journal I had been working in, which also had bits of ephemera and memorabilia taped into it, and daily musings on life in general. Hmmm... Then I've also got my Artful Amblings (aka A Year In The Life of an Art Journal) art journal, AND my prompt-a-day art journal, and on and on... How many journals does one woman really need???

I decided to make a list of all the different types of art journaling I like to do. Here's what I came up with...


TYPES OF ART JOURNAL ENTRIES:

1. Daily facts. What happened, what the weather was like, etc.

2. Thoughts/reflections - stream-of-consciousness writing. How you are feeling, what you are thinking about, etc.

3. To do lists, notes, things to remember, etc.

4. Ephemera of daily life.

5. Journal prompts on collaged pages - artsy and experimental.

6. Specific Online Classes (like Let it Loose for example).

7. Online challenges that I complete in my art journal.

It was almost too much for my brain to handle! For some reason this stuff really gets me going - turning it over and over in my mind. Do you ever do this?

Anyhoo, I finally had a revelation!!! I think I am going to group my art journaling into two ongoing journals; organized like this...

1. Documenting daily life.
This one will combine daily facts, To Do Lists, notes, ephemera
sometimes thoughts and reflections and pics of things that inspire me. Basically, memories of what happens in life.

2. Self expression.
This one will combine journal prompts, collage, challenges, sometimes thoughts and reflections and all kinds of artistic experiments. Basically a place to express feelings visually and try things artistically.

I think I can handle two ongoing journals at once. In fact, it should be fun! If I take an online class I can choose to make an independent journal for that - kinda like a mini-book in scrapbooking.

So that is my plan - for now - LOL. Until I decide to reorganize again. How about you? If you art journal, how do you do it? Does everything go in one, or do you have a bunch of different ones for different things? How do you decide what to put where? I'd love to know!!!

8 comments:

Julie Tucker-Wolek said...

I loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee your STM lo Michelle!!! I loveeeeeeeeeeee how you did the title all the way around the edges!! And I haven't art journaled... but I am taking my first class on it in August! :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)

Tam Spires said...

Beautiful page! iLike your plan to keep the 2 journals...iDefinitely end up getting too many journals going at once, thinking iNeed a journal for each "kind" of thing iPut in it, but i've been trying to give myself permission to be less organized in that respect, if that makes sense...meaning: iDon't need a seperate journal for every different idea, just another page.

if ANY of that made sense...LOL

<3 mara

Marit said...

You bring up a point I've been thinking of myself... I have trouble "choosing" sometimes - where to put my stuff. I have my weekly art journal. That's a simple thing - everyday journaling AND junque/emphemera stuff that goes with it. There's my "AYITLOAAJ" and that's simple too - just the prompts for the artful amblings. But then I get lost... I got a "miscelaneous" and a "music" journal, but things get mixed (like: I make a page and at the end I use a music lyric and it is NOT in my music journal...) And all these journals have different seizes too.... which I kinda like - so I'm still not sure how to organize. Please keep us informed if your "organisation" turns out good and how you feel about it after a while... I'm curious!

EverydayMe said...

love the title all around the page... and it's just a beautiful page... can't wait to see how this all goes... maybe someday for me.... enjoy! {{hugs}} Michelle

Hanneke said...

Love your LO, so bright and happy!! You got me inspired, let's see if I have some time on my hands to join!! I never art journaled I think I am afraid I am not that creative maybe I should try a class one day (another reason to join STM this week)
Hugs, Hanneke

Alison said...

I lvoe your layout, lovely and bright.
I have never done an art journal but I have this last week got my self a mini album that i have been working on and was going to use as an art journal, will see how I go. As for the link for the junque jounal I really enjoyed watching that and getting some ideas. I do think Im too much of a tidy scrapbooker as I like straight lines and things to be even on the page but Im going to give this a go and see how creative and messy i can get, wish me luck...well i think i may need more than luck.

madfam said...

I found your blog via the workshop The Street Where You Live. I'm loving your ideas here for your journals, and am finding them very inspirational!

KarenB said...

I've been wanting to start an art journal for a while but I wasn't really sure where to start. Thanks so much for the ideas - it's given me some more things to think about :)