30 Journals 30 Days

So I've been following the blog of Dirty Footprints Studio. And she's been featuring art journalers over the past month. One a day. And they've all been amazing. She's calling it 30 Journals 30 Days. But there are 31 days in July - so she's added an extra feature where everyone features themselves in their own blog on the 31st. And adds a link to her page.

It's just been so wonderful to watch that now Iwant to participate.

So... here goes -

1. How long have you been Art Journaling? The first Art Journal I ever started was on Jan. 29th. at 8:45pm. (Back in the day when I use to date and time pages.) It was before I ever knew what "art journaling" was. I was given a sketchbook and I tried my hardest to JUST sketch in them, but leaving them "unfinished" really bothered me. I've kept diaries ever since about the 2nd grade. (The spelling is comical.)

This is the first page in the first book.

2. How has Art Journaling impacted, changed, or enhanced your life? For a long time working in my journal was my cure. It gave me a safe place to work through some difficult things. It gave me a place to thoughts that I didn't know what to dowith and things I was ashamed of. It worked better than any therapy. Better than any drug.

3. What are a few of your favorite Art Journaling materials to use? I've always considered myself a recorder more than an artist. I have a compulsive need to keep record whether that be by keeping an art journal, diary, or taking a TON of pictures. So - I really love ANY kind of image transfer. Gel medium, winter green oil, packing tape. I also love just using photos.

4. Who are your favorite Art Journalers? I love them all. I seriously have not come across an artist that has worked in a book that I have not immediately felt some kind of bond to. But there's one specific artist that I adore. Dan Eldon. Not only did he keep an art journal but he's tak

en that step to make a difference in the world. It's a beautiful reminder to me of what art is capable of.

5. What kinds of words of encouragement would you say to an Art Journal newbie? Hm. Never been one to give out advice, but I guess just from my experience with it. Don't be afraid. Try everything. This is your safe place. To do, say, write, paint - whatever however you want. And if you don't like it - turn the page. You don't have to show it to anyone. You don't have to ever look at it again. Just by doing - I think there's growth and that's worth the work.

6. Where can we contact you? Ha! Everywhere.

Deviantart. Twitter. Tumblr. I think I've tried out every social networking platform out there...

The Joy of Six

It's been busy.
You'll have to excuse my absence. I decided that I REALLY want to go back to school in the Fall, so I've been working my butt off to get a portfolio ready. (I turned it in yesterday.) So this post is long over due. I have a few things that might be fun to share!

First - I had my very first exhibition. It's still up currently until April. If you're in Buford, GA before then you should check it out. <3 These are mine.

So far my New Years resolution of working larger has been a success. I have ideas running in my head for new pieces that I'd like to work on soon.

I also received my copy of "In Our Own Words" the other day. For those of you who don't already know this book is the project of a non-profit in the UK called, Harmless. They specialize in assisting those that deal with self-injury. And they do an amazing job at it. The book will raise funds for them. And I contributed a painting.

You can pick up a copy here. That's the form you have to download and fill out and send it. I'm not yet sure if it's available to people outside of the UK.

I think that's about it for now.
I find out the results of my portfolio sometime in the next 3 weeks via e-mail. Yay!

Commissions and Gifts

I did a few commissioned pieces during the holidays.
Then I decided to do a few smaller paintings as gifts.

Also knitted two scarves. But I forgot to snap some photos of them before I gave them away.

Film

I busted out the old old old Canon AE-1 and after hunting for some time for a battery replacement, I finally shot a roll of film. I was surprised to find that the camera still works.

There's more of this to come. I'm sure.

Love is the Movement!

Today is "To Write Love On Her Arms" Day.

For those of you that don't know what TWLOHA's is...

twloha.com

Today is basically about writing the word love on your arm. Writing it to promote awareness about things such as self injury, addiction, depression, and suicide - specifically within the teenage years. (As I think this is where it is most often not taken very lightly. - you know, hormones.) But also acknowledging that these are things people won't grow out of. That people much older than their teens suffer. They fight these things ever single day.

So writing love on your arm not only promotes awareness and conversation about difficult subjects. It's also there as a sign of support. A sign that someone cares about you when depression, addiction, self injury, and thoughts of suicide make it so difficult to believe that could be true.

Love is the movement.
Rescue is possible.

You are never alone.

Art and Meditation

“The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: a human creature born abnormally, inhumanely sensitive. to them… a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death. add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create — so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, their very breath is cut off… they must create, must pour out creation. by some strange, unknown, inward urgency they are not really alive unless they are creating… I must create.”

-Pearl Buck

This is me. Hands down. Overly sensitive and what might seem to others as overly dramatic. I had a difficult time watching The Day After Tomorrow yesterday because watching all of those people die made my stomach feel really heavy.

I've joined a prayer and meditation group that meets on Tues. It's been going really well, and I'm really enjoying it. I was raised Catholic and so I've always had a religious prayer oriented lifestyle. But I've always been one of the more "open" Catholics if that doesn't seem like too much of a contradiction. (I personally wouldn't say it is... as I know plenty.)

And while I was living in Germany, my yoga teacher was my best friend. She was still in yoga classes at her local ashram and sometimes I would go there with her. It was a very interesting experience in Hinduism. And a bit of Buddhism. Meditation classes. Yoga practices. Prayers to the gods and "gifts" of fruit.

But I've never had the two cross over until this group I've joined. It's been wonderful.

We're reading and discussing this book - Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening by Cynthia Bourgeault.
I'm adoring it because it's bringing together my faiths? Ha. Things that I already knew were tied, but there's something to be said about validation in printed form, even if it is just someone else's opinion.

Which brings me to the next topic. Chapter 5. The main point of chapter 5 is to reinforce the fact that while meditating in centering prayer you're not suppose to look for anything divine. You're not suppose to look or even have any miraculous events happen. As the entire practice is about letting go.

But it goes into a part about how imagination and the devil are linked. And how monks use to fill their days with meditation and prayers so that the devil could not sneak in through the imagination.

For some reason this has bothered me more than it should.

Perhaps they speak of "imagination" in a different way than I do. I've never in my entire life viewed my imagination, my creativity as a bad thing. So it's been a bit unnerving to know that others might. I'm getting more use to the idea. I don't need approval from everyone. (but wouldn't it be nice if that were a possibility.) The more I think about it the more I realize there have always been people against the arts. Harry Potter, for example. I suppose the people who oppose Harry Potter and think that the imagination that led it is the devil's work are the same people that would denounce creativity all together.

It's been a difficult pill for me to swallow. Which is also silly because the prayer and meditation group is all about letting go. Instead I find myself throwing up walls and being defensive.

Silly.

November 10th, 2009

Art Every Day Month

Note to self - colored pencils in a collage journal = ick.
I may go back through with some acrylic.

Unfinished.