Why Keep An Art Journal?

What the heck is art journaling??

 

When I was learning how to draw and paint portraits back in 2008, I used to ask myself that same question. I didn't get the point...at all! In the Online Mixed Media world it was all the rage and I wasn't buying it. I'm not a journal-er. I don't write down my personal thoughts and feelings (I used to until my mother found and read my journal at 18-that's a different story) and on top of that, I hate my handwriting. I was perfectly happy painting on my canvases and wood panels. I didn't need no stinkin' art journal!

Eventually, I had all of these art pieces around and no where to store them. I'm the type of artist where once my piece is finished, I am ready to let it go. I don't have too many of my pieces hanging in my home for that reason. Some of them sold, but I still had too much clutter. My son was now 3 years old and my daughter was a teenager. I started thinking about the two of them being given these pieces when I am long gone and I thought to myself: "Are they really going to want all of these on the walls of their homes?" That thought coupled with online peer pressure eventually got to me and I decided to take an online art journal class. The instructor taught us how to make 2 different art journals from scratch and then taught us different ways to fill the pages inside with paint, collage, and writing. I enjoyed the class so much, much more than I ever imagined. I was finally sold. Art journals are the shiz-nit!

Keeping an art journal has solved my clutter problem for sure (except when I was invited to participate in an art show. Panic set in because I no longer had canvas or wood art pieces). And more importantly, I have my passion wrapped up neatly in books to pass down to my children. That is what I think about when I art journal. My kids. I make art to fill my God given desire to create, but to also share that passion with them. These journals are me. Every time they open one, they will see me, the real me. Not mom telling them to clean their room or do their homework or what decisions I think they should be making, but me. Raw. Vulnerable. Angry. Happy. Fulfilled.

My passion for art journaling has now become my passion to "teach" art journaling. I want people to know that they can pour out all of themselves on these pages and pass it on. I want them to have a visual legacy for their loved ones to be a part of long after they leave this earth. I want them to know they don't have to know how to draw or be an "artist" (whatever that means). And that art journaling can be done "their" way. I teach several different styles in my art journaling classes because I want my students to figure out what speaks to them.

I'm not a huge writer (more of a visual person, obviously), but I wanted to post my thoughts on this subject. My inspirational word this year is "Resolve" so I felt I needed to get this out immediately. Thanks so much for reading this today.

















Here are some upcoming art journaling classes I am teaching. If you live in the San Diego area, I would love to share this passion with you.


2nd Tuesday of every month: Art Journal Junkies, Charity Wings Art Center, San Marcos, Ca
                                             6:30pm-9:00pm (Click on link for more information regarding cost).

Last Tuesday of every month: Art Journal Club, Ascension Lutheran Church 1140 N. Midway,                                                  Escondido, Ca. 6:00pm-8:30pm $15 (1st Session) $10 monthly                                                    (Contact me at shonniegrl@gmail.com to sign up)

Scrap Diva Art  Journal Retreat: February 15 and 16 2014. Scrap Diva Retreats in Murrieta,                                                           Ca. Cost is $160 for the weekend or come each day just to my                                                     class and pay $50.

**I would love if you would stop by my Facebook page and "Like" it!! Twisted Figures, Art by Shonna Bucaroff

xoxo,
Shonna