1,000 Artist Journal Pages: Personal Pages and Inspirations

668 Pages·2008·65.05 MB·English

by  Dawn DeVries Sokol

Personal Pages and Inspirations
1000
Artist JOURNAL PAGES
Dawn DeVries Sokol
CONTENTS
Foreword
Introduction
Prompts to Get You Pumped
Gallery of Journal Pages
Resources
Directory of Artists
About the Author
Acknowledgments
FOREWORD
WHY JOURNAL?
“ Journaling for me is my way of adding to the pool of remembrance, the
accumulated stuff that makes up ‘ME’ in the eyes of those who know and knew
me. And though it may seem a little navel gazing, those words are my way of
opening up my own brain and soul and saying, with a metaphoric hand wave to
the future, ‘Hey, this is me!’ ”
—JASON THOMPSON
“ My extreme visual journaling practice, a unique process that I developed and
teach internationally, comes from a desire to know my deep and tender shadow
places, to give them voice, and to heal or transform them. My journal is the
container, soul home, or witness protection program, not some proving ground.
My pages are a place of safe keeping and honor where I transform my inner
enemies into allies; where my weaknesses become strengths. Like a soul map,
my pages allow me to see more clearly and more deeply the path to the real me. I
have been saving my life in an extreme journal since 1987, page after page, book
after book.”
—JULIANA COLES
“ To bridge the often enormous gap between brain and canvas. It’s that in-
between space where I am still creative, but I don’t have to commit to a big piece
or a finished product. Journaling gives me permission to be free, to use scraps of
what’s lying on my workspace, to play with pattern, to not finish a page and not
feel bad. It’s a reflection of who I am during that moment. Time passes and
journaling is an incredible way to look back and see who you were and who
you’ve become. (P.S. Date everything—even if you think it’s not important!)”
—MINDY CARPENTER, SEPTEMBER 4, 2007
“ Because it just feels good to doodle and write some things down. It’s a release
of sorts. Because I love pens and playing with them. To figure out what I want to
bring into my life and dream about how it could come about. To organize my
thoughts, especially of things I need to do; a pretty to-do list. Because it’s an
ongoing way to play in art—playing in a way that doesn’t focus on results.”
—PAM GARRISON
“ Art journaling is an inner dialogue with my innermost self—a dialogue that
keeps me true to myself and keeps me on my toes. As artists, we are constantly
having this same inner dialogue through visual means. Wasn’t it Picasso that said
painting is just another way of keeping a diary? I find that painting and keeping
a journal combine the two sides of me—I am a visual person, but I also love the
written word. And they both are vehicles through which my perspective of the
world and my experiences get a voice.”
—BRIDGETTE GUERZON MILLS
“ If people knew just how much their life could change for the better, they’d all
be racing down to the store to pick out a nice-looking journal and would begin.
You don’t know until you just try it, and see for yourself. You have to allow
yourself to get lost in the process. You have to allow yourself to play and relax
your mind by letting it spill out onto your pages. You have to give yourself
permission that the pages can be any thing you want them to be—little scribbles,
a full blown-out colorful mess, a whole page of written words—anything and
everything goes. Then, take a look at what you did. You will learn so much more
about yourself than you think you know. Also, journals are great ways of
manifesting dreams and goals. I have now learned that things I actually write in
my journal have about a 90 percent chance of really happening. When the world
finally realizes how powerful a journal can be, watch out!”
—TEESHA MOORE
“ Perhaps it would be better to ask, ‘Why jump rope?’ or ‘Why sing in the
shower?’ Some things in life intuitively bring us joy, and we’re drawn to them,
often, without understanding why. It would be easy to say we journal because it
makes us happy, or because it’s therapeutic, but it’s something so much more
primal than that. Deep down, at our very core, we’re all creative people. And in
a world that values profit margins over all else, journaling has become the voice
of the individual … a sanctuary of creative expression.”
—SOMEGUY
INTRODUCTION
What is so thrilling about looking into the pages of someone’s art journal,
going beyond the covers to find a curious gathering of thoughts, observations,
random notes, and sketches? Maybe it’s the voyeuristic glimpse into such
intimate territory; the ideas, the dreams, the tangible layers of ink and color and
ephemera. The turn of each page indulges us with revealing secrets and fresh
insights.
And, what makes some of us dare to share these pages, to expose ourselves?
Maybe it is the knowledge that like-minded individuals will “get it” or “get us.”
Showing our journals is a true act of sharing ourselves.
If you have never kept an art journal, the prospect of doing so may seem
intimidating, but the beauty of keeping a journal is that you don’t ever have to
share it. It can be a unique and private place in your life for personal exploration.
Journaling may allow you to express yourself in a way you never thought
possible and can help expand your artistic skills and confidence.
After sending out our initial call for entries for this book, pages poured in
from not only the United States, but Canada, Great Britain, the Netherlands,
India, Japan, Colombia, Israel, Brazil, Ireland, Iceland, and Lebanon. Our
invitation requested pages in particular categories: sketched or doodled, mixed-
media, fabric-based, collaborative, graphic and text-based, pages using found
materials, as well as raw or extreme journals. Of course, we discovered that
many of these pages cross several categories. Because of this we decided not to
make arbitrary choices and divide the book into strictly defined sections. The
pages flow through the gallery like one long road paved with inspiration.
After receiving submissions from all over the world, I feel like part of a
global community. Hundreds of artists were willing to share themselves through
their pages. These art journals may contain words in different languages, but
they all speak to each of us. And one thing I know after working on this project:
we are all artists, artistes, künstlers, artistas, artisti, or however you may
pronounce it in your part of the world.
Keep journaling,
PROMPTS TO GET YOU PUMPED
You open your journal to a fresh blank page and think, “OK, here I go!”
But nothing happens. Suddenly, the white surface staring back at you seems to
mock you, almost telling you that you won’t be able to fill the page and make a
worthwhile mark. Relax. It’s easy to get hung up when beginning a page. Even
journal artists who have been journaling for a while hit snags. Sometimes you
just need a little nudge. Some of the journal artists who contributed pages to this
book offer starting suggestions and prompts a-plenty. Consider this a list of
recipes to get you cooking in your journal: Ways to Start a Page
• Write down one thing you can do today to make a difference.
• Open a dictionary or a book, point at a word or phrase, and use it to launch a
page.
• Ponder an inspiring quote.
• Find a magazine photograph of a person you don’t know, and conjure up a
story about his or her life.
• Use kids art supplies such as crayons, gold stars, ruled paper.
• Start writing or sketching a fantasy of something you would like to see happen
in your life.
• Make a diagram of the house you grewup in.
• Be inspired by dreams from the night before.
• Describe your mood.
• List some things that inspire you.
• Describe your dream art studio.
Try Collage
• Have you got pages in your journal you’re not crazy about? Why not glue bits
of different papers on top of them, and let what is underneath peek through
here and there, adding visual intrigue. Add paint to create more layers.
Try Lists
• Write a list of creative tasks that need to be done, an artist’s to-do list.
• List books you want to read.