Art Journaling

 I have recently gotten really into art journalism. I signed up to teach a journal writing class a month or so ago because my entire life I have kept a journal and I wanted to pass along that passion to middle-school students. Journal writing has helped me to get through some difficult times and to learn about myself. However, what I found was that sometimes it felt like a chore. When I did find time to write there was so much I had to say and so much I had experienced and felt since the last time I wrote that I felt like I had to write it all down and get it all out. So, I put it off because it was hard to do. While researching journaling techniques to share with my students I discovered art journal writing and have since fallen in love with it. Though I am no artist, I do enjoy being creative and working with my hands. I have found that through art I am able to just create something that expresses what I am feeling or something that inspires me or an experience I have had. Although I still do write a little on some of my pages, for the most part they are pretty vague. I now COMPLETELY understand the saying "A picture says a thousand words." For me, one of those pages holds an eternity of thoughts and feelings that might even be impossible to completely describe through words. To me, they may mean a lot, but for the most part I leave them open to interpretation without much explanation because it allows me to feel safe in expressing myself, without worrying about someone else reading it. Sometimes, in the past while trying to express myself through writing, I have become frustrated at not being able to find the right words or at having contradicted myself in my writing, or rambled on trying to get my point across. With art journal writing I have found it so much easier to do and so much more relaxing. It's something that I can do while watching tv or outside at a park or on my lunch break. Also with writing, I always felt like if I didn't finish my thoughts in that moment they would be lost, and sometimes they were, with art journaling I am able to get the majority of it out, but come back later to finish it if I need to. It gives me more freedom. I have been able to complete several entries in one day at times. I would really recommend it for people who need an outlet. Don't shy away from it because you feel like you aren't creative or you can't draw or you can't write. It's all for you, and if you've ever written a letter, or a poem, or been inspired by a quote or song lyrics, than you can write a journal, and if you've ever doodled in class or colored a picture you can create an art journal. It doesn't have to look a certain way. For me, I usually take what is on my mind that day and use that as inspiration for an entry, or I look up art journal prompts, or quotes, song lyrics, or poems to inspire an entry. Sometimes I just look for magazine clippings that inspire me, or simply color or doodle until a page is filled and discover its own meaning later on. It's the sort of thing you can't fully understand until you try. Trust yourself and let your ideas, art, and words come out with as little planning as possible.These are a few of the pages I've felt comfortable sharing from one of my own journals.