Do people still art journal? I think so. I’m so out of the loop though with what people do. The funny thing is I have always done art plus journaling since as far back as I can remember. Probably when I was in middle school? So that puts me at about 30 years of this? Getting old… Putting an image with words has always been one of my favorite things to do. Because I save my studio time for the bulk of my creativity, my art journaling pages are pretty simple and straightforward. I have seen some really beautiful and very involved journals pages online, but I keep mine fairly simple. My journals are always more about the words. Lately I’ve stripped the process even further down and I’ve been using prints of old paintings of mine and then adding other materials to it. This one is just two images glued down. Then writing added.
I started with a print of a tree painting I did many many years ago. I trimmed it down and glued into my journal. Then with my handy glue stick I put down a print of moon phases. Easy peasy!
I have actually been creating pages like this throughout my journal and I just leave it. No words. Unfinished at that point. Then when the mood moves me, I will write on top of it. And the image always somehow influences what I write. as well how I write it down. It can lead to some insightful writing. Not always, but sometimes.
My journals are so special to me. They are like vessels holding the events and thoughts of my life. Not every page has images on them. They are mostly words. But I feel like my pages that include collage and art in them enrich my journals and my writing. And I love how fat and thick my journals get.
…if I don’t write to empty my mind, I go mad. ~Lord Byron