Keeping an Art Journal

I like to use my art journal as a place to experiment with new ideas and materials and process what's going on in my life.

Above: "Ticket to Ride" (left), "Leaving to Meet New Life" (right). 5/8/08.

Having a fairly small, portable book that I can carry around and pop into on a whim helps make art more accessible and less of a "big production."

Most importantly, these pages help me to reconnect with myself by tapping into whatever is most real or true for me in the moment.

Above: "It's still spring without you," 5/12/08

To me, the art journal is one of the best places for spontaneous new work to arise, because I'm not so worried about what it will look like. The focus is more about the process of discovery, not about creating something pleasing to the eye.

Above: "Abstraction II," 5/13/08

Lately, life has been particularly full, and I've found myself feeling overwhelmed just setting foot in my studio. In times like these, the art journal is a way for me to invite art into my day without too much fuss. I can crack it open on my lunch break and slap a layer of paint on some pages. I can come back to it in the evening and collage in a few odds and ends from my day—a pay stub, some duct tape, a doodle.

Above: "Baby's Gotta Haunt On," 5/14/08

Opening my art journal, even if it's just for a few minutes, can be like opening the door into another world. Just spending a short time inside is often enough to flush my spirit with life again and bring the spark back into my eyes.

So, as a way to commit myself to some creative time this week, I've given myself the challenge of just doing a page a day in my art journal. I like to think of it as an invitation each day to drop into myself and see what's moving under the surface... So let's see what happens. I'll be posting the rest of the week's pages here, as they come.

Above: "Elegy for Robert Rauschenberg," 5/14/08

In the mean time, if you have any tricks, tips or ongoing projects that help you connect in with yourself daily through art, please post a comment or shoot me an email. Perhaps I'll try your idea next!