blue layers

in my art journal

When I feel a little “blue”, there’s no better place to turn to than my art journal: mixed media collage, color, journaling and found poetry come together to express emotions and allow a magical story to emerge…

first layers:

Pictured above are the first layers of a page I started a few months ago. Well, many months ago actually, when you realize that the blue background is actually household paint left-overs from when I was re-painting our front door last summer... with my journal right next to me! The blue is from the door itself, the black from a cast-iron insert that adorns it, and the cream is from the walls in our hallway... This goes to show that you can really start a page and play in your journal any time, any way!

In my art journal, I like to have many pages started in advance so I never have to tackle a scary blank page if I don’t feel like it. Last winter, I went back to this very rough, just-started page and took a few minutes to look through my stash of mixed media collage materials. I quickly and intuitively gathered a little bundle to match the colors that were already there.

Many of these scraps actually come from a lesson in my online class "The Artist & the Journal", where I share everything I know about art journaling. In some of the lessons, I show you exactly what to look for in magazines, and how to customize reclaimed papers to make unique (and free) collage fodder. Years after filming this, I'm still using the papers I made that day!

Building a unique stash of collage materials is such a great way to make your art personal and unique!

Fast-forward a few months and the layers have added up: I’ve glued the papers in place, journaled intuitively here and there, added some ink and scribbles, some circles, which are a favorite symbol...

Life has its ups and downs, emotions rise and fall and on some days when I felt a little blue, this page seemed to naturally call to me. Art journaling is my go-to when I need a creative outlet to express my thoughts and feelings, and it never fails to put me in a better mood.

On “one of those days” I started playing with cut-out words from magazines. The process of “found poetry”, or “found stories” as I like to call it, is so relaxing and intuitive. It feels just like receiving messages from your inner soul, and it never fails to carry some gentle wisdom.

Combining words and art is one of my favorite things about art journaling, there's something completely magical about it! I love the serendipity of this process, letting stories emerge intuitively. It doesn't have to fully make sense, but it never fails to express something from deep within.

At this stage, it’s OK to simply play and not glue anything just yet. It’s good to let the words sit on the page for a while and give yourself the time to see which words were only meant for a moment, and which are meant to stay… I loved the phrase:

“because everything shifts when you embrace your own fairy soul.”

But eventually, I decided to put it aside for later, to use on another page. And I ended up keeping just the part that said:

“I run away in pursuit of wonder, deep into the magic of the natural world”.

After that, all the elements of my page were in place and all I had to do was keep playing! This last stage of finishing touches is another favorite part of the process. I journaled some more, letting my inner whispers guide my pen. I also added more collage, scribbles, doodles, lines, and a magical, uplifting touch of gold.

A tiny little heart became a meaningful focal point that ties it all together, a way to honor this journey from my heart to the page…

and here is the finished page:

I hope this has inspired you. As you can see, the creative process of art journaling can truly be anything you like, following the flow of your life and emotions. It’s OK for a page to unfold over many months, working in tiny pockets of time or longer stretches. It’s OK to not have a plan at the start and let intuition be your guide.

Above all, the real magic of art journaling happens when you show up as your true self, when you make art just for you, for your own pleasure, your emotional wellbeing and the simple joy of infusing creativity into your days, one layer at a time.