I want to share with my readers a secret. Not really a secret, since quite a few of my friends know about it, but a habit of mine. Three years ago, a dear friend of my husband died of illness. He was only in his 50's, a good man, funny guy, brilliant economist, terrific friend, you name it. It shocked and saddened everyone. It also painfully reminded me of the brevity and uncertainty of life. So I started keeping a visual journal to celebrate life. This was even before I discovered Danny Gregory and his Everyday Matters philosophy. A mundane everyday does matter; life is no more and no less than an accumulation of every days.
The above picture is the front and back covers of one of my typical journal books. I use good heavy watercolor paper, cut it to size (9" x 9"), and recycle my old paintings on paper as covers. After laminating the covers, I take the book to a Staples store to get it spiral-bound. Then fun begins. I used to sketch in the book everyday, but couldn't keep up because of everyday responsibilities. Instead of giving it all up, I switched to photo-journaling. When I am traveling and find myself visually stimulated, I draw, collage, paint, and write in the book.
Thanks for sharing this. What a nifty way to make a journal. I took Susan Abbot's "Traveling with your Sketchbook" workshop at the Art League last spring - it was a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Susan Abbot's journals are unblievable! Boy, she can draw.
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