The very reason that I love art journaling is the exact same reason that I had no interest in doing it in the first place. I thought, if you can't hang it or wear it, what was the point of it? With limited time to make art, I thought doing something so frivolous as creating art that no one would see was a waste of time. It's not that I never "played" in the art studio but usually in the back of my mind I knew that some day the piece I was playing with could be over-dyed, collaged, or used as a background for my "real" art.
A few years ago, my perspective changed when I met Colleen Attara. I bought myself a birthday gift of an art retreat which turned out to be a life changing experience for me in many ways. I wrote a blog post on it here. One of the most amazing experiences was taking Colleen's class. Through her stories of how this form of art transformed her life and how it helped her deal with difficult experiences, I could see how it could help my own life. As I spent the day playing with transfers, paints, inks, ephemera, typewriters and sewing machines I got lost in the process of play. I was completely free to make mistakes and create without fear which was exactly what i needed.
Last month for my mom's birthday, I took her to Colleen's cottage art studio in Yardley PA. I wanted to share with her what had been so important for me. Spending the day with my mom and watching her learn new techniques along side of me was a gift. The day could not have been more perfect and one that I will always treasure.
And now as I am in between projects, it is my art journal that I go to when I need to clear my head and work things out. I know my body needs to create to find peace and this kind of no-expectation art is exactly what I need.
