5 minute read
Creating a life raft
Sometimes the simplest things require the most explanation. So, before I get going about art journaling, let’s clear up a couple of things.
A journal and a diary are two different things! And the main difference is that a diary is usually a bound book with lined pages that is used to record your day. In fact, the word diary comes from the Latin word for day. So, it is a blank book where you record your daily events as they happened. A journal, on the other hand, is also a blank book where thoughts, impressions, and ideas are not only noted, but they are also explored further and developed. It’s a combination of doodles, sketches, and diagrams explained by detailed notes which sometimes turn into reality. Journals and diaries have been around for quite some time and those of the past have offered a glimpse into the lives of historic figures. One of the most wellknown is The Diary of Anne Frank. But what is the difference between a journal and an art journal? Well, the journal may contain words and sketches, but an art journal is a bit more robust. It’s a journal that focuses on images, whether drawn or clipped out of a magazine and pasted, patterns, materials, and colors.
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Yes, art journals do have writing in them but sometimes, it’s just a combination of found or created images.
Most recently, art journals have been engaged as a form of creative self-care.
The global pandemic seems to have increased the interest in art journaling among artists and non-artists alike.
One of the South Coast creative community’s most enterprising
“artrepreneurs” is Alison Wells.
fiNdiNg a CoNNeCtioN
Wells is originally from Trinidad and
Tobago and relocated to the South
Coast in 2004 to pursue a master’s degree in Fine Art Painting at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
Through her hard work and persistence, she has joined the ranks of busy and successful artists.
One of her pandemic passions has been art journaling. She also teaches it!
And although others may think that
roN fortier
artists are having fun all day long in their studios, it’s work! For Alison, art journaling is therapeutic. According to Wells, art journaling provides an outlet where you can either get ideas down or get emotions and feelings out of your head, or both! Art journaling, she says, “is self-betterment that offers peace of mind, a release, a way to download thoughts and emotions while getting a better understanding of yourself.” It has been quite a journey for Wells from her Caribbean homeland of Trinidad and Tobago to her arrival on the South Coast. Art journaling has provided her with an epiphany. The pandemic provided “a fitting time to express gratitude and uninhibited creativity.” She refers to her art journals as her “mixed media gratitude journals.” She says that back in the beginning of the quarantine in 2020, “my gratitude journals comforted me during a time of uncertainty, anxiety, and fear, and it also got me out of my creative rut.”
There are classes that teach art journaling. They offer how to start an Art Journal and art basics such as the importance of value, or simply the range of lights and darks to create visually pleasing composition. Of course, there’s lots more but all you need is a journal, which is nothing more than a small sketchbook or notebook or even just a blank sheet of paper. Other tools include markers or paint pens, gel pens, paint and brushes, and of course, scissors and glue! The rest is up to your inspiration, motivation, and imagination. In an October 2017 online article in My Modern Met by Sarah Barnes, the author writes, “the benefits of getting your thoughts on paper… offers a way to de-stress and to sort through complicated emotions. As a result, you gain selfawareness and feel empowered.” Art journaling has become a recognized practice within creative therapy approaches to reduce stress, encourage creativity and to problem solve. The therapeutic activity relies on the use of art supplies and techniques without the necessary pressure of a perfect result. As we all endure the uncertainty of the pandemic, self-care has become a new mantra.
roN fortier is an international artist who emigrated to the Silver Coast of mainland Portugal where he lived, painted, and exhibited.
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