This title might make me sound all sure of my art journaling self and my style within that.  I am not, but I am getting there slowly but hopefully surely.  I see many artists who have such a distinct style that I can tell their work from 50 feet.  It is not always the same medium or colour or subject, not by a long way, they just have a style which makes them, well, them.

I want this, and I hope that in time I will achieve the same. The thing is, I am not sure I am much of an art ‘journaler’ and sometimes I feel like a fraud. My pages can end up tortured looking because I have tried to do all the things all at once! Adding all the layers, then the magazine cuttings (I really don’t like to use magazine cuttings, there I said it), then the journaling. What in the world am I to write about?  I am not spilling my inner thoughts all over a journal page, not for me thank you very much.  Do I have to write anything? Is it a rule?

One thing I have decided recently is that I am not a ‘journaler’ really, I like other people’s words, but I don’t like my own as part of an art page.  Ironic as I write a blog and I kept a diary/journal from the age of 13 up until about when my first child was born in 2001.  I have tried the journal thing from then, but not kept it up. I have tried ‘morning pages’, endless streams of writing just for the sake of it and following prompts. Not for me, not any more. I do keep a diary for the family which is full of what we did, when we did it, how we did it and what the weather was up to at the time. I have kept these diaries since my eldest was born and I love to look back at them as a memory and a record of birthdays and events as well as the day to day paraphernalia.

Strange then, that I am so unwilling to write in an art journal.

Today my journal and I came to an amicable agreement, if I want to write something I will do that first, on the blank page, before adding anything else. Make sure I use a waterproof pen or a pencil, then carry on as if it wasn’t there at all, paint over it, paste texture and gesso,  and draw over it too. Heck, maybe I will throw caution to the wind and add in a magazine cutting! I did exactly this with the cactus page at the top of this post, I wrote all over my pages then got to work.  I like how it has turned out.

This way I can do the ‘journal’ part of my art journal but then concentrate on the part I love the most, the arting. Yes, I know that is not a word, but don’t you think it should be? I do.

Of course if I come over all inspired, I will add some words, but it will no longer be just because I think I should.  If I find an amazing quote or have some fabulous thoughts I wish to share, then I shall. Hurrah.

No writing at all on this page (not my writing anyway), just me having a little go at some more face drawing and I added a little galaxy effect around my lady. I am still working through my altered book and enjoying the process.

Thanks as always to the Get Messy Art Journal community for encouraging and inspiring.  If you are at all interested in art journaling, I recommend you pop over and see what Get Messy is all about.