…find your own voice!
Hello, hello, this is the teacher in me speaking.
Yep, I start this Tuesday with a blindingly obvious platitude,
but those are the ones we easily forget.
I needed a reminder myself last week…
You might remember this unfinished art journal page?
(I showed it in my former post.)
For those who didn’t read that post:
I started this journal page, using the ‘painty’ instructions from the
step-by-step instructions on Julie’s Art Journal Every Day blog.
I completed the first two instructions…
1. Prep a page.
2. Apply acrylic paint with a credit card. Scratch into it with a toothpick.
It isn’t my way of working at all, and I didn’t like the page much…
I shoved this page aside but I kept on coming back to it; I don’t like unfinished
business you know. So I decided to not follow Julie’s steps anymore and make
this page my own without worrying if it was ‘according to the rules’.
I did use some of her ideas though (apply gesso, scrape it off again. Paint
shapes onto a bookpage, cut out the shapes and glue them onto the page)
but I also added a collage, I did some doodling and I made it work for me!
I worked on it all Sunday afternoon (I discovered that ’10 minutes a day’
doesn’t work for me either… not when I have the feeling that it is ‘ordered’
anyway… )
And now this page is mine!
The text says: For those about to rock: find your own voice.
I thought that was pretty smart of me, to glue this ‘lesson’ onto this page 😀
In the meantime, I was working in my ‘Chronicles’ art journal.
The moment I started this page, at the beginning of last week, it felt
like this one was going to be an awesome one… and yesssss… it is!
I love it!
Week #5
It’s odd really… I work almost every day in my ‘Chronicles’ art journal,
sometimes even for a short time (like 10 minutes?) and in this journal,
it seems to work for me. Then why doesn’t it work when I create an “Art
Journal Every Day” page?
I thought about it, and I figured it out.
“The Chronicles” is MY LIFE JOURNAL, and it is in DUTCH (I can always
find the right words in Dutch… while in English I have to think and translate!)
I just feel comfortable with this journal, I fiddle around, describing my week
and I don’t ever worry if it is going to be ‘good’.
Why can’t I do that on another ‘every day’ page too?
Simple: I poured everything I wanted to do/say on this page already!
And when I’m done, it is over. Finished. Basta. Seen that. Move on…
…and not start something similar on another page.
After playing with my ‘Chronicles’, I like to create something else,
mostly a page with a theme or quote or picture I have in mind.
I don’t know if I explain it right, but I have a clear vision on how it works
(and not works) for me. Thanks to Julie: (different) lesson learned. YEAY!
Have a lovely week, keep on rocking in your own voice!
You’re so funny, Marit. I never took you for a rule follower. Maybe that’s the problem (a good one). I know that this was difficult, but you came out the other side learning something and that’s the point in the end isn’t it. You have your own style and it’s great. I always come here looking for inspiration.
Twee prachtige “plaatjes” Marit!
Wat een “eyecatchers”…
Today I will be rocking the windows…
M.a.w. ramen lappen staat op de planning 🙂
Such a waste of time 🙁
Of course, now I have “For those about to ROCK, we SALUTE you!” in my head instead! LOL!! I love love love love these!! your designs and colors are FAB!:):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)
you’re the master of art journaling! love your work!
Yeah to you for doing your own thing! I’m not much of a rule follower either. Love your art journal pages.
You artistic style is great, I love your eye and your work.
April
http://www.lifeinprintphotography.blogspot.com
The best part of journaling for me is that there are no rules. That canbe hard at first because you don’t know where to start, but once you relaize that your journal is only for you, and that your process of working in it is totally up to you, it makes it free to be whatever you want it to be ! And you know what ? Is is so okay to have a page that you don’t like. Just turn it over and start a new one !
I love how you play, Marit ! Keep on playing your way !
Hugs !
Wow! I love how you took that first page that wasn’t working for you and made it your own. It is so cool!
I like the before AND after!
Marit, I think I’m going to frame that quote and hang it in my studio right in front of my vision line! It’s so important to “make it my own”. I almost never follow someone’s art techniques to the letter and always end up improvising. Such an important lesson in creativity! Awesome pages! Hugs, Terri xoxoxo
I know what you mean by “ordered”…creating is about being free to explore….love your completed pages! 🙂
P/s: It’s Feb and I haven’t art journaled a single page!!!
Love your title!! I ‘salute’ You!!! Yes I DO!!
Your pages are amazing, I am telling you the truth when I say you really are my idol!!
My post will be up in a bit, not yet. I’m only just starting, but I like what’s happening with it!!
Natuurlijk moet je dat doen, je eigen stijl volgen!
Ik probeer dat ook wel eens te doen, het ‘liften’ van een layout van iemand met een andere stijl, maar dat lukt me toch niet. Je moet het doen met je gevoel, niet met je ratio. (Lijkt de liefde wel, lol)
Hoe is het met het schrijfwerk??
Groetjes, Jenneke
Hetzelfde gebeurde met mij! Ik had de pagina ook eerst bewerkt met gesso, verf en daarna getekend (gekrast) en ik vond het helemaal niks! Hij ligt er nog steeds… Wel heb ik daar door inspiratie gekregen voor een layout (die ik nog niet kan laten zien) waar ik heel blij mee ben. Die is precies geworden wat ik in gedachten had. Ik ga het gewoon weer opnieuw proberen, bij jou is het in ieder geval prima gelukt! 2 prachtige pagina’s weer!
En dat is de hele bedoeling van je eigen journal pages!! Mooi toch dat je weet hoe het werkt, mijn wekelijkse art journal is wel gebaseerd op Julie’s ‘Art Journal Everyday’ en daarom kan ik er ook dagelijks aan werken, maar wat ik maak voor challenges ed, kan ik ook niet op die manier. Grappig hé!
Well you rock my world Marit!! I agree with you – 10 minutes isn’t enough for me and I’d rather spend an hour or so creating multiple backgrounds while I wait for my “main thing” to dry in stages, than follow rules!!! I think the language (Mother tongue) is very influential – totally logical. I’d have the same problem creating in German or Spanish so I admire you immensely. Kudos.
Awesomeness is abundant here! =)
I have scrapbook pages sitting around half worked on myself. something isn’t flowing and I just walk away. I hate leaving them, but I stick them in a box and move on. Every now and then I’ll take them out and finish one.. Actually I was telling a friend last night how I am the queen of unfinished craft projects.. I just finished a cross – stitch project I started in 1990. yes, 20 years later, I finished. there is always hope.. lol.. =)
I think your work is fabulous whether in dutch or english. =) that quote is awesome. i love it.
Hi Marit, great to hear from you. I love both your pages, I’ve been dabbling a very little bit in the art journaling thing, I’m finding it works better if I forget about the journaling bit, lol. Your pages are both awesome, it’s good to see something you didn’t like at all being transformed into something else. And well done for finishing the cross stich, lol!
Helen x