I want my content here to be primarily offerings – things you can try on your own that i’m either in the process of trying out myself, or have tried/learned a version of a thing already
I write these for you, and i write these for me too. Expressing visual art ideas with words and putting them out there / materializing them in this way is very helpful for me, like a coach or an artist friend cheering me on.
I hope you can get something for yourself too, and if you ever wanna share how what i offer has impacted you, i’d love to know! just reply to this post or from your masto instance 🙂
I define sketchbook journaling as pulling something from the day, and making something in a sketchbook about it.
This can show up in different forms:
- A literal scene/snapshot,
- a zoomed-in moment,
- abstracts based on textures + colors i noticed,
- descriptive illustrations,
- comic-like moments,
- outfit of the day
- collaging a ticket, handout of an event/parking/etc
- a memory that popped up during the day
What it’s teaching me, an invitation
- Training to notice my world/surroundings. makes me feel more present in my body and my life
- Which translates into gratitude for and uplifting day-to-day moments
- Uplifting them in ways that gives them meaning and space, even when they would seem like whatever otherwise
- These moments can be with myself, or people I cherish and love – with friends, family, partner(s), my pet. The care, the intention, the goofiness, the nonsense and epiphanies in the everyday
- this also helps with remembering and memory keeping, as someone with a janky memory it’s super valuable
- Learning to appreciate moments for what they are teaches me to appreciate my art for what it is. Whatever form i’m inspired to do, whatever medium i wanna use, it just is. It’s not ‘not good enough’, ‘not interesting enough’
If i’m not excited abt what i’m making art about, maybe that’s an invitation to change things up in real life (if that’s an option : ))
Other stuff
- Here’s a video by an artist on youtube that goes into this kind of journaling, from a different perspective and a little more in detail : ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKozx3wGfOc
- This music performance that i’ve been obsessed with for literal months: reminds me of the possibilities, the beauty, and the pain all existing together https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGeRkoJdIdA