Tuesday

Letting the mind unravel a little... collage art journal


I have long been a lover of journalling.. page after page filled with my gorgeous painstakingly delicate renderings, filled with inspiring words and colorful delightful artwork....... 

right?..

um... nope.

More like pages of ramblings, scribbles, shopping lists mixed in with 'dream lists', new art ideas jammed in between Christmas present lists, my 4 year old's scrawls covering my fabulous new 'gratitude list' and sketches interspersed between inspiring quotes I have found. Lets not forget favorite songs I would like to download nudging up against  multiple paragraphs of epiphanies I have discovered through lengthy chats with my awesome supernatural internal spiritual SWAT team. ( I am very partial to a great epiphany !)

You've all seen those mind blowing journals of artists , that are presented when interviewed and asked ..
" may we take a peek into your journal " ?..... 

  HA.. honey you do not want to peek into mine!!!

But I love the freedom of not trying to keep it all tidy.. my journals are an extension of me.. my current spot on my journey.. I can let it all hang out.. no holds barred..  NAKED MIND UNRAVELLINGS...exploring/pondering  all showcased in the glorious exciting color of..

black ballpoint...  yup.. even the drawings.

So anyhoo.. no gorgeous inside journal pics here..
 ( where the heck do these people find the time !!!...hmmm... maybe if I gave up showering.....)
 BUT 
I can make the outside pretty... for my latest two I collaged on old ephemera and some of my 'imperfect' prints ( little bit 'o' recycling points here people !), splurged on some paint , pastels and ink.

Care to take a peek at the outside of my journals?..





So I guess I will continue to leave the 'oh so gorgeous' art journalling to 'them that don't need to shower'..



:) Cheers , Helen


24 comments:

  1. LOL! I'm so glad I'm not the only one with black ball point pen art journals mixed with lists of groceries. LOVED this post and those covers!

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  2. @Wilme !!! yay you too??? that's awesome!!!
    thank you for making me feel a little less 'pretty journal deprived' haha!!

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  3. Hey, I need one of those awesome journals. I have a feeling the inside would be just like yours, minus the 4 year old scribblings, unless you want to loan that little angel to me?? The are beautiful and might I add even more lovely in person. You are always such an inspiration to me.
    Love ~ LeslieMichele

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  4. Here another pretty journal deprived person reporting from Belgium...
    Like you I'm content when the outside is pretty. Yours are splendid.
    Especially that musical one!
    Paula

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  5. aww.. thanks Leslie.. little Zackary would be most honored to come and scribble all over your beautiful writings!! hehe!

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  6. @ Paula!! yay I'm not alone .. we are gathering strength in numbers here!!
    thanks for coming to play!

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  7. Hello, I'm doing Creative Courage with you. I love this post - you could be describing my journal too! Mine's not even pretty on the outside - though you have inspired me to pretty it up. :) Your art is beautiful. Becsx

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  8. Hi Becs thanks for popping in!... yay more 'unpretty inside journallers'!!
    I find if it appeals to me on the outside I'm more inclined to want to pick it up and use it :) my wee brain is much happier in the long run when I do..

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  9. Haha yes i can also relate! But no fair just showing your gorgeous covers! We'd like a peek at the grocery lists and scribbles too! :)
    Your creative courage classmate...xokp

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  10. Hiya kristen! whoa the dreaded inside pics?? you are brave !.. hmm.. maybe I'll find a particularly unsplendid' one to post up :)..thanks for visiting!

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  11. These illustrations are so beautiful. I don't quite get the journaling side. I tried on my Moleskine before but I ended up mixing my thought with grocery lists and phone numbers. Hehehe. Hope you are enjoying this cool weather.

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  12. @ Ces- well that's good to know Ces..I thought you would have an amazing journal with your fab drawing skills!! haha.. but I'm so glad to know you are in the same boat as me!! I guess you like to shower also!
    Cheers , H

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  13. First off, I LOVE your art - it's absolutely stunning!! I was wandering around your blog before, just sort of speechless *proof in the lack of previous comments ;)*

    Personally, I'm as 'compartmental' as can be when it comes to - well, MUCH ;) - but especially papered stuff... I have an art journal for thoughts-turned-images, a journal for my morning pages, a sketchbook for 'serious drawing' and loose paper for stuff I 'might use for something at some stage' - oh my gosh, it sounds worse when I type it down :)

    I LOVE your type of journal! They are bound to be such documents to life as it happens! I wish I could let go a little more! That's how I see it... Life is hardly ever clean-cut! I know my attempts to make it seem that way are pretty much neurotic ;)

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  14. Honestly, your journals are beautiful!!!!!!
    And inspiring!

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  15. @ Yvonne..ooh i do love the sound of your very pretty orderly journals.. I imagine them all in very nice , tidy piles.. :) would love to peek inside..

    Thanks for visiting and bringing with you such lovely comments..makin' us happy over here ;)
    Cheers , Helen

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  16. @ merisi.. aww why thank you!! you can definitely come back and play again!! hehe!

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  17. Oh me too. I love me a good shower. I do some of my best thinking there. Something about the scalp massage, I think.

    Anyhoooo....you know, if I journaled, I would so want yours. It's gorgeous! You have the right idea. Make the cover so awesomely striking and beautiful that everyone would just stare at the cover and not venture past it. Ah HA! I discovered your secret.

    And for the record, I have been told that I resemble a mushroom. Especially back in the 80s and days of big hair. shudder.

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  18. haha I can't get one past you bella!! 80's shroom hair! awesome!
    I thought you would have been one of the perfect journallers' with your precious neat little illustrative masterpieces everywhere!!

    But you're right lets go for the shower !! um.. maybe a loooong bath! :)

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  19. You are just awesome. Thank you for making me happy and for inspiring me to jump back into and get all messy in my journal. xo

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  20. Thanks Shannon!! yay for messy!!! I'm going to pop over and visit you now!

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  21. Beautiful covers. I do my morning pages in boring composition books and I do my sketching in boring sketch books. Fancifying the covers would be inspirational! Thanks for the idea.

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  22. Go pretty 'em up DeAnne.. it definitely makes them harder to resist!!

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  23. Yep, you should be selling those beauties! They covers are stunning...and yes, we would all like to see what is inside...

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  24. @ Eva.. aww, man you think you are brave enough to see the inside.. ? perhaps I can do one of those cool photo montages ' of some of my 'wilder pages! hehe..

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