Here are a few tips about journaling:
- Follow your first instinct, your "gut" instinct.
- Use your first thoughts. That is your authentic self. Do not limit yourself to what the internal editor/critic wants you to hear/say/think/do.
- Allow the words to flow out of you, uncensored. You can censor and edit later.
- Pick the image that speaks to you, that grabs your attention and go with the flow.
- Write for yourself.
- Do not write what you think you should write.
- Do not write for an audience.
- Pick a journal that you are not intimidated by.
- Pick a journal that will work for what you want to do. For example, I like to write in spiral coiled books because you can fold them in half or easily rip out pages that you decide not to keep. They also are more expandable for gluing stuff into.
Journals do not have to be expensive. Plain lined ones can be bought for a few dollars at drugstores or the Walmart-type stores of the world. I find that books marked: "Journal" or sold at book stores tend to be of higher quality but are more expensive, smaller, and less easy to collage into. It can also be intimidating to have a beautifully bound journal. Some of my thoughts aren't beautiful.
Art stores, dollar stores and scrapbooking stores are great resources for the extras. Magazines that have been read are also a source of visual inspiration. You can even cut out words or letters and make a spread using no handwriting.
Collage journaling materials:
- A lined or plain notebook (back-to-school sales are the perfect time to stock up)
- A blank art book (weight of pages is dependent on what type of medium you will use; ask someone at the art store for help in figuring out what's right for your art)
- Tracing paper
- Magazines
- Pens of a rainbow of colour — try different styles like calligraphy, thin or thick tip, gel, roller, etc.
- Markers (I prefer Crayola)
- Glitter glue
- Stickers
- Tissue paper
- Glue stick (this is less messy than liquid glue and dries quickly)
- Scissors
- Paints (I prefer acrylic as you can make them thick like oil or thin like watercolour)
- Paint brushes
- A small jar to hold water for the paint
- Plate or palette (to mix the paints)
- A box to hold the cut out images until you can use them
- Anything that is fun for you to use! Your only limitation is your imagination. And don't let that limit you!
Experiment. Enjoy the process. Allow yourself to get lost in the words, images, cutting and pasting. It can be a delightful and satisfying way to spend a few minutes or a few hours. And remember the wisdom of Henry David Thoreau: "It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."
Originally posted on Creativity Portal: http://www.creativity-portal.com/articles/kristi-kovalishyn/collage-journaling.html
