Art Journaling Imperfection
Wed, March 11, 2009 at 05:00AM The PERFECT TITLE for this piece might have been Perfectionism vs. Art or perhaps Fear of Art but I couldn't decide. Fear - perfectionism - procrastination - pick your poison. Try to make something perfect. Fear stops you in your tracks. Or makes you repeat and continuously refine.
* i'm not creative * i don't know where to start* i need to take a class*
* i have no time * i need to buy a journal * i have to watch a tutorial *
* i don't have any space * what would i write * what would i do with it
* ad infinitim *
It's about enjoying the process of applying color to paper, bringing words and thoughts to life. It's not about results. Art journaling is chaotic, imperfect, without rules, abstract, unstructured. It gives my analytical mind a nice relaxing break.
Gift yourself with a bit of time and space this week to relax with a few art supplies and a cup of tea. If you let yourself start, you will build experience and comfort in the process. In time, the positive effects of doing art balance the fear. Doing art can bring calm to our lives and help our minds balance the chaos of the world, the economy, and clueless politicians.
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Reader Comments (7)
fear. definitely fear. everyones stuff is so good that im afraid of starting cos i dont want to screw up.... i keep making excuses that i dont have enough materials, that my supplies are bad quality, that i cant use them properly and all that.... so quite often i end up doing nothing or copying others. cant find my style. and i know from the days ago that i have [had??] the potential...sad but true.
I've often had that very problem...that feeling of needing to make things just PERFECT and the fear of not being able to do that kept me from even starting. Finally I said NO...so what if it's not perfect, I can still make it ME. That's how I began and my Art Journaling days began...thankfully. They have become my saving grace.
Peace & Love,
~Barb~
A few months ago I wore the "fear shoes" and was afraid of taking the first steps. I'm SO happy that I decided to step out of those terrible, old shoes. As long as my artwork pleases me, I'm happy! Please, please don't let fear intimidate your creativity! You're missing out on a lot of fun and happiness. Sure, your first pieces might not be "perfect", but the journey is well worth the effort!
I just found your blog yesterday. I agree with you so much. My acting teacher use to tell me why are you trying to be perfect? For the birds or the Trees? Mess up it and you'll feel better. She was so right. I never forgot that lesson. Perfectionism gets in the way.
It is often the imperfect nature of art that we most enjoy! The freedom of odd numbers, patterns, chaos, collage, randomness... yummy stuff.
When I teach, I am filled with fear that my samples won't be perfect. They aren't perfect. In fact, if the participants like their own better, it's a great outcome. But I fret and fret. And I KNOW better! And thanks for the mention, I appreciate it!
I am so glad I found your site DY. I had to take your advice to start an "Art Fodder" file. As I read your 'kickstart' article, I remembered that our very obsolete Yellow Pages were downstairs waiting. It made the perfect art fodder file, the pages with their ads and lists make a great background. I came up with the idea to alter the Yellow Pages everyday: adding typewritten pages, gluing, taping, stapling, labeling, stickering. The lady Liberty on the cover got a cigarette. The completed pages I like can be recycled and reused via copy machine, scanner, etc...