Art Journaling Without Rules
Tue, January 29, 2013 at 01:17PM {reposting this essay from March 2011}
Psyched to bring this post forward for The Buried Treasure project at The Altered Page! Seth Apter is coordinating a massive treasure hunt and I'm taking part.
this is a page from a book i altered a few years ago
{Info on the page above at Black Gesso & Stamps}
We're governed by rules and we impose rules {trivial and not so} on ourselves -- things like no coffee after 2pm or always vacuum on Mondays -- so it's not surprising that we make rules for our art.
A two page spread has to be one journaled as one big page.
Don't tear out pages.
Every page has to have some words or journaling.
The colors I choose have to "go" together.
A page has to be finished in one sitting.
You can't art journal on canvas.
Pages must be worked in order.
My pages have to look like those of {insert cool art journalist's name here}
Don't brag. Don't bitch. Don't be a downer. Don't get too personal.
Don't cut up your journal pages.
You can't work in seven journals at once.
All of the above are certified 100% without a doubt, officially, undeniably wrong. Art journaling has no rules. It is whatever you want it to be. It's not "having" finished pages but "having created" the pages that makes me happy. To put a rule on yourself misses the point. You CAN have a journal dedicated to something specific. You CAN have a journal of one style. You CAN finish a page in one sitting. But you don't have to.
I don't like to follow rules in general, and certainly not in my art.
The joy is in the play.
Please... tell me about your rules. I am curious to learn what constraints we put on our journals. What rules, spoken or un-, do you place on your art journaling or drawing? Do any of the rules speak to you? Do you have rules that you didn't realize you had? Let's chat.
Reader Comments (33)
I'm new to art journaling but have been reading your blog for over a year now. You're such an inspiration! As far as rules in my art journaling I'm definitely guilty of thinking that the colors must "go together"! I'm trying to get away from this by just letting my muse take hold and not overthinking the process. I would have to say I've also been limiting myself to not journaling in more than one journal (even though I have a new mixed media journal I'm dying to try out!). I seem to think I need to finish one journal before I start another but you've convinced me to get crazy and start journaling in two (or more!) at once! LOL! Thanks again for all your creative inspiration!
Because I've been keeping an art journal for a few years now, I've gone beyond the point of following rules. I am okay with whatever happens in my art journals. I am okay with the fact that I have half a dozen journals started but not "finished."
This is a good post. You always inspire me to get out of my comfort zone and try to experiment more.
Hugs,
Sophie
I like this prompt... just jump in! :]
Take what is already on your page, and run with it, inspiring!
My only rule - just do it. Put whatever I feel like in it. Express whatever I feel like, use whatever I feel like. Just feel it.
Oh, and I like to like it when I'm done.
I adore you:) Another inspirational day......I want SO badly to just let go......I'm trying:) I love the altered book page, also. Did you do a layer of black gesso or acrylic paint?
I've been reading about art journaling for a LONG time, but just finally jumped in at the beginning of this year to really try it for myself. I started with a small-ish book in order to be less intimidating (though I'm feeling a little cramped and looking forward to starting a bigger book--so I guess I've imposed the rule of finishing one before starting another). I notice that I often do one page at a time, rather than a spread like I see on so many web sites. It hasn't bothered me to break that "rule." I agree that just DOING IT is the one rule to follow! It feels so great once I get a page underway, and by watching videos I see posted online I'm starting to gather courage to be a little more messy and trust that I can both enjoy the process and make changes to ultimately like the result. I've been reading your blog for a few weeks now, and really enjoying all it has to teach me. Thanks!
I have rules and they are preventing me from working in my art journal at all at the moment. Thank you so much for opening my eyes to this so that perhaps I can get unstuck and start moving. I haven't had much time so I haven't done much journaling lately because "a page has to be finished in one sitting". And I was a bit stuck on a "2-page" spread beause I had written a book quote and my interpretation on the left page and covered the right page with a dirt colored paint and I was trying to think how I could make them flow together. Forget flow. I'm off to draw on the dirt and I won't even concern myself on how it relates to Mary and Martha on the lefthand page. :-)
It seems the rule I discovered this morning that I follow is to put my iffy stuff, my planning in a separate journal from my nice art journal. I need to integrate the two.
Howdy,
It's a good thing that I never knew those 'rules' - because I've broken all ten. Plus, I'm a 'repeat offender'.
I do have some rules for my own journals:
1-never throw away any 'failed' art pieces.
2-always use a wirebound book.
3-always laminate 2 sheets of paper together if less than 140lb.
4-always start a page by adhereing tape or adhering scrapbooking paper scrap strips around the borders.
5-always start a white page by writing or printing a resist inside the borders using graphite pencil and/or wax crayon and/ or color pencil and/or acrylic paint stamped on.
6-always create at least 8 layers on each page (this rule harkens back to my days as a music producer when I was composing and arranging songs on 8 tracks with a different instrument on each track).
7-always 'tone' a white page with homemade acrylic glaze as the 1st color layer.
8 - Test, test, test! always test new tools, test new supplies and test new media in my 'lab test /studio inventory journal' before using in my 'good' journals.
9-always make and use my own original supplies and materials as often as possible to avoid using copyright material.
10-never store supplies in their original bulky packaging.
Now I'm going to try and break my own 'rules'! Thanks for the prompt.
Peace,
LuLu
Would love for you to visit my blog when you have a moment or 2!
www.lulu-too-beaucoup.blogspot.com
and one more rule:
11- be as messy as possible. Save the 'neat' work for my scrapbooks.
Thanks again for reminding us to give ourselves 'permission'.
Peace,
LuLu
Funny that you said "you can't art journal in seven journals at once" because that is exactly how many I have going at the current time... and that doesn't include my altered book lol...I try to stick to one rule "have fun!"
i LOVE this. love, love, love. my rules for myself.. hm..
1) don't show a page on my blog or in twitter unless i like it. 2) don't let an ugly page be the finished page / always paint over something that i consider ugly (this is a big one, and i'm slowly working on it). 3) don't work in a journal unless i have a few hours, unless i feel creative. 4) don't be visibly, obviously angry, obscene, vulgar, etc. in case i ever want to show someone my journal later. 5) similarly, don't write things openly that i don't want anyone else to read. 6) only ever use two or three main colors.
i see that i have a list of prompts i can dedicate some pages to! and i'm sure that i have more, too..
this is wonderful. i'm going to share this!
ingrid
- don't repeat yourself (if I've used a quote, photo or idea before, I'm reluctant to use it again later - or if I do, I feel like I've cheated)
- must be pretty (if a page isn't visually appealing to me, I tend to work it until it IS; because, you know, I might want to submit that journal someday - sigh)
- must have writing (I'm definitely with you on that one - can't seem to resist writing on EVERY page and pages without writing nag at me until I eventually go back to them)
- must never be finished (I have SUCH a hard time completing the last few pages of any journal - I always seem to have a newer better one waiting, so nearly every journal I've ever started has a few empty pages at the back)
love the idea of letting these rules be broken - thanks tammy!
Tina, Let this be an area of your life where you play, where you don't tell yourself you must finish this before starting that. I look forward to hearing about your escapades in the new mixed media journal - before you finish the current journal - best wishes!
Sophie, Go girl, fly, be free!!! I'm wondering if it also takes some time spent art journaling to become more relaxed in our own pages.
April, You are right... the fewer rules, the easier to just jump in!!!
Nicole, It's such a great feeling to be able to jump in and play, isn't it? I do like to like my pages too!
Rose, I went back and added a link to the info about the page in the post; it is indeed black gesso.
Andria, I think you will like journaling *bigger* - more freedom to add anything you wish without focusing on space constraints. You can switch the focus of that small journal and use it for quotes or writings with simple backgrounds, something that works better in a small space.
Rachel, Seven journals? Wow, take a photo of that juicy stack of artwork!
Kirsten, I'm happy that this helped you reconsider how you work in your journal.
Timaree, An integrated "everything" journal would be cool. It could allow more freedom and less decision making as to what goes where, more flow while you are working.
LuLu, I found your comment about having a separate "test" journal interesting. It does show that you are giving more importance or formality to the "regular" journal. I hope you will go for it and break some rules this week! My favorite of your rules was the 8 layers rule!!! How interesting that our former jobs and lives impact our current artwork.
Ingrid, Lovely to see you here! Looking forward to your 21 Secrets workshop! I do follow your rules about vulgarity or not writing things that i don't want anyone else to read" -- my daughters look at my pages as I work on them - although I do write that kind of stuff in my writing journal.
Kelley, I do agree with your rule about continuing a page until you like it, not because I will submit it anywhere (I dont' even know how to do that!) but because for me it's about playing in my journal so there's no rush to leave one page and move on to another.
Great discussion!!!
~ Tammy
never start an art journal without finishing the last one
never rip pages out you can gesso over it
other than that I love your pages and your blog, you are a great inspiration
Love this post! Go break the rules!!! Yes, I have rules, some I am ok with. I prefer to work my pages in order. I think of my journal as "the story of my life". I tend to be more of a visual journaler. I am trying to write more in my journals. Hanging out with Teesha & Tracy Moore taught me it's ok to write in my journals.
Great post. My rules seemed to depend on my mood. Today I told myself I couldn't visit my bloggy friends or go on Twitter until I'd done x, y, z... Well I managed x & y but felt compelled to visit your blog (the first blog visit today). And look how your post fits in well. Oh and I did an art journal page early this morning & tried to tell myself that it couldn't be left looking such a mess - but I chased that idea right out of my mind. And again here I arrive at your blog as if to gain support!
Always a pleasure visiting your blog. Thanks.
Suppose I better get on with some work but so glad I broke my rules to visit you first :-)
Kat X
It's interesting how most of us probably don't think of ourselves having "rules" in our art--until we actually stop and think about it! I never realized it, but one of my big-time rules is that I always have to say something. There's always got to be a big message in what I'm doing, and as a result I'm so set on my internal social commentary that I lose sight of just playing on the page and seeing what happens. Thanks for the insight; I'm a big fan of your blog!
I am new to art journaling and I am enjoying your blog. I'll love all the inspirational tips. I'm trying tobreak my rules, but I find I don't journal unless "I have enough time", I'm feeling creative and I find it very difficult to write in my journals. My colors never go together and my pages certainly don't look like those of {insert favorite art journaler here}. But I am experimenting, having fun and plan to make the time to try one of your prompts.
The most inhibiting "rule" I have is that all my journal pages should look original. This is obviously hopeless as I love reading jounraling books and blogs and have now seen probably every possibility that exists. It's also especially pointless as I have no plans to show my journals to anyone.
One thing that sometimes helps is to give myself permission to purposely do a page that copies a particular style.