Visual Journaling

I've written about journaling before, but I keep returning to the topic of visual or art journaling. In September I will hold my first workshop on visual journaling for my creative playdate group. I must admit it makes me a little nervous to create this playdate because they are friends. Yet, that makes no sense at all ... one should try things out with friends first! Especially a group of women who are totally supportive of one another.

As I posed in the previous entry, what's the point? Why not just stick with pages and pages of words? Using visual imagery or simply color on a blank page taps into another part of the brain. We "see" things through images differently than through the written word. Using color and imagery allows us to learn more about ourself as we tap into a deeper and more primal place of knowledge.

Even though I've been keeping a visual journal for a couple of years, I feel like a neophyte. I google "visual journal" and get lost in the myriad of artist websites sharing their journals (artists who blog are really generous with their work and their process!)

What have I learned by keeping a visual journal? 1. I LOVE color. I prefer writing on a colored page than a blank white page. Hence, I paint several pages of a journal each week. Sometimes, that is the only arting project that I have time for. As small as it is, it keeps me connected to creating.

2. I have a long-standing love affair with pens. For my morning journal I select a colored pen to work well with the page I'll be using. That one little step is a healthy creative habit!

3. I enjoy gluing stuff into my everyday journal, like scraps from art projects. These scraps were put into the book at the end of one of my art retreat days. There is a neat place for journaling or an image. (This will also make a nice background page for another project/journal page.)

4. It doesn't take a lot of time. I don't have time during the academic year to do much arting. Putting an image in my journal and writing about it is not as satisfying as a whole day for art, but more satisfying than just putting words on the page.

5. Documenting your day is a fun way to make a journal memory page.

This journal page documents a Sunday that I decided to photo-journal. That forced me to pay attention, and when I put it all together, I was able to see that nourishment was all around me.

6. I really think this matters. As I seek a place within the creative coaching environment, a place that fits with my goals and talents, visual or creative journaling might just be something of value to women who wish to live more creatively.

If you keep a visual journal, I'd love to hear about your experience. If you wish to explore visual journaling, stay tuned ...