What do I get out of this?

I think we all have to come to a point where we have to stop and ask the following:

• What are my intentions? 
• Why do I keep an art journal?
•  What do I get out of this?
•  Is keeping an Art Journal something I do for myself or am I doing it for the world? 

I think before we can get to the real answer we need to take a look at what we have been doing so far. What does your art journal say about you? Is it a reflection of your own expression of  life or do you fill your pages by copying other people's work? To reveal your intentions you need to explore and think about the following:

• Do I want to improve my artistic side?
• Do I want to improve my writing skills?
• Do I want to work through issues in my life?
• Do I want to find the deeper meaning of life's questions?
• Do I want to document my life?
• Do I see art journaling as a hobby, business or way of life?

After working through all of these questions you can also answer the following questions truthfully:

• Which art mediums do I love to work with the most?
• Do I enjoy drawing and what type of drawings do I enjoy. Doodles, Illustrations, Abstract or real life, Realistic or anything else?
• Do I like to collage only or do I want to work in mixed media?
• How much time do I have to do it?
• How much money can I spend on supplies?
• How big is my space and do I need extra space or will a travel bag be efficient for my needs?
• Be honest, what comes naturally to you? Writing, painting, doodling, collage, drawing?
• What do you love most about art journaling? 

I realized after working through all my questions that some things will happen automatically. Yes my writing skills will improve, yes my drawings will become better and yes most certainly have I been working through issues in my life. I also came to the conclusion that to me it is a way of life. I am not doing it to enable me to become a professional artist so I am not doing it for the money. I am doing it to help myself. To me this is very important. I am doing it for one person and that person is me. You may ask why do I blog about it. The answer is simple really. Sharing what I know is important to me. I love to give another person the tools to enable them to grow and find their own purpose. I am most certain that my purpose in life is to inspire people. 

I found that I don't need a lot of supplies. I don't like thick layered pages that is tacky and filled with all kinds of bought embellishments. I have done those type of journals when I first started and to tell you the truth they are the ones I don't like that much. My journals with little daily drawings, doodles and expressive work or just simply collages from pictures I found in magazines are the ones I love most.

Isn't art journaling supposed to be a place to explore yourself and not about creating perfect show pieces of art? Don't get me wrong please! There are artists out there who do the most amazing work in their journals and I admire their skills. What I am trying to say is that a journal filled with perfect drawings or paintings does not tell me a lot about the person except that this person has been blessed with an amazing talent. But when I see a journal filled with expressive images and writing I feel the need to look deeper and there is something of the person's soul within those pages. Do I make sense? I hope so! I don't want to offend anyone by saying this in the wrong way. 

I found that I love watercolors and watercolor pencils to add a bit of color to my drawings and I am not really good at painting beautiful pictures. I am much better with a pen or pencil. I love my drawings but the moment I try to paint them I mess it up. I should stick to drawings. Ink drawings with a touch of watercolor is my thing. I do however love to do messy background papers which I can use in my collages or handmade journals. I love the fact that I can use watercolor paper and bind my own journals. 

I have learned that I need to listen to my own inner voice. It is a waste of time trying to be as good as the next person. I am what I am. My expression is unique and to me it is valuable. I don't have to compare my own expression with those of anyone else. 

I have learned that when I do what I call deep soul art journaling I like to work intuitively.  Working intuitively with collage elements has taught me things about myself. There is a reason why we feel drawn to certain images which I have learned from doing Soul Collage. 

So what are my intentions and what am I getting out of this?

• To work spontaneous and expressive with collage elements.
• To learn how to read the imagery I use and what it is telling me about my life's journey.
• To listen to my intuition and trust the voice of my soul
• To allow my heart to express from deep inside, from the unconscious into the knowing of who I am and what I stand for.
• To allow myself to make expressive marks, doodles and drawings without the need for perfection.
• To live my life creatively and most of all to be amazed when the mysteries and the answers to my questions are unfolding in front of me page after page!

What do you get out of this? I would love to know. :)

~Ansota is slowly but surely discovering herself in her pages.~