Art Journal Page: 4 January 2013

Change your mindset, change your life. I think that is easier said than done. It is easy when things are going your way but when things get rough it becomes difficult to keep your mindset in that changed position. The best advice I have for myself is to hold on to my dreams and to try and stay positive and hopeful and to acknowledge that there will most definitely be obstacles and challenges on the way. I can only do every day all that I can do and do it as efficiently as I can.  As long as I know at the end of the day that I did my best! 

~Ansota~

Selective Amnesia: An Art Journal Page

I can't remember where I read the following but I made a note of it and found it  this morning which lead me to today's journal page. Food for thought.....

"Perceptual defense is a mechanism that protects us from those things our minds, at some level, determine we cannot handle or which we do not want to face. Also called 'Selective Amnesia'

©Ansota

Artword 2013

There are only two more days left for the year 2012 and for some of us we are already thinking of the coming year and what we want to achieve. We will right down our goals for the year, speak about New Year's Resolutions and most of the time we will get side-tracked as life happens and forget all about our good intentions. 

I was watching a movie the other night called "Speak" which gave me an 'aha' moment. For those of you who haven't seen it I will give a summary.  It stars a 13 year old Kristen Stewart as Melinda Sordino, who is starting  high school as a freshman. She practically stops talking after being raped by a senior student the previous year and this has the effect on her becoming silent and drawn into herself. 

As the year progresses, Melinda begins a painfully slow healing process with the help of her art teacher. The art teacher wrote different words on paper, cut them out, folded it and threw them into a bowl. Every student had the opportunity to dip into the bowl and without looking pick one. They had to use that one word through out the year in their art. 

Melinda's word was tree and it is absolutely wonderful to see how she explore her emotions and how she uses this tree in her art. Her healing process starts and the movie ends where she had the guts to face what happened and she started talking. She told her mother what happened to her. She had her art teacher in tears when he saw her tree-art. He could feel all the raw emotion that went into her art. 

What a wonderful thing art is! 

The movie really spoke to my heart and the next day I was thinking about the way she used that one word in her art which lead me to my new year resolution for the year of 2013. I will not make any resolutions this year! I am going to find one word that will be my word to explore. 

My first thought was to use 'heart'. I could use hearts in my art and really make that my symbol for the year. Yes, that is great but why don't I dig a bit deeper? What will heart mean to me? I thought well I want to open my heart to so many more things and doesn't everything come from the heart plus I want to loose some weight which will also be good for my heart. I pondered about this but then my word came to me!  I want to be open to receive all the things that are good for not only my heart but my entire being! I want to experience 2013 with an open everything. Open eyes, ears, arms, mind and heart. I want to look for doors to open wide. I want to read more so I need to open more books. I want to loose weight then I need to be open to a new way of lifestyle. This felt right! Yes my word will be open! 

How am I going to use my word?

I found this old sketchbook in my art stash which I will dedicate to my word for the year. I will let this word speak to me and by working with this word on every page it will be a constant reminder to me this coming year. I also decided that I will choose three colors only to use and I chose black, white and red which to me is a symbol of negative and positive. Open to get rid of the negative and open to the new positive energies I want to bring into my life. Red therefor symbolizes energy. 

And not only will I be open to receive all of these things but I will be open to share and give in return! 

Ansota is really happy with her artword and ready to start 2013! 

How to organize your collage papers.

All my collage papers in one folder!

I mentioned in my post yesterday that I don't like chaos. I can not function properly when everything is a mess around me. I need order and serenity. Clutter not only blocks the energy in my space but it also has a blocking effect on my emotional energy. I do not have the luxury of having my own art room and work on a table which is visible when you enter my flatlet. 

I wanted to share with you how I organize my collage papers in such a way that it not only look attractive but it makes it easy for me to find collage images as I need them. 

Another thing I want to mention is that I have a daytime job which means I only have time in the evenings to do art journaling. The last thing I want to do when I get home from work is to unpack art mediums or to search for stuff. I want everything to be ready and waiting for me and I organized my space to accommodate my art journaling needs. 

 I have several see-through plastic envelopes with collage papers inside. You can buy these at  stationary shops or any shop that stock office supplies.They are made out of a soft plastic and fixed with a plastic press-stud for opening and closing and are also available in different colors. 

I marked my envelopes with a permanent black marker and when I need a specific image I know exactly where to find it. There is one filled with background images and this envelope holds only scrapbooking papers and another one with background images from magazines.

 Then there are three to keep focal images. One with faces and people,  another with flowers and another with all the other images that are not people or flowers. 

Scrap paper for glueing.

The next envelope holds borders. I usually make a day of it to do some preparation when my envelopes need to be filled with new images. On such a day I will cut borders, go through magazines cut everything to size and then file everything in my envelopes. Another envelope holds all my rubb-ons and stickers. I don't know about you but I always have lots of printing paper that go to waste and all of those papers go into a brown file which I use when I am glueing images. Before throwing away your magazines tear out any complete pages that you don't need and file them in this folder too. They are very handy to mess on. 

Sometimes there are smaller pieces of paper or things that you want to use in your journal that needs only a small bag and for those I make my own little envelopes. I buy soft plastic per meter and then sew little bags exactly in the size I need them. I decorate them with lace or rig-rag and the newest craze is sewing them together with blanket stitch and embroidery cotton or wool and decorate them with washi tape.  These little bags are fantastic to use in your handbag as well. I have one, my little mini travel journal bag. Inside is a pen, small journal, small glue stick and small collage elements, peerless watercolors (thanks to my friend, Caryl) and a watercolor brush. 

Box to keep words for collage and mixed media.

I decorated this old cardboard box with spray paint and stencils and look what I keep inside! All my words and quotes. 

All I need to keep me happy and it is organized, tidy and ready whenever I want to journal.! My file that holds all my envelopes and a box filled with words. Hope this will help those of you who are struggling to organize your collage papers. 

Have a wonderful day everyone and happy journaling!

Toodles! :D

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.~

Cultivating my Soul

I did these two pages this afternoon. They are both reflections about the importance of cultivating the soil of my soul.. Soil is needed for a seed to grow. It will grow from the darkness of the soil and break through into the light.

Take care

Ansota :)

Art Journal 2013

Oh, I am so excited about my new journal! There is something very special about hand stitched journals and I want to share with you my journal for 2013. I stitched it together last night and made the covers this morning. 

I had a few sheets of Fabriano Artist's watercolor paper and can not remember the gsm but it's not thick and could be about 160 gsm. The paper is smooth and thin but can take watercolors very well. I think this will be perfect for all the art journaling techniques I am planning to do. I can write, paint with watercolors, acrylics, inks and do sketching as well. For the covers I used recycled cardboard box. I covered the panels with fabric, layered some gesso all over and used my inks, stencils and craft acrylic paint  to do the design.

Golden corners to add strength. A touch of  sparkle here and there with Stickles glimmer glue! 

 Keep well everyone and have a lovely week! :)

Hope

©Ansota

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me'

~Erma Bombeck~

Angel

I painted this angel with craft acrylic and used stamps in the background.   I have no doubt whatsoever that I have a guardian angels present in my life.  I believe there are Angels present in everybody's life and they are there to give us guidance and comfort when we need it. 

Take care everyone and a wonderful day to you all!

Ansota :)   

Flowers around us.

There are so many beautiful things in my life that I am thankful for. I may not be rich but I  sleep in a warm bed every night. I may not have a glamorous job but I am there to help whenever you need help. I may not have the beauty of a film star but I believe true beauty can't been seen with the eye. It pours out from a warm and loving heart.  There are so many people in the world who would give anything to have what I have. A warm bed every night, a job, food on the table, my health and friends who support me, a family who love me. What more can I ask for when I have so much.  I am a millionaire!  

Take care everyone and blessing to you all!  :)

Why do I keep an art journal?

Have you ever wondered why it is important to keep an art journal and what you get out of it?  Maybe you are new to art journaling or never tried it or maybe you have been keeping an art journal for some time now. I think we all have different reasons and we use our art journals in different ways too.

  

 The wonderful thing is that our journals are an extension of our true self. It is like a blueprint of our creative journey and reflect a part of our daily life. I have been going through my previous art journals and it is a true reflection of how I went through different stages through the years. When I first started my pages were unsure and child like, the drawings were very simple with only a few words written on them. As I progressed and experimented through applying different techniques my style changed a few times. 

It is necessary to try all the techniques and styles. It is the only way you will eventually come to a place where you feel comfortable with your style. Try different art mediums and test different styles. Experiment and you will find your own voice coming through. 

I made messy pages, neat pages and tried so many art mediums to find out what I like and don't like. I also asked myself the question. If someone would pick up my art journals and page through them what would they tell about me. 

To find the answer to this question I took my old art journals and started to go through them. It was surprising to me to see that the pages where I have written about things that happened that day were the pages I found most interesting. 

Those were the pages where it almost felt like I was paging through a magazine with all the interesting bits of my day, lists and happenings with illustrations or pictures that I added. The pages with only 'art' work were the pages I paged through quickly. Yes, some of the drawings and painting are nice but it didn't capture my attention. What captured me and made me stop to really explore the page and remember, were the pages where I wrote things that had meaning about what I did, or went through on that specific day or week. 

The conclusion.... I want my art journals to reflect my entire life. I want them to tell the story of my life with all it's ups and downs, all the days that are meaningful, sad, good and bad. I want them to reflect all of me. 

  I also found that I love pen, ink, watercolors. I love to draw and color. I love to illustrate and this is the way I feel most comfortable when I play in my art journal. I love to draw faces. I love to draw every day happenings and the things I see around me. I love doodling, stamps and stencils. I don't need a lot of materials to keep me happy. 

I have been keeping separate art journals. There are art journals dedicated to watercolors, to drawing, mixed media with lots of paints and layers and many more but I have been thinking of incorporating all of the ones I love to do into one journal from next year. I will keep you posted. 

One thing is for sure. I adore my art journals. I love them and treasure them because they are an extension of the person I am. They are almost like one of my body parts! lol  I can not imagine my life without them at all! 

I am passionate about art journaling and want to encourage everybody to start keeping their own. It will help you more than you can ever imagined. My art journals have helped me to work through emotions, my drawings improved so much. I have grown and learned so much about myself.  It is a place where I am free to be just me. 

Take care and happy journaling!

Bye :)

Building Blocks

©Ansota

To succeed at anything needs a lot of work.  I think as long as one can stay positive and  acknowledge the stumble blocks there is space for growth.

Take care :)

The Creative Process

Today I want to talk a little bit about the creative process. 

There are people walking around thinking they don't have any creativity whatsoever. They envy people with what they call 'creative talents' and wish they were 'blessed' with some. We are all born with the potential to live a life filled with creativity but some of us loose it as we grow up. 

It happens without we even noticing it. We live with all these preset rules about what is right and wrong. To give you an example:  You are five years old and one day you decide to get creative.You take your oil pastels and paper and without thinking you simply start to draw a house. Your  house has a roof shaped like a heart and a triangle and circle represent your windows. 

You think it's pretty awesome and love your drawing. You are enjoying the process of creativity and you continue drawing. It doesn't matter at all that your flowers are bigger and taller than the house.

Now if  someone tells you that you can not draw a house like that and it is stupid to draw the flowers so big you may  think that what you thought was amazing was only making sense to you. You will start to doubt your own abilities to be creative. 

The next time you draw you are not going to create with such freedom because you will remember all the negative remarks about your previous drawing. What is happening here? You are slowly loosing your own way of expressing yourself. You are being shaped to do things within preset rules. The end result will be that you won't enjoy being creative anymore. You will start believing that you can't do it! I think it's really sad. I am giving a simple example but I think you get the point. 

If we can only look behind all the rules and simply enjoy the experience of being creative there will be a lot of happier people in this world. 

Underneath your blackest emotions

Far above your brightest wishes 

Stands a world for you to hold 

~Samael~

Keeping an art journal is about going back to your roots and enjoying the simple act of expressing yourself. No rules and just doing what feels natural and good to you. Have fun and get creative and do it  for yourself. And when you  find that creative child within you again you will start creating with a free spirit and I promise you that you will be amazed by what that child has to offer you! 

Keep smiling, keep creating!

~Ansota~

My Creative Life

My passion! 

I can not imagine living my life without any creativity. Art Journaling is by far my biggest passion. There are several journals all around my house as well as a small Moleskine Daily Planner in my handbag. My journals are valuable and precious to me. Paging through them  they tell the story of my life with all it's ups and downs. Some days have been documented with pictures and others with scribbles, doodles, paintings, drawings or whatever I wanted to paste or glue onto the pages.