Say Hello to the Happy Happy Art Journal!

​A few weeks ago, as I was ruminating on all things art, I had an inspired idea:

What if I got one of those Happy Planner punches and made my own little books?

You see, I have a friend who is obsessed with those books. Rather, she’s a planner addict, and I’ve sat many a day doing art while she’s worked on layouts and such. I don’t get it myself, and yes, I’ve tried a few times to get into the planner spirit, but 1. I don’t have that much going on past work, physical therapy, and a few social engagements, and 2. I don’t want to spend time making my layouts look pretty if I’m just scribbling things down so I can look back later. Even when I was in school, I only used the monthly layouts, if anything (just ask my friends from back then; I usually asked them when stuff was due since I had no idea myself).

I did have a Happy Planner notebook that I tried using with the budgeting expansion, but I didn’t pull it out all that often, and it sat ununsed on my sketchbook/journal shelf with all the used-a-few-times-and-then-abanded books.

You see, I LOVE the new Strathmore mixed media toned tan paper. Adore it. It’s the best. I don’t have to work on grocery bags from Trader Joe’s anymore! The paper is thick, takes all kinds of media super well, and the bright colors I use just POP like WOW on it. But! It only comes in pads. Not really conducive to journaling or keeping an art journal. So! Get the punch, cut down the toned tan paper, and BAM! Now I have an art journal of my favorite paper. The Happy Planner pages are close enough to be like spreads, and if I’m working on more than one page, I can take them out to dry and keep working!

But then I thought, why just do ONE kind of paper? Why not add more? How about the toned grey? Or some watercolor paper?

Then, as I was cutting down the paper, there were scraps left over. Why not put them in, too? And then I thought, why not put all the pages down and add random swishes of paint, eliminate the blank page?

I swear, I feel like a mad scientist. I cackle with glee. I snort from laughing too much. I have so many ideas to try. I sit and play almost every night. I take this thing with me out to make art. And I love that I have the carrying case for the Happy Planner so I can put all my supplies in it, AND THE JOURNAL, and just get up and go - everything is self-contained and sooooo conducive to making art anywhere!

And! It has lined paper in it for journaling. For getting ideas out. Because lately, I’ve been keeping a written journal and found that those words are fueling what I draw and paint! And then I write more and paint more and the cycle just feeds itself over and over again!

But I didn’t stop there. Oh, no. Because I needed more room.

So I made a BIG ONE.

Now I have a classic size and a BIG one and I am loving every second and even making some more for friends or just because. I love holding it and playing in mine and thinking up new things and moving pages around and ahhhhhh I am just excited to be art journaling again and inventing again.

So say hi to my Happy Happy Planner! You can keep up with our adventures over on Instagram or subscribe to the blog to read more little stories like this!

The Unexpected Joys of Dreaming

About a week ago, I tried a new medicine to help me sleep. Being able to fall asleep has been an issue of mine for the past 15 years or so, and I’ve spent many a nigh wide awake late into the witching hour. Three years ago, I found something that helped, but an unknown side-effect was losing dreams. I can’t say for sure if I dreamt or not, but I never remembered anything. It was always just before and then waking up.

One morning, after changing things up, I spent my sleeping hours searching for my phone with my father. When I woke up, I could hear a TV playing softly in the background and my mind, freshly awake, recognized the sound and thought oh, Mom and Dad must be up watching TV.

(If you are new here, my Mom passed in 2015 and my Dad passed this last March.)

My mind fully woke up and realized it was my roommate, that my parents were not here, and that the search I just finished was a dream. It was a gift, a blessing, to see him once again, if only while sleeping.

I’ve been feeling better lately, and combined with recently finishing an online class with Sabrina Ward Harrison (so worth the price tag, so amazing - if you have a chance to take her next offering, do it) had me sitting on my floor and painting with my hands as I happily listened to music. I saw my Dad, and Friday night, I saw my mom and brother, too (my brother passed in 2016). This brought me so much joy!

I had a giant piece of drawing paper down to protect my rug and my art journal out. I pulled out a canvas I’ve had for ages and done nothing with and got started.

Now, while I was painting and playing, I was messing around on the paper. We all know how fun it is to play with the paper we’ve put down to protect the surface - my friend Robin-Marie makes such amazing work from her layers of newsprint under her work. But I kept going, playing with paint and chalk pastels and ink, just allowing myself to be free - this is back paper, it doesn’t count for anything, doesn’t have to be a journal page to share or a canvas. No thought needed. I quickly turned my attention to the piece that was magically coming together.

I pasted down trim I’d pulled from a long-forgotten stash, added scraps of painted papers I’ve collected. My drawing could be wonky - I was only trying out a new supply, so who cares how it comes out?

And then I started writing about my dreams, about seeing missed family members again after such a long time without them. I celebrated the new gift I’d been given, how much I missed them, how I was finally finding my footing after such intense grief.

And when I sat back and saw what I’d made, I cannot explain how happy it made me. I was making the kind of art I always wanted to make, that my ability has finally caught up with my taste (watch this video of Ira Glass explaining the Gap; it is so worth it, especially if you’re struggling with the work you make vs the work you enjoy). I showed a friend and she suggested I frame it.

That’s not something I’ve done before. I have canvases hanging in my space, but nothing on paper, no journal spreads. It was an odd but touching suggestion, and I decided I’d grab a frame for it after my NaNoWriMo meetup. My roommate came by before I left and agreed I should get a frame.

I can’t stop looking up at it, frame on my wall. I had to take something off the wall to fit her, And when I showed my friend, she told me she’d never felt the push for me to frame something before. It all lined up, and now I have a special piece about seeing my family in my dreams on my wall.

I’m totally going to use this approach the next time I have a painting party on the floor. Big sheet of paper, art journal close at hand. Art journaling doesn’t have to be in a book. It can be on paper, or canvas. Anything can be art. And no surface is precious! My dog walked over the paper past where I was working. If I hadn’t been playing around on a surface I was using for scratch, this would never have been created.

My joy to create has returned! I’m writing again (obviously) and creating and painting and exploring life again. Still have the day job, but now I’m charged and ready to dive back into my artist self.

When was the last time you made an unexpected piece of art you love? Got paint all over your hands (I only used a brush for the drawing of the girl to spread the watercolor marker)? Dive in and make a mess! And link me so I can come see!

Make your mark

Hi there! *waves*

I am still alive. I used to wonder how people who used to have such a presence in our little art world seemed to disappear. What happened that pulled them away? Was it a choice or consequence?

I now have the answer: life.

We all have those times when we’re pulled from what we love. It isn’t that we don’t want to do anything, more, life needs our attention.

I allowed life to pull me away.

Handling my father’s affairs is overwhelming (please write a will. I don’t care how old or healthy you are!) and I was stuck in mandatory overtime. I would work long days and come home exhausted. I lost my spark for anything past just breathing and getting through the day. My grief is such that everything reminds me of them.

What I didn’t do was use my art journaling to process what was happening.

Yes, ME. The one who’s spoken for years about how art journaling and art can help you get through things! I forgot my own lesson and became more concerned with buying things to make myself feel better than actually doing any art. Oh vey!

But new news has me diving for my art journal to help process it all. Facing health issues sucks when you can’t go to your Mom or Dad about things (I do have a few adopted moms and omg without them I’d be a complete wreck and not just the weird spaz I am now).

While I am still in the process of putting together my puzzle of health issues I’ve been dealing with for the last year or so (seriously. I go to the dr at least once a week, maybe even twice depending on which specialist I’m seeing), my doctor and I agree that we’re starting to see the picture all these things add up to - an autoimmune disease - lupus.

Which, frankly, terrifies me. My test is positive and I’m displaying several symptoms. And while it’s nice to have a better idea of what to do next, I’m still freaking out a little bit.

So I grabbed my art journal and started making a mess. I’ve been using supplies I can easily pull out no matter how tired I may be. My favorites have been put into organized pouches to allow them all to be closer to me. I’m thinking of making a couch *pouch* rather than a box since a pouch is easer to take to work or out to my favorite cafe, when I have the chance.

My work is definitely coming out differently. I’m responding to the ease-of-use supplies, like watercolors and colored pencils, and allowing it to help process all these emotions running through me at all times (I just cried to a series finale to a show that ended *4 years ago*). Endless doctors’ appointments, medical bills, regular bills...it’s hard when it’s just you and you’re the only way you’re getting anywhere (just ask me why I drove over a median the other day - Uber’s expensive and I don’t have any other way to get to things!). So much has been forgotten, and I always feel like I’m messing up.

So I’m making a mess in my journal. I’m leaning in to wrinkled pages and Copics bleeding through. I’m thinking more about expression than what’s before or after. Stop being concerned with how others will react and allowing for nothing but imperfection. It has helped so much!

I haven’t been posting much of what I’ve done for the past few months because it was all so new and I didn’t want outside influences, aka social media, to dictate if I continue on. Now that I’m more comfortable with what’s happening, I’ve decided to start sharing again.

As a friend told me today, my Dad would have wanted me to be happy and make art again, even if I’m squeezing it in wherever I can!

I’m even working on a passion project you’ll be seeing soon. I’m so excited but am going to wait until things have come together....just keep an eye out for a brand new blog coming soon