There is a certain excitement to creating a journal entry you just LOVE, isn't there? :D
I love ALL your lovely emails and comments; I'm sorry I can't answer them all -- please don't think I don't appreciate you! There is only one of me and many of you. I do try to answer all your questions, though, and it might take me a little bit to do so!
I've been neck-deep in InDesign doing layouts and such as well as working on a project that shall soon be finished, but I've made an awesome discovery in the down time I have at my worktable -- my perfect balance.
The Perfect Balance
It's something we, as artistic souls, seek from the first moment we spread paint or paste something down -- that elusive balance of all the ideas and emotions in our heads and hearts and souls on the page. At first, we compare ourselves to the pages we love, shaking our heads....how do they show such emotion? Balance of colors? The mixture of paint and collage and words that sings?
Personally, I've struggled with representation in my art. Let me explain. I love collaging people from old photos and magazines, etc, together in order to make a complex, possibly puzzling figure in my journal entries. My method is to grab what catches my attention without thinking about where it should go or if it should go on the page. I use permanent tape so once something goes down, it's down! These elements end up meaning something to me, each one a facet of the feeling I was trying to capture in my journal.
But I love drawing. I never really thought I was any good at it until I practiced by drawing something daily from my life (a la Danny Gregory) for a year, and when I got into collage, the drawing fell to the wayside.
When on a journal play date with Red last week, I found myself dissatisfied with what I was making, to the point where I covered the pages with gesso, let it dry while I tried to figure out what was out of whack, and turned the page. This feeling continued for a few days, and then, while sitting at my desk full of gratitude, humbleness, and joy, I had a breakthrough.
It's all Lia's fault, really. *G* Well, her and those on flickr and such who saw my most recent painting and gave such wonderful comments and words of encouragement. The painting itself is hanging on my wall right in front of my desk, and I found myself staring at it, wondering....could I draw how I was feeling?
Yes! I sketched out "myself" how I was feeling. Then, I made a copy, and collaged over it with those bits I love so much! How's that for a balance! I brought together all the elements I love and found myself creating a journal entry that felt more like me than many I've done before. I could feel the emotion pouring from me into what I was creating, and when I finished, I couldn't believe how much joy I had from simply making it!
Now, I want to make more and more! I already have one in my head -- it's amazing how easy it is for me to think in terms of images instead of words -- and have all my supplies ready and waiting.
NaNoWriMo
November is National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short. For those uninitiated, it's a month where you have the goal of writing a 50,000 word novel in one month. I've been participating for six years, now, this being my sixth. The atmosphere during this time is AMAZING...creatively charged, full of inspiration and dedication and support!
This year, I'll be working on a novel idea I've had in my head for the last few months, ever since reading Foolsgold. I've learned a lot about creativity, inspiration, and art over the last few years, and miss the essay format. The novel's tenitively called Artistic Alchemy.
I'm letting you all know this because I'll be posting essays from it as I work on it here on my blog! I'll also be v. busy with it, along with my seasonal stint at B&N, so there might not be much art posted until December. I hope to see you around here, still, as you're my "test audience" for my first real non-fiction venture.
Last but not least...
This weekend's the deadline for the printer, so I'm off to finish the 'zine, work on getting the ordering up and ready, and read a good book. Because of said deadline, I won't be able to post a video for you all tomorrow; I'll try to get one up next week! It's a pajama weekend in Kira Land!