Started a Journal for Ideas and Inspiration

Last night I decided to start a journal for writing ideas and for visual and text that are inspirational.

I pulled down from a bookshelf, a blank journal which I bought about five years ago for $3.99 and had never used. It is oversized and square with a spiral binding. The paper is blank and white colored thicker than normal pages. I would estimate that the pages are about 9 inches x 9 inches (but I didn’t measure it).

Last night I went through some of my clippings, scraps and ephemera to select images that are inspirational to me. I also chose some comic strips which I thought were very funny. I could use some lightening up so to me anything that makes me laugh is helpful. I chose text that I had formerly cut out of magazines of words and phrases that are positive in attitude and are uplifting.

Today while looking through a little box of scraps, while making ATCs, I’d pluck out scraps from past projects whose images are inspiring to me. Some are little bits that remind me of making a certain ATC or a certain theme that I worked on. To look at a tiny piece of scrap paper and remember an afternoon of making art with a specific theme is a good thing.

I laid this journal next to me while making ATCs and I’d slap in cuttings while making the ATCs.

I am using Golden Acrylic Gel Medium in soft gloss as the adhesive. I use waxed paper in between the pages to keep them from sticking together in case any of the adhesive oozed out of the edges.

My tip for putting the adhesive on the paper is to use an old phone book. I lay the paper on the phone book and put the adhesive on with a one inch wide foam brush. I lift the wet paper up and put it onto my dry surface. This works for anything but teeny-tiny pieces of paper. When the phone book page is gooped up, I turn the page and start on a new page.

I am still keeping my other journal which is an “everyday matters” journal. That one documents my life and has sketches along with collaged elements from my daily life.

I am being careful to have the one journal be uplifting and idea filled while the other is other ephemera from my experiences.

So far this is a fun journal to keep!