Entertain Yourself: Your Journal Shouldn't Be a Chore

Above: a recent journal spread from the "weirdo journal." This is just me playing with the brush pen and gouache, on a spread where white paper had previously been attached. I added the collaged text when I finished the sketch. (Text reads: She was an amusing companion in a hard, brittle way.) That dot of blue paint is just something that fell off the brush while I was painting the background—don't sweat it. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

Seems to me people who start keeping visual journals sometimes get so caught up in "I should do this," "I should do that," that they forget the bottom line: the journal shouldn't be a chore. (Normally I try to avoid the word "should" which reinforces the idea of "chores" but hey, the journal really shouldn't be a chore!)

Entertain yourself when you work in your journal. This is your time to find out more about what makes you tick! Make a page that means something only to you. Make a page that's full of your favorite things—full of fun.

Your journal isn't for someone else—it's for YOU. Entertain yourself. (And remember, entertaining yourself is going to look different for each person too: someone might fill a journal full of practice sketches of some difficult to grasp object and while that might look like work to another person that "work" was entertaining to the artist.)

Your journal is going to look different from everyone else's because you're different. What entertains you isn't going to do it for someone else. What looks like a great composition or use of line or use of negative space or inclusion of a humorous line or whatever…isn't going to do it for someone else. (Self-explanatory isn't it?)

That's the joy!

Comments

[Jon Harl]

"Normally I try to avoid the word "should" which reinforces the idea of "chores"" I totally agree! Now I should get back to work.

[Susan Walker]

I enjoy your inspirations and reminders are always needed to enjoy and not feel the obligation. though without some of my shoulds...I let it get away a little farther than I had planned. Im Always working on balbance.

[Roberta]

Thanks for the reminder Roz...I try to say..."I get to journal today" because it is such a treat for me and I don't do it for anyone else...like I used to do when I started scrapbooking. I think that is why I don't scrapbook "traditionally" as much...it because a chore...lol Have a great day, fondly, Roberta

[elizabeth]

Roz,

I really like the effect of having the white paper (whit the gouache) and the other "weirdo" paper. And the watermark is awesome the way you have it fixed on this page! I really think it adds a lot to the page.

I see that you have been doing some human faces in this journal (I don't recall you doing many of them before). Are you venturing into a different subject matter? Or is this just something that you dabble into on occasion? Either way, I like it!!

[Roz]

Exactly right Jon! I should too!

[Roz]

Susan, if you're consciously working on balance then I'm not worried about you using the "s" word now and then! I worry about the folks who buy lock, stock, and barrel into a system of behavior lined with platitudes wrapped up in "shoulds." Keep working for that balance!

[Roz]

Roberta, "I get to journal today" is the perfect way to think about it. It starts that gratitude churning too!

[ronell]

A great post - I am replacing journal with "blog"...sometimes the blogs get to be too much and feels like a chore.
What great playing around with gouache.
I am starting to feel the inspiration stir again, after weeks of slump, so I have to thank you.
ronelle

[Roz]

Ronelle, I'm glad you're coming out of your slump. Anything we do on a regular basis, journal, blog, exercise, etc. can all become a chore if we don't work to make it fun, or rather, allow ourselves to have fun with "it" and not make it work. I hope you have fun with all your endeavors!