Art Journaling Madness

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."

Anais Nin must have been talking about me with that quote. The day is here and opening into a blossom is a thrilling experience.

My struggle with art has always been that I felt I wasn't "creating" anything. Sure, I was making paintings, but in analyzing the process I told myself I was copying what I saw and learning techniques to complete the painting.

I envied the students in my art class at the community college who could come up with the most wild ideas and turn it into a painting. So, imagine the joy when I discovered art journaling. There are so many books, websites, and videos that talk about art journaling. This process is truly creative. Start with a blank page, slop on some acrylics, watercolors, or collage pieces and take off! I'm still a bit "tight" with my planning of the page because I like to have my page speak to a subject. But with practice, that tightness might disappear.For now, I'll just continue opening my petals and soak in that sunshine of creativity.

**Footnote....for those of you who can't seem to get started creating, you might have the problem I had. Disorganization! I had to set up a corner of the room just for art journaling with all the supplies I use within an arm's reach. There's nothing more annoying than to constantly be jumping up to retrieve a tool, paper, paint, or scissors from various places

in the room or closet.