This art journaling assignment from Misty Mawn’s workshop was really hard for me – because we had to get loose, sloppy, and intuitive. I’m trying to unlearn being precise and specific. The assignment was to begin writing what we’ve learned so far. So far in life, in our workshop, in anything. My first freak out was where on the paper to write this. I knew I’d be drawing a portrait over the top of it, so I decided on a circular pattern for the writing exercise.
The numbers represent the years of my life – all of them that I’ve lived so far, how long I hope to live (and how long I hope my love to live – we are passing on at the same time, you see). I circled years that were impactful or especially life-changing – whatever came up for me in that moment. We couldn’t over think it and we were instructed to go with our first impulses. I look back and wonder why I didn’t circle other numbers, that in hindsight, were very life-changing.
We were instructed to doodle our favorite shape, and I found myself laying down the symbol of infinity. I love that. I am an eternal being, so my ages and life stages are only markers of times and places – not a countdown to anything at all. 83.5 is not the end – only the transition to new and more experience.
The girl… just another expression of my soul.
I made my own art journals for this workshop, and it wasn’t until this assignment that I used it. Yeah – too scared to mess it up with a bad painting or sketch. So typical me – to have something for the beauty of it, but not to enjoy the use of it for fear I’ll ruin it.
never mind my not-put-together yet studio :-)
3 folios per signature, 3 signatures, coptic binding with hemp cord ~ 9X12
front, back, and binding covered in handmade cotton paper from World Market
I made my journal a little small. One, I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, being my first one, and two, I wanted to fill it up to feel like I accomplished something and 18 pages sounded mighty doable! Done, by the end of our workshop, I’m sure. ;-)
“There is only one story of our lives and we tell it over and over again,
in a thousand different disguises, whether we know it or not.” ~Pam Houston
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Have you done or ever considered doing a tutorial on how you made your beautiful journal? It looks amazing.
I do mixed media and art journaling as a hobby and I have found that other sites are not explained thoroughly on how to bind an art journal.
If you don’t have a tutuorial, do you know of any good sites that have a tutorial on how to make a journal similar to the one that you have on your site?
Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Barb
[Reply]
angela Reply:
January 18th, 2012 at 3:01 PM
@Barb Javersak,
Hi Barb -- thanks for visiting! I learned how to make mine in Misty Mawn’s Open Studio workshop.
I just did a quick search on YouTube… which is my favorite University :-) I haven’t gone through any of these, but this is what you’d be looking for: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=coptic+binding+tutorial&oq=coptic+binding&aq=1&aqi=g3g-s1g-m1&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=446l2492l0l5899l14l11l1l0l0l0l318l1759l1.6.2.1l10l0
I am very open to making a video tutorial sharing what I’ve learned… Thank you for the kind compliment <3 Check back for that tutorial :-)
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