Journal Keeping
This is the section I am eager to explore with you, although it is also the section I feel the most vulnerable talking about. You see, my daughter is a writer and an English professor (yes, composition even), so I think who am I to talk about writing? Of course, her kind of writing is a lot different. She is the professional, I would never attempt to write for a living. Now, with this in mind, I am going to hop right in here, because this is about getting stuff out, not about perfection.
I have been journal keeping for years. I keep lots of different kinds of journals – painting (including ideas and techniques), blogging (post ideas), doodling, day-to-day thoughts (happy, sad, whatever), contemplations (about life and art) and I even keep a bitch journal (where I write about things which just get in my craw and will not leave me alone).
I began journaling some years ago when I was ill. It became important for me to write down how I was doing physically and what was happening around me during those times. Once I began feeling better and realized how important it was for me to begin to do things for myself, I attempted The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. Well, TAW did not last all that long with me (I don’t handle set programs that well), but the “Morning Pages” turned into “Any Time I Felt Like It Pages”, and I have not been able to stop. Now, it has expanded into so much more than just writing as brain dumps. I still dump my brain from time to time, but mainly I write with a purpose. I am never without a journal of some nature.
In this section, I will be talking about the journals I have used, the ones I currently use. Of course, I can’t talk about paper without talking about what I use to write and doodle with – so pens will be on the list, too. Of course, I will share some of the kinds of things which go into my journal. There will be very little personal stuff, but that isn’t the point of this blog. I hope to also talk about other people’s journals and how they can be historically significant. Who knows, maybe we can talk about famous journals and the kind of people who journal.
