Art Journal with Me: Simple, Easy, Fun!

I don't know exactly how other people's brains work, but I have talked to enough artists at this point to know that I don't have the kind of brain that sees images in my imagination of something that I want to express on a page or a canvas. My brain is a blank!

Here's what I do know: I love playing with art supplies and tools. And just because I don't have what I imagine is a typical artist's mind, I don't let it stop me from making a lot of art because it is clear to me that (1) I love making art and (2) making a lot of art is really good for my mental health.

It has taken me a long time to let loose this much in my art journals. I'm finally at a place where I have no attachment to the outcome of any particular page. Don't get me wrong, I love a great page that comes together and looks good to me (I am human!), but what I have let go of is the time line that I work in.

This journal is SLOW ART. I cannot rush this process. What happens in it is a combination of randomness and a reflection of other art projects or processes that I am work on in my other art time, which is usually whatever amazing project we are doing that month in Fodder School.

Links to things I mention in this video:

How I make these handmade art journals: https://willa-workshops.teachable.com...

My lifetime love affair with hand lettering: https://willa-workshops.teachable.com...

TEN EASY THINGS YOU CAN DO IN AN ART JOURNAL:
1. Roll paint onto the pages using a brayer.
2. Make random dots with a paint pen.
3. Write out a quote with a water soluble pencil. Lightly spray the quote to move some of the pigment and get a slightly grungy effect.
4. Dip your finger into acrylic paint and then press your finger into the paper. Repeat in a pattern.
5.Tear up some collage fodder (any decorated paper) or grab a pile of paper bits and audition torn pieces in your journal. When you find a match (collage bit + journal spot), attach it with permanent glue stick.
6. Run the tip of a regular pencil (like a #2 or whatever pencil you have handy) randomly around on some of the pages.
7. Intentional, repetitive mark making: Grab anything that will make a mark on the page and make that same mark over and over until you feel complete.
8. Rub paint on with your finger.
9. Dip the end of an old credit card or room key into acrylic paint and use the end of the card to make random marks in your journal. Dip again and repeat.
10.Splatter one of your favorite colors of acrylic ink onto the page.