Since 1996 I have been keeping a record of all of my sketches, ideas and studies in the form of these books and it is quite interesting to see the how one's creative process evolves over time. I noticed how I gradually got better and better at drawing with each year. There are some months or even years that of course, things seem to be getting nowhere but then it's not about results, it's all about the process and THAT is what makes this so much fun. Be persistent and make it into a personal habit just like daydreaming or walking.
Over time, my journals have become direct reflections of who I am, how I feel and what my work is all about at the moment. Everyone changes in time but the important thing is to keep a record of these changes and at the same time keep an open dialogue with yourself and your inner child. The artist journal is also the best medicine against creative blocks.
This journal would ideally be as private as possible, allowing yourself to make mistakes and also learning to live with them, accept them as part of your learning process so don't use erasers or at least keep them at a minimum. Honesty is vital and once we learn to embrace our human flaws and limitations through this creative mirror, we are ready to paint, sculpt or design for the public eye.
Take this journal as a practice sketchbook for making beautiful mistakes. Put your soul, heart and mind into it and it will shed light into your own work showing you multiple answers to any situation you may be into. More often than not, the answers lie within yourself and an art journal just allows you to put them in paper for you to see them right in front of you.
Hope you all enjoyed this and I look forward to share more of my own thoughts and artist journal pages with you! Keep the creative spirit alive and remember: "There is no single way of making art but there are as many ways as there are people in this world".
