dianaTrout.COM
Teens Alter B00ks @ Abington Library, Wednesdays, June 18 through July 28 from 6:30 pm to 8 pm.
The only hard thing about
keeping a journalis getting started.
The good news is that if you start the process
without a clear idea of where you are going,
there's often a surprise at the end,
This page started out with a grid and scribbles of caran d'ache,
marker, found papers and some very well placed spilled ink. After
I spilled the ink, I realized that this is indeed my life. Diana
Journal Starters &
This idea is from my friend Robin Moore (see links) ...
The 5-minute collage. Get a few old magazines or your box of saved papers/images, a glue stick, a pen and scissors. Tear through the magazines, pulling images or words that attract your attention. Move quickly, no thinking (that's cheating). BING! Timer goes off. Set the timer for 5 minutes. Sift through the torn out images and arrange them on your page. BING! Glue the images/words to the paper. This is always interesting. It may not be art but it is definitely a link to another part of your mind. If you can work quickly and loosely, it is usually meaningful. Write about it.
Another idea...
Gather your crayolas, and some ink or watercolors. Pick your favorite color of crayon and Scribble over your page. Go over the waxy crayon with watercolor (or ink). The areas that you crayoned will resist the water media. You may have to let this dry a bit or get out your blow dryer. While your page is drying, go through a magazine and find some words or phrases that you like. Make a found poem or story or maybe you just need one word to sum up your day.
Click here for a page of printable quotes. If you print them out on sticker paper (Avery makes it I think or you can use the full sheet mailing labels) they will be all ready to go into your journal.
If you are a word lover, keep a journal page especially for really great words that you hear. Put one of those index tabs on the page so you can access it in any word-related emergency. No index tabs handy? What else could you use to mark the page? Yeah, yeah - you can put a paper clip on it or maybe double over tape, a piece of cardboard, wire it, glue it, staple it, stick it, sew it.
How about a pocket for the inside cover of your journal? Find one of those manila mailing envelopes, cut off a hunk of it (maybe on an angle so you can see what's inside, and glue it, staple, sew, tape to the inside cover. Good place to stash things.
Have fun. Your journal is a good friend with no hard feelings. Even if you ignore it for a week (or more), it won't be mad at you.