Having completed quite a number of handmade journals, I have decided it is time to look at doing an Altered Book/Art Journal. These are very different from the type of journals I normally do. The ones I normally do are for actual journaling in, and I use them as Commonplace Books.
Commonplace Book
Commonplace Books have been used in various incarnations for millennia. They are what you write down:
- snippets and passages from books you read that caught your eye or that were important to you,
- poetry you especially love (or write yourself),
- sayings/quotes that speak to you,
- important information you want to remember,
- tables (weights, measures, correspondences),
- recipes you especially like (food, drink, herbal preparations, etc),
- ideas for projects, or a book you may want to write (or currently are writing),
- brainstorming,
- gluing/taping,sewing in found objects, favorite small pieces of lace and/or fabric, favorite old buttons etc.
It isn't a diary in which you gush about the guy you just met or vent about your boss, and it isn't a bullet journal where you write down the day to day things that need doing, but it chronicles your life, and the things that are important to you, and it is fabulous to look back over in later years.
Some of the more famous ones include those written by:
Seneca and Marcus Aurelius, both 2nd century AD,
The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon, a 10th century Japanese courtesan,
Leonardo da Vinci, Francis Bacon, John Milton, Mark Twain, Virginia Wolfe, and many others.
So if you keep a Commonplace book, you are in good company!
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| A Commonplace book, mid 17th century |
Art Journaling Negativity
I love the concept of the Art Journals, but have been put off doing one, because so many I see are rather dark, and often somewhat disturbing. I know many are made as a therapy, to vent, to deal with trauma, and to express inner darkness, however I am very resistant to using art journaling for that, for a number of reasons.
First. Neurological studies show that the more often you remember something, the more entrenched it becomes in your memory, and the more of a hold it has over you and the more of an impact it has on your life - on the way you think, the way you interact with others, and the way you live your life.
On the positive side this is the basis of habit formation, and the base idea behind all Positive Thinking and Self Improvement programs.
On the negative side, it is why we are advised to not dwell on things, and to learn to control thoughts that go around-and-around in our heads. Playing negative events again and again in our minds (be they actual events that happened, or 'events' that we imagine/fear might happen), we literally re-live them. Our brains, and the chemical/stress responses in our bodies respond as if it is actually happening again (and again, and again...).
The more you dwell on something, the harder it becomes to NOT dwell on it. It entrenches in the memory, and creates the HABIT of remembering it - a habit that becomes very difficult to break, and can spiral down into a dark depression, or - sometimes worse - a long-lasting low-grade depression that becomes our normal state so that we don't even realize we are depressed: clinical depression.
So the question becomes: do I want to make and have something in my life that will remind me every day of negative events and thoughts? Something that will cause me to re-live negative things day after day, even if it is just in the back of mind? Hmmm...
Second. It used to be believed that anger was like a volcano. If you didn't let it out, it would eventually erupt in a massive explosion. Venting was seen as good. This was based on the observation that people felt better after venting. Of course they did - it made them feel strong, powerful, and in control, and often got them what they wanted.
But modern studies into anger show that it is not like a volcano, rather it is like a fire - the more fuel you give it and the more you air it, the bigger it becomes. Studies show that if you vent, you are more likely to vent in the future, you are more likely to vent over more and more trivial things, and the level of venting will likely escalate with higher levels of verbal, emotional, psychological, and even physical violence. Those feelings of being strong, powerful, and in control, become bullying, domination, and manipulation - getting what you want through fear and intimidation.
Fueling and fanning the fire becomes damaging to yourself, your relationships, and your life. It hurts those around you. It can lead to isolation, and getting stuck in life by hanging on to things. But damping the fire will calm it down. It will cause it to die back, and in some areas even die off, enabling you to forgive, and move on, by letting go.
Fueling and fanning the fire becomes damaging to yourself, your relationships, and your life. It hurts those around you. It can lead to isolation, and getting stuck in life by hanging on to things. But damping the fire will calm it down. It will cause it to die back, and in some areas even die off, enabling you to forgive, and move on, by letting go.
Do I really want to make and have something in my life reminding me every day of my anger, of things I'm angry about, encouraging me to vent? Hmmm...
Third. Anyone who is familiar with the Law of Attraction will immediately understand - if you put yourself wholeheartedly into something, creating something while holding strong thoughts, feelings, and/or intent, you imbue that object with those thoughts feelings and intent. You create a magnet that will work tirelessly and endlessly on your behalf to bring those things to you.
When you create a page, you put all those thoughts and ideas into it. Most people when they have finished a page, say to themselves "this one is finished", and then move on to the next. This, in effect, makes EACH PAGE rather than the book as whole, a separate and complete 'magnet' in its own right.
If you fill page after page (create item after item in a collection of items) with frustration, anger, pain, rejection, sorrow, regret, depression, sarcasm, judgement, and darkness, then you have just created the most beautiful collection of magnets telling the Universe that those are the forces, events, and people, that you want drawn into your life. Hmmm...
Art Journaling Positivity
After much contemplation on the issues of Art Journaling, and in line with my current goals, I finally came up with the theme for my art journal.
This year for me is one I have dedicated to personal growth. It includes a lot of gratitude journaling, kindness journaling, meditation, contemplation, and a return to spirituality. And, of course a lot of reading.
So I have decided that I will theme my art journal on traits that I admire in others, and want to cultivate in myself - i.e. the kind of people I would like in my life, and the kind of person I would like to be.
I hope this will inspire others also, to be kinder to themselves, and to take the journey to seek the light (rather than the darkness) in their own souls.
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