Currently Browsing: Brainstorming 19 articles
Finishing Projects and a Little Bit about International Fake Journal Month
After decades of teaching art and creativity classes the many disguises of the internal critic never surprise me. But one aspect of the internal critic makes me the most sad—the way he pretends to be your buddy and fills you full of ungrounded expectations (for skill level and time to execute); and jollies you along […]
Found Some More Grids
Sometimes life can seem very quick, agonizingly slow, and full of all the wrong things—all at the same time. If your life feels like that it’s important to pick up your journal and start writing notes about your life and activities; and to keep drawing (or start drawing if you haven’t already). These activities will […]
The Value of Creative Exercises Lingers
It might seem that a short, creative exercise of 15 minutes can have no real impact in your daily life. But the value of a creative exercise lingers and resurfaces, enhanced by time—opening our minds to new ways of thinking and new questions to ask. This post is about those lingering effects. I’ve advocated painted […]
Studies, Drafts, Loose Sheets: Getting a Grip on a Project that Mixes Text and Images
In response to my “What Is a Study?” blog post a week ago, Maery wrote in a comment. I think “a study” may be related to something I’m trying to figure out right now. I want to combine my writing and drawing interests and endeavors together. And am starting a journey towards figuring out how […]
Building a Journal Grid with Collage and Sketches
Here’s a journal grid I created last fall. We’ll start with the final view, with every portion of the grid completed. You’ll be able to follow along with the building of the grid in the images which follow. I was working in a handbound book which I made using the Old Gutenberg paper (pre 2017 […]
Creative Ideas Stick with Us and It May Take a Lot of Thumbnails to Work Them Through
Creative ideas stick with us over time. Sometimes it’s just days or weeks. Sometimes it’s months, years, and decades. The time something sticks with you is not necessarily a clue that you’re on to something worth pursuing. But it is an indication that your attention is still engaged. It makes sense to recognize these themes […]
Thumbnails: Playing with the Page
Today is another pre-painted page with a thumbnail grid. The grid is only two spreads wide, but it’s also on one of those painting waste paper scraps. I chose to put it on this page because I had pre-painted the head and tail of the book and the colors on the scrap worked with those […]
Thumbnail Sketches—Thinking Through Ideas
Over the past few months I’ve written about thumbnail sketches and grids a few times. I want to spend a little time today and going forward, discussing these topics because I think both are important tools artists often ignore. They save us time, they clear our brains, and if we are paying attention they show […]
What Do You Want in Your Journal—Aspirational Grids Help You Decide
After decades of journaling, I know what I want in my journal; I know what matters to me. But like everyone else, life is sometimes too busy, complicated, and simply exhausting, to have the time to fill my journal the way I would like. I find it useful to think smaller in my goals, not […]
Thinking about Pigeons and Setting Puzzles for Yourself in Your Journal
I’m always thinking about pigeons. Imagine my delight when a recent New Yorker Magazine humor piece had the quotation you see on my journaling page! When we have an idea or subject in our mind we seem to see it everywhere. Of course If you are interested in pigeons and haven’t read Rosemary Mosco’s […]