Word Salad: Journals and Creativity

"Artists use sketchbooks to store ideas for future use. Bloggers have folders of bookmarks. And some authors keep notebooks or “commonplace” books."

I have been trying to expand my quilting into more art quilts. Someone suggested doing small postcard quilts. I have started two. One using fabric and stamping with paint. One using felted fabric and felting. They are still in process because I am so worried about being creative that I can't finish.

One other suggestion was to start an art journal. Which I am going to try. I love going to other blogs and seeing sketches with notations. However, I do not sketch. So I am going to have to try something different.

I made an art journal a few years ago but very little has gone in it. I plan on pulling it our and starting again. And since I can't sketch...I plan on making paper quilt ideas and taking photos. Wish me luck.

Here are some of my paper quilt ideas...many that will never go beyond this journal.

One well-known author recorded “ideas, images, quotations hastily jotted down for possible future use… for the most part they are merely suggestions or random impressions designed to set the memory or imagination working. Their sources are various—dreams, things read, casual incidents, idle conceptions, and so on…”

I have tried different forms of journals through out my life. I kept a journal faithfully on my mission and then as I was home getting my masters in library science. Once I got married, life became too busy. When I started as library director here in Brigham City, a dear older friend retired to Florida and I decided to mail her letters every week for several years. Then my life became email and computers and the world wide web. My blog is now my journal and Picasa Web Albums is where I store my photos. I figure that as long as Picasa and blogger let me store my information it safer online than in a cardboard box in my closet,
If any of you want to start a blog journal or want to be more creative with your journals...online or not. Check out this book from our library collection: