When I created this page for Artists in Blogland using their prompt:
Headline prompt: Radical to Mundane and to Radical Again: What once seemed new that now feels old and boring? How can you see it as new again? How do you “jump charge” creativity when you’re feeling stuck?
Color: black & neons – bold contrasts
Quote: Creativity is piercing the mundane to find the marvelous. Bill Moyers
something in me finally clicked. Here is my confession: I use my artjournal to try out new techniques and new supplies and tools BUT I am one of those people who don’t like an artjournal anymore if a page turns out ugly. Like in “blech” !
yeah yeah…bla bla – I know all the comments about “oh, don’t worry, this is your playbook. You shouldn’t be uptight with it. Let it go”
Been there done that…tell other people that…doesn’t follow it myself though. Dozens of unfinished Artjournals are occupying my shelves because of that.
It isn’t so much that the page couldn’t be covered anymore…it is that all of a sudden the page that was wonderful say on the left side got a serious punch in the intestines by the ugly page on the right side…making me not finish the artjournal and start rather with a new one. Insane, I know!
But on this spread here, something accidentally happened. While in Scrapbooking I really don’t care about double-sided Layouts and I totally love the look of two opposite sides looking differently, with this one I just started working on both sides. And I loved the big surface and I loved the crease in the middle – I just loved it. And when I started the next pages and they looked like hot chocolate on a nice white fluffy carpet…I didn’t care…because…whatever, turn page, cover it, glue it- pretend it never happened, doesn’t affect the spread before. I can go back and look at my nice page- no worries. YES….I am a dork…I know…but I told you…what can you do ? ;)
So ever since…I work on double spread pages in my artjournal and I LOVE it. Will show some more pages over the next days.
Please tell me I am not the only one who is so weird? LOL
Have a gorgeous day
huge hugs
nat
Comments (18)
Debbie
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Hahaha, lol! Nope I am totally insane like that as well..things just have be perfect/match hahaha…have started in art journal, then dismissed it as well, because things didn’t seem to match…so you’re definitely not alone! The 2page spread does sound like a wonderful solution, will try that too! XxDebbie
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Marit
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No, you’re not the only one ;) – I usually fill my art journals with spreads too (or, in the really big ones, leave the opposite page blank.)
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sabelljones
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You are not crazy Nathalie! We all do stuff like that. Thanks for all the inspiration you give me!
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Sue Abell
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Haha, you are not crazy, we all do weird things like that! Love all that you do, it is very inspiring!
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mjmarmo
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That is the nice things about art journaling – we can always cover it up or just move on!
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suzanne bouchard
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You are certanly noit the only one having difficulty accepting a page yoy don’t like. But you can the page out instead of going to another journal. Imperfection is human. I tear the pages outHIHI I don’t always aceept…
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stefffyc
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No worries…. I am very weird in that way too!! And also, I have started doing double pages to help solve the ‘issue’ :-)
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christenlouise
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I’m so glad I found your blog, I love your work! I recently bought the Dylusions journal and fell into doing two-page spreads without even thinking about it. I’m never going back to one-page art journal spreads!
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andrenesmith
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If there is one tip I have retained from you and Donna Downey its to just cover up the ugly and start over. Thats why mixed media art journals are so versatile. I couldn’t really successfully do that on a card or 12×12 layout. I was wondering what journal you are using in this photo? All of my journals have the metal binding and I want a good one that has the continuous flow of stitched or glued binding. Thanks!! Oh yeah – love these pages. The border is awesome and love the use of the spray paints!
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Kathy P
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Nope, not weird! Love the diverse creativity you exude!!!
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Carrie
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Not a dork at all! I’m a perfectionist myself, so I understand not being able to go on with a page you don’t like messing up your otherwise awesome art journal. Could you cover it over, though? Anyway, this spread is great, it’s got a really cool color contrast going on. Love it!
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Dara Lynn
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Nat…I have 5 journals….all started…then did the same thing..”ugly page” and began a new one!
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Sue Clarke
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No, you are not weird Nat. I have a stack of journals (aka dairies) that never got filled in. something happened along the way and I decided that I needed a new one. I am trying to go back and “finish” those ones before buying more. something about starting with a clean slate I think.
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Nathalie Kalbach
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OH – I love the analogy of a clean slate…that is a nice way to explain it!
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Sy
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Gorgeous pages! I have only had one art journal and I put it away a long time ago because I was disappointed by how the cover turned out! When I joined Creative Jump Start I took it back out and Painted over the parts I didn’t like and now I love it!!! But this book remained hidden away for over a year because the cover didn’t work first time. You should see it now.. many uglies in there but with pretty things too! I’m cured!
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Nathalie Kalbach
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Woowhoooo – so glad you took it out again and you are cured :)
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Irma
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No, you’re not weird at all! I have a pile of journals here…unfinished, all with pages mucked up. I have quite some canvasses here…in all stages, mucked up.
The simple thought of “just go over it” comes only once in a while.
But worse for me is the point where I start to like something, that isn’t finished yet, and than I start to get scared of mucking up and in 8 of 10 cases I do so…
Have a great start in the weekend! – Irma
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Nathalie Kalbach
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LOL- I am better with canvases- I even cover up canvases that I liked – it is something about the book format …crazy. LOL. Wishing you a great start into your weekend too!, Nat
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