by Linda | Nov 24, 2011 | my creative journal
It really didn’t take that much effort or time to finish up my minibook. Goes to show that I was making it harder for myself and procrastinating in pain…for nothing at all. I suppose it’s always easier to see the light at the end of the tunnel – so to speak. Here’s a peek into my finished minibook of whys… what I love, why I do the things I do and what I need to remember and remind myself of…especially when days are tough.
For the cover, I pretty much kept it the same but added the pinkish patterned paper for consistency throughout the book. It’s funny how it matched with the pink number “2” I already had. You can see the old version here and read about how this book came to be. The suggestions from The Book of Why by Karen Grunberg really helped me to organize what I really wanted to document – the whys or reminders in my case. It was really easy to identify the areas of my life that mattered and to write up the journaling.
The opening pages have the introduction of why I created this minibook and the evolution of what it will be now. Simple, typed up. But for the rest of the book, I decided to handwrite everything.
My journaling isn’t exactly answering the question why – all the time – they are just bits that came to mind. I’m keeping it loose…it’s my book after all… it can be whatever I want. I created spreads for my husband and our Westie Vash, obvious choices.
However, I also included other important decisions of my life…like living in Italy. It’s a wonderful thing and everyone is always jealous. But there are challenges when throwing yourself into a foreign country, culture and language. Sometimes I do have to remind myself the whys and they are very wonderful reasons…
Scrapbooking is most definitely a spread as well. It’s for the memories and for safekeeping, but it’s also fun and creative for me. I love sharing the results, because it puts a smile on everyone’s face to remember… lots of reasons why I scrap. I didn’t have photos of me scrapping, so decided to use little thumbnails of my favorite pages. I will be adding in thumbnails over time, I think.
I also included a spread for taking care of me, myself and I. Often…we feel so selfish in doing things for ourselves…this especially happens to women who are natural caretakers of the household. I really want to remind myself that I need to take good care of myself, to satisfy my own needs. Ultimately, me being happy benefits everyone else too. Less crabbiness and more smiles all around…
The last spread of my book really makes me happy… I have a clip to slip in my favorite photos to look at … and my parents on the right saying “be happy”… I actually have this open on my desk because I love it so much.
My little book is definitely a twist of sorts from the original book of why idea, it just morphed into a sort of perspective on various aspects of my life. Definitely reminders and words of wisdom, from me to me. I’m really happy with the results and glad to have got it done. Again, I don’t even know why it was so hard to finish before…silly silly. Hope you enjoyed seeing a peek into my book…maybe you’ll create your own?
by Linda | Nov 23, 2011 | my creative journal
We all need time to recharge our bodies and minds. It’s not always about tasks lists and check marks. We all know this!
The problem is when we take breaks that aren’t really breaks. When I think I’m resting, I’m not really getting recharged at all. I’m still going…
Surfing on the internet is exhausting. It’s not a recharge type of activity. Watching a movie doesn’t let my mind rest…I’m usually having conversations inside my head, analyzing this and that.
Recharge activities are supposed to give you energy after the fact. If you still want to veg-out or go to sleep afterwards…I don’t think the original purpose was served.
So I’m thinking more about my breaktimes. If my recharge activities are working. Do I feel energized afterwards…or drained even more?
I know that I need to find better ways to truly recharge.
by Linda | Nov 21, 2011 | my creative journal
I’m an A4 paper size scrapper…because it happens to be the normal paper size here in Europe. This means I can print my own scrapbook paper pretty easily, using the borderless printing setting. It works pretty well and gives me instant gratification, especially for easy design backgrounds. Word jumbles, vintage textures and music note pages are quick and easy to print out, without emptying your entire ink cartridge.
Since most scrappers work in the 12″x12″ size, unless you have a large format printer, I realize it’s not going to be easy to print your own paper at home. In fact, I’ve heard of the printing and cutting machines that haven’t exactly made a splash in the scrapbooking consumer industry. I suppose, it’s just too much trouble and takes up too much ink.
Despite the limitations, I still think printing at home gives you power and choice! You can print out backing papers when you only need a small piece. Or if you need a photomat, you can actually just print the frame part that will show, saving ink. There are a lot of applications and possible uses, so don’t discount the print at home technique. It’s part of your toolbox – it’s an option! Have you tried printing at home? Any tips or tricks?
by Linda | Nov 20, 2011 | my creative journal
I bought de Kooning: An American Master (affiliate link to Amazon) a while back, started reading it but was interrupted for whatever reason and literally forgot about on my dusty bookshelf. I’ve always been a fan of de Kooning’s work and actually posted about it last year. Having heard good reviews for the book, I was excited to dive into it. Sort of a behind the scenes chronicle of a great artist’s life… not to mention he was a master that actually struggled with doubt – a feature that makes me want to learn more. I feel now that he seems more human, not just a master that is put up on a pedestal to admire. I’ve also seen various works by him that seem so different and so I wanted to learn more about his work as well.
I’ve only read a little bit about de Kooning’s beginnings and childhood, but already gaining perspective on the hard work and dramatic journey of his life. It’s a hefty book, so hopefully I can get myself to schedule proper reading time. I don’t want to let it collect more dust…because I’m certain it will be helpful to dive into de Kooning’s world. Wish me luck.
by Linda | Nov 19, 2011 | my creative journal
So I’m done reading The War of Art (affiliate link to Amazon)
because it’s such a short book – quick read! Turns out that it’s nothing like The Artist’s Way, besides a bit of religious/spiritual talk.
I felt that it was a description of why we resist doing things and a comparison of amateur versus pro… ending with his thoughts on the muse/genius/etc… but in the end it doesn’t really enlighten in terms of how one might beat the issues and get creative. I suppose, you should apply what you have read in terms of what a professional does. So ultimately he says you just got to do it and the creativity will flow.
True, but also easier said than done – which I suppose it also another point of the book. I dunno. Not sure if the thoughts have made a huge difference or if I have just procrastinated myself by reading the book. But it’s short enough that perhaps it was worth simply exploring these issues.
Perhaps what bothers me about the themes of the book… is the idea that there’s this magically force – our Muse or God that does the magically stuff. We are just vessels. Sounds lovely, but I don’t like feeling as if I don’t really matter. That the “magic” can go through anyone – even if it’s semantics like “anyone can cook”… it just doesn’t sit well with me. It puts a sarcastic expression on my face and say “hmm…i dunno…” Am I being egotistical, selfish and ultimately simply procrastinating? Sigh…
