Why Art Journalling??

This could be 'why Journalling" of any sort really, Writing, Blogging .
I personally have found it an invaluable way of figuring myself out.
It has kept me focused and entertained in and through confusing and potentially anxious situations. For example waiting rooms...
In the past year I have been a support person for my husband Gary as he has gone through surgery, radiotherapy, more surgery and intensive chemotherapy. I cant speak for him (you can check out his blog http://getbetterget.blogspot.com/). But watching him and going through this process has been incredibly challenging and painful for me.
I felt in rare moments that I did things right..I have relied on other people to tell me as I  didn't have a clear perspective..hard when immersed. As Dory says..'keep on swimming, keep on swimming'. But mostly it is day by day and a sense of muddling through.
I started Art journalling as a way of making sense of this and a way remembering, it seemed important to get down what was happening and how I was feeling. Also as a way of containing and describing.
My Journal become a comfort and a way to focus.
What kick started this was a book I came across in University Books Art Journals and Creative Healing by Sharon Soneffhttp://sonnetsstudios.blogs.com/ and I decided to try it.
(by the way..this  a fantastic book and well worth hunting out..it was a bath time re-read for the past year)
I have always kept a Visual Diary right through Art school with scribbles and Ideas, half formed paintings shopping lists and recipes, But I always felt that the ideas I put down down needed to go somewhere and I needed to complete what I had started and if I didn't ,there was the accompanying sense of failure.
With an Art Journal...pretty much you can develop an idea on a page and leave it there..you can take it further if you choose or it is complete within its self. It ranges for me on a sliding scale from Adult colouring in and scribbling towards more therapeutic.
I naturally veer towards drawing and painting and I have been learning collage..I am not a natural collager it has been a process..I am more messy.

Things I have noticed and or loved through Journalling.


I have always got something to do..if I am waiting somewhere..in front of tele,in planes, the other day when I was at the urgent Drs with my son for three hours..we both drew and he did some reading and I coloured in and drew trees.
I can look at it and access where I was and see progress in my thinking and my drawing
A daily of weekly habit of drawing and wanting to draw or create occurs
When you do act intuitively with images and drawings and ask questions..most often you get miraculous and encouraging answers.