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Art journaling...am I the only one?

For me it is the artwork itself that draws me. I love the watercolors, paints, and eclectic artwork. I like to use it for more traditional pages because I have lots of those I need to get done. Only within the last 6 months have I tried making actual art journaling pages. Still learning, but that is the cool part: there seems to be no rules...

My favorite aspect is that while I would be too scared to attempt "making a mess" in real like, I can make a mess in digital land where there is a big Undo button. So easy to undo or move that big blob of digital paint. The Undo feature has really opened up my willingness to take risks and make messes.
 
This is something I was always intimidated by and just starting doing in the last 2 years or so. I started digital scrapbooking primarily as a memory keeper but in the last 10 years as my kids have gotten older, I find that I enjoy AJ for the creative outlet. It's nice to have something that's really for ME, I guess. I think it's a chance to record my inner journey in a way that's different from my chronological memory keeping too.
 
I rarely do "all about me" pages in standard scrapping styles. Creating AJ pages I find fun and they end up being "all about me" so I feel I am leaving a piece of myself. I don't have to take pictures of myself and I can talk about things that I care about. It is like having a ventriloquists dummy in your hands.
 
I'm not really comfortable with using art journaling as a therapy tool or a way to help work through an issue, but that's because I'm just not that deep :giggle and am generally fairly unemotional (I'm an engineer- it comes with the territory). And I should clarify that by saying I'm not comfortable doing it for myself, but I think it is AWESOME for those who love it!

I do love using art journaling elements on regular layouts, and sometimes I will document changes or situations in life using an art journal style, but there is almost always a photo involved, like this:



Most of the time, though, I just use AJ supplies on regular layouts:



I also will sometimes make a page using a quote that I like or some quirky thought that pops into my head and won't go away, especially if it gives me a chance to use supplies that I don't really have photos to match:



But even with those examples, I wouldn't call myself an art journaler. Like many others have said, there are all different styles and types of scrapbooking supplies and layouts, and not liking to use some of them is TOTALLY okay!
 
michelepixels said:
I don't think I totally get it either. I think that's because I don't scrap primarily for the creativity or art. I scrap primarily for recording my life. It's more about the photos and journaling for me. But it's fun to throw together an art journal page occasionally. I did that challenge yesterday. I usually receive comments on my layouts within hours of posting them but haven't on this one yet, so I guess it is more of a mess than art journaling! :giggle
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@michelepixels I'm the same way. I scrap for recording life. Believe it or not, it helps my failing memory. Once in a while I'll have to ask a certain person if they know the rough date of a pic, or certain people in a picture. I'm only 38 too. It's really frustrating.
 
@gonewiththewind I guess I was doing AJ after all! LMAO!! I thought they always had to look like the page for the MOC challenge. I've always thought of paint splatters as elements.

And you should see the page I'm currently working on for BYOC. I posted this last night, after working on the page and didn't realize the irony....haha
 
@misslovescraps I have severe anxiety and depression, among a few other health issues. I've never been able to cope creatively like your beautiful pages. I cope in different ways (not anything stupid like drugs or alcohol). I understand how you feel though. XOXO
 
AnneofAlamo said:
it isn't always the end result of a page...
it is the journey creating it.
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THIS!!!

Left to my own devices, I'm a Clean & Simple scrapper (a la Cathy Zielske) - lots of grids, pretty typography, and very few embellishments. Quite frankly, I look at all those beautiful elements in these kits, look at my page, and get really confused about where to put things. So I don't. Or if I do, it winds up looking like what we called "sticker sneeze" in the old paper days.

For 95% of my pages these days, templates are my secret weapon. Especially the ones by @gonewiththewind and @Scrapping with Liz - they make it easy for me to use all those pretty flowers and leaves and other goodies without it looking like I sneezed 'em all over my page.

...and then there's the paint. I love the look of the texture and the layers and the blending in Art Journaling-style layouts, but it's just not my native style. So the month the theme for Scrapaneer's Champions was "Fear Factor", I decided to tackle an art journaling layout.

Here's the crazy thing: through the process of playing with the photo, blending it and layering it and filtering it six ways from Sunday, I ended up with my head in a space that resulted in journaling that's totally unlike what I planned for the page. It's deep and raw and vulnerable, and it's one of my favorite layouts I've ever created.



Just like @AnneofAlamo said, "It isn't always the end result of a page ... it is the journey creating it." That journey resulted in that journaling and a big piece of my story that's gone untold is now in our albums.

I guess I should play with Art Journaling a little bit more, even though it totally intimidates me. <sigh>
 
StarryEyedDesigns said:
O.K. another confession. I despise pocket pages. I would rather do an AJ page :giggle
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I'm with you on that . . . I don't despise them, but it's hard for me to do them!

angiekey said:
For 95% of my pages these days, templates are my secret weapon. Especially the ones by @gonewiththewind and @Scrapping with Liz - they make it easy for me to use all those pretty flowers and leaves and other goodies without it looking like I sneezed 'em all over my page.
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I'm glad the templates are helping you!!!

And your page, gorgeous and heartwrenching. My sister had the same surgery at almost your same age. Going through that with her, still going through that with her, I send you my love and ((HUGS)) and said a prayer for you.
 
I feel like I fall in line with Cheryl and Jenn when it comes to my artsy journal style. It's definitely not your typical artsy journal style, but it works for me. Do what works for you!
 
@angiekey I enjoyed your writing about your raw emotions. I hope the writing helped. It was brave of you to share it with us. {{{hugs}}}

I will share this with you - I have both biological sons and an adopted daughter. She was almost 2 years old at adoption, but I certainly went through many of the same emotions and experiences in the adoption as I did in the pregnancies (yes, we have first smile photos, first time she called me mama, etc.). Most days I forget that I did not birth that girl of mine. And one last p.s. - I was 43 when we adopted her. Something to consider if you haven't already considered it.
 
This has been an interesting topic to hear everyone's views on. I think AJ, like anything else in the digi world, is subjective to the creator and can be interpreted differently. It's ok to not like it at all, or take what you like from it and use it in a way that works for your style, or embrace it fully and let your creativity go wild with it. One of the things I love about scrapping is the diversity of it and how we all see and express our creativity in different ways. AJ is never going to be the main style I scrap but it is fun to see what others create and applaud their creativity.
 
I have enjoyed reading this post and the different views shared. I personally like all types of digital art, from C&S to Fantasy. Each style has its own unique parameters and like other things in life we may well be drawn to one particular style, like clothing for instance. We are all individuals and therefore we have our own likes and dislikes so of course that will flow into our digi world as well. We don't necessarily have to 'get it' in order to enjoy it and there is no need to feel bad about not liking something either :) I prefer creating arsty type layouts because I am a frustrated artist but I also like to do an occasional C&S or fantasy page when I am in the mood :)
 
My own AJ pages are always too messy for my own taste. Lol. Every time we've had a designer come in that's primarily AJ, I've had no idea who they were. Some people are gushing & I'm there wondering what rock I've been under. It's not my thing, but I like to try different stuff or I feel like all my pages look the same. Now pocket pages, I could not stand them for the longest time. But, since I've been on Gina's CT, I do them more because I want to show the versatility of the kit. I end up always liking my finished product (which is more than I can say for my AJ pages).
 
Oh I felt like I missed the boat on AJing. There was a now closed shop? Scrap Artist? So many amazing artist there, and I registered and they closed that month? I was bummed. You see I fell into AJ, well, Tangie kinda mesmerized me. Her CT to me had these pages that made me think. Really think about. Why I created, and sometimes, I just want to create without a memory or photo attached. Just toss things I like on the page, rearrange and make a statement of some kind from my life/heart/experience. AJ opened that up to me. Fantasy is a kick in the butt to make you learn shadows, how to warp, blend and more.
 
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