Art Journals

Lately I've become a little obsessed with Art Journals. I have a whole pinboard on Pinterest just for pinning images from other people's creations.

It probably has to do with the fact that I don't build enough time into my schedule to be crafty and creative. But I would love to be able to draw and express myself through art in this really cool way.

Do any of you do art journaling or doodling? Check out my pinboard and let me know what you think!

Art Journals

This year I introduced my students to the concept of a Writer's Notebook. We are still introducing the idea - I think it will go even better as the year goes on - and next year - once the kids (and I) get more used to how the notebook can work.

I made this switch because I read a great book (surprise, surprise) about using them in a classroom. I loved the idea of my kids having something they can take with them, somewhere they can keep their ideas, somewhere they can safely try new things and new expressions of themselves and their creativity. In our first week writing specific entries in the Notebook, my heart just swelled as I watched 24 heads bent over their notebook and listened to 24 pencils scratching across the paper. I almost couldn't contain myself as I listened to them share what they wrote. I love these kids. I love the stories they represent - the potential.

Just as I am getting excited about this idea of keeping a writing notebook myself, and helping my students get in the habit of it too, I found this - a pin board on Pinterest about Art Journaling.

It inspires me - it makes me want to draw and color and keep an art journal myself. I am NOT an artist and my stuff won't look a quarter as amazing as these. But - I think - an art journal could be a place to try anyway. It could be just for me - a safe place where I can be a horrible artist but not care - a place to experiment and try something new....

Maybe there's an art journal in my future....

Top 10 Sources of Inspiration

Inspiration is a big deal to me - I crave it. These are some of the things that inspire me.

10. Music - give me a Bach Brandenburg Concerto (#3 is my favorite) or an a capella performance (especially a men's quartet), and I am a happy woman.

9. Photographers - I love to look at photography blogs and the photographs of my friends. One of my favorite parts of our West Wing tour of the White House was staring at the photographs on the walls.

8. Stacy Julian - her philosophy of memory keeping, her class at Big Picture Classes, her crafting space

7. Becky Higgins - her philosophy of memory keeping, her Project Life system, her crafting space (I recently watched a video she did on managing the papers her kids have from school - I was inspired to bring order to my memory keeping chaos)

6. Ali Edwards - her photography, her transparency/openness about her journey, her love of her family

5. Fabric Stores/Quilting Stores/Cross Stitch stores - I love the potential represented by these places. The fabrics, the patterns, the finished samples. I just want to soak them in - just like I wanted to do with the photographs at the White House.

4. The zoo - Seeing different animals makes me appreciate God's limitless creativity. I am especially inspired by birds. I don't know why, but I am drawn to them.

3. Book stores - talk about potential! Words, ideas, pictures in endless configurations!

2. Magazines - just like book stores, magazines give you access to ideas and places and products you never knew existed.

1. Pinterest - every time I tell myself I'm just going to hop on to look for a minute, it turns into an hour or more. Infinite creativity of other people.


What inspires you?

Pinterest

I have a confession to make.

On Memorial Day, I didn't post a book review on my other blog. I put up some generic post about the holiday, but that isn't really why I didn't post. On Sunday evening, when I was supposed to be blogging, I was on Pinterest.

Shocking, huh?

If you aren't familiar with Pinterest, it is the latest thing in social media. You "pin" pictures to virtual bulletin boards so you can keep track of things you like, recipes you want to try, crafts you want to do, things you want to buy, ideas you want to try, etc. and it is completely addicting. Not only do you pin things you come across online that are interesting to you, but you also become friends with folks and can see what they post and you can get ideas from them.

If you are a teacher, or just an idea junkie, I think you would love Pinterest. I also think it is fun for visual people. Frankly, if I could only do one form of social media, I'd give up Facebook and Twitter and just play on Pinterest!