A journal by any other name is not as sweet

I do "visual journaling". It's a new-fangled word for something artists have been doing for years, which is basically, journaling visually. Just like it sounds. There's some writing, some images and almost always a thought or a question prompting it.

I started doing it about 3 years ago and my practice survived largely due to taking Kelly Kilmer's online "A Prompt a Day" class. It really took off when my "real" artist friend challenged me to create art -- anything -- every single day for one year. She gave me a big beautiful journal in which to do it. And I did. Crazy.

Now, I find visual journaling is what keeps me sane half of the time. It's where I get my ya-ya's out. 

Sometimes it happens to come out pretty, but mostly it's simply for me. One of the biggest challenges has been to share my pages. I feel raw and cut open putting my real (often ugly) feelings out into the world to be judged, praised, dismissed. But that's part of being on my journey: staying vulnerable. Even when it's scary. Even when it hurts.

Do you journal? Do you feel in images? Take a leap and start doing it daily. Rip, paste, write, breathe. Even a teeny little notebook can hold a whole lot.