Art journal page: from disaster to delight
Have you ever been deep into creating an art journal page (or any kind of art, really) when disaster strikes? Your stomach drops. Your jaw and shoulders go tight. Oh no. Did you ruin your page?
This happened to me recently. Even worse? I was on camera, recording my lesson for Gratitude Junk Journal 2022! Trust me, I was horrified, and scrambling to know how to gracefully “fix” my page while still creating a valuable lesson for our students.
Peeking at my spread created for “Ocean Wild,” my lesson in Gratitude Junk Journal 2022
I’m an intuitive artist, so for me that means I focus on process rather than end product. In my eyes, the whole point of creative practice is to spend time checking in with myself, getting in touch with my deeper self through messy/colorful artistic expression.
I adore creating that way. But . . . sometimes creating without a specific plan means you end up making “mud,” or your page looks like complete chaos, or even hits a stage where you’re convinced you’ve ruined it all!
So how do you fix that poor ruined page? How do you turn disaster back into delight?
Since I was filming my page creation for Gratitude Junk Journal, I had to figure that out on the fly. And you know what? I came to realize how helpful it could be to be REAL on camera. Who among us—creative people—hasn’t mucked things up, hit a wall, or said, “What have I done?!” I’ve taken a ton of art journaling classes, and honestly, sometimes it can be super intimidating to feel like the teacher creates everything perfectly the first time. In reality, I bet there are tons of behind-the-scenes “OOPS” moments that we never see.
But when you’re on your own, creating in your studio, or on a tiny desk, or a corner of your family’s messy kitchen table—wherever, whenever you manage to scrounge a few moments to express yourself through creativity . . . it can be overwhelming and frustrating when you feel like you’ve ruined it all.
Trust me, friend: it’s actually not possible to ruin your artwork!
See, I believe that all art-making (especially art journaling) is a journey. A long, winding path, leading us deeper into our own truth. There is no wrong way to go. If you feel lost, you just haven’t gone far enough yet.
When I was filming, I had to remind myself of this—that the journey is the point. The discovery. The wondering, the pause, the exploration. Trusting that your intuition will show you the way forward, over, around, under, through. With that reminder, I was able to focus on the parts that I found interesting, and keep adding layers over the mucky bits.
And you know what? That rocky bit of the journey—where I thought I’d ruined it all—it actually led me to create one of my very favorite art journaling spreads. Ever. It’s much braver and bolder than I often dare to go when I’m following a plan!
Here’s my completed page for “Ocean Wild,” my lesson in Gratitude Junk Journal. It’s going live soon!
As I say toward the end of my lesson, when I’d re-found my footing and remembered to lean into the process: “Flow like ocean. Let it be wild. Let it be real. Let it be free.”
Friends, if you want real, honest encouragement on your creative journey, and to watch my disaster-to-delight lesson in real time, come join us in Gratitude Junk Journal! We’ve already started but Tiare Smith (our lovely host) just decided to extend registration until November 20. Sign up today if you want to join a super warm and friendly community, plus 12 amazing teachers sharing their wisdom!
There is such gorgeous artwork being shared in our group—and, to me, even more importantly . . . creative people sharing their artist journeys with one another. You don’t have to create alone. <3
