Art Journaling Secrets I May (Or May Not) Have Told You

Today is the BIG day!

21 SECRETS Fall is officially out & inspiring creative hearts all over the world! I am so proud and beyond excited to share this beautiful offering with you.  So, if you haven’t grabbed your copy yet — why wait any longer?  CLICK HERE to get yours.

And today just for fun, I thought I’d share 21 of my own random art journaling secrets with you. 

So here ya go!  Happy 21 SECRETS day!!!

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1.  My first art journal was a spiral bound notebook that I painted the cover silver and wrote my name on it with puffy paint.  Yes.  Puffy paint — I was 15, what can I say!

2.  I actually spilled that little secret above in a recent interview I did for Andrea Schroeder HERE for her free art journaling workshop: Creative Emergence. Andrea has such a beautiful way of approaching art journaling — I highly recommend anything she touches.

3.  Other then the workshops in 21 SECRETS I have never taken an actual art journaling course in my whole life.

4.  When I was an art teacher in the public school system I was hired to teach art journaling to parents that were learning how to speak English.  We used art journaling as a way of feeling comfortable while having conversations in English.  It was such a fun experience actually — though, I’m not sure how effective it was for learning English!

5.  I consider myself a purist when it comes to art journaling.  I’ve found that I’m highly allergic to all those fancy art supplies that come out every other week.  Hand me some paint, oil pastels, and some charcoal and I’m good to go. (HERE is a list of my absolute favorite supplies.)

6.  Lately I’ve been thinking of  “art journaling” more as “creative journaling”.  Don’t ask me why, I’m not really sure.  It may just be a phase.  Who knows!

7.  I gave my son Phoenix his very first art journal when he was about one years old.  It is filled with the most precious scribbles and paint spills ever and now, at 3 and a half he’s already onto art journal number 4!

8.  I’m not a big fan of other people drawing in my art journal.  Keep your hands to yourself please.

9.  I don’t mind if other people Take A Peek though!

10.  I carry an art journal with me everywhere I go.  Seriously.  I have no shame.

11.  Well I kinda lied.  I don’t take my art journal with me when I ride my beloved bike.  Though my husband recently purchased a GoPro camera and a little holder that props up on my bike for it.  He keeps insisting that when the weather gets nicer here in the desert I should start taking my journal along on my bike rides and shoot some videos for it — I’m thinking maybe he’s right!

12. I use my art journal as a trusted business adviser all the time. Where most businesses are looking at spreadsheets and bottom lines — I’m pushing paint and gluing scraps!  I share a lot about that in my IGNITE program actually.

13.  Most of the time when friends come over to visit we always end up art journaling — even my not so artsy friends too!

14.  My absolute favorite art journal to work in right now is the Handbook Journal. I’m especially fond of the landscape size — I have three of them going at once!

15.  Recently I heard about a woman in her 70s that is traveling the US solo with her sketchbook and drawing all day — every day.  That feels like a total dream to me!!!  Every cell in my body sings when I think of doing something like that.

16.  Long, long time ago I made of series of videos called Art Journal Love.  My favorite was THIS ONE and THIS ONE.

17.  Before each of my Grandparents passed away I sat beside them and sketched them in my art journal.  I never realized at the time what a gift that was.  I just didn’t know how else to deal with the grief.

18.  I believe with every ounce of my being that art journaling transforms lives.

19.  I’m tossing around the idea of doing 21 SECRETS LIVE again in 2016.  That might be fun, heh?!?

20.  When other people show me their art journals I get very emotional — sometimes even teary eyed — I am so aware of what a privilege this gesture truly is.

21. Don’t tell anyone….but I’m going to be teaching in 21 SECRETS Spring next year!