embodiment
Yesterday I joined the Embodiment community at LiveJournal. The collective goal is to write something each and every day in a paper journal. I started one of these a couple of years ago (mid-2004 if I remember correctly); but I’m not good at it because I had never developed the “diary” habit when I was younger. Surprisingly, I did actually complete a journal and move into a second one. (I like using the medium-sized Watson-Guptill sketchbooks that I pick up at any bookstore such as Barnes & Noble or Borders.) But, I rarely write in my journal unless I’m sitting in the airplane! That little drop-down “desk” is kind of nice; much more so than writing in my lap and I don’t really have a desk in the house.
I noticed that the LiveJournal group has a corresponding photo/image group at Flickr, so I joined the group in anticipation that I might want to share a page or two with the community. While I was there, I browsed lots of photos, including the Moleskinerie group, which I also joined.
I am partial to the Watson-Guptill sketchbooks — medium format of 5.5×8.5 inches. They’re inexpensive, hardbound, and the pages hold up well to glue and paints. If I’m doing a lot of gluing, I’ll remove a page or two to keep it from getting too thick for the hard covers.
But … with that said, I broke down and purchase a Moleskine last month. It’s the “large sketchbook” size which makes it just the size of the Watson-Guptil book that I had been using in the past. I don’t like lines; for some reason they are off-putting when I make an attempt to “do art” in my journal. My writing isn’t necessarily *straight* as a result, but I don’t mind at all.
I’m going to use the Moleskine journal specifically for embodiment, but I will return to my prior journal (which is only half-filled) throughout the year. Picking which book to use is going to be a lot easier than coming up with something to say each and every day of the year.
About my journaling
I never even considered numbering my pages … until several people started asking others whether or not they number. Now I wonder *why* they number the pages. I always write the date — sometimes the time of day (and time zone since I travel) and location.
While I’m working in a journal, I’ll often thumb back and read earlier entries. It’s rarer that I’ll pick up a completed journal and reread entries in it. I never *change* an entry once it’s written, but I have sometime written a comment in the margin!
Jaime is an avid and prolific journaler. I’ve never kept up a journal or a diary, though I did start/try a couple of time. Several years ago (mid-2004?) I decided that I really did want to journal and to stick with it. I had just discovered "art journals" along with altered books, so I decided to tackle journaling with a multi-media approach rather than feeling pressured to *write* something every day. My new goal is to make this a daily activity rather than whenever I happen to think about it.
After much hype, I broke down and bought a Pilot G2 ball-point pen. (In black.) It writes nicely and doesn’t seem (so far) to have the gloppy build-up that some pens do. But, I’m not giving up my fiber pigment pens for anything.
Since I’m feeling insecure about the content of my journal entries, when I started this adventure 2.5 years ago, I decided that my journals wouldn’t be just boring black words. So, I write in many colors. Some days I just grab the purple pen because that’s how I’m feeling. Other days just scream for green ink.
Once upon a time I thought I might try drawing, but unless I take some lessons, I’m not going to get over my hesitation to try. So, I either use a rubber stamp or print an outline off on the computer and then use the pigment pens like coloring crayons! It adds some visual interest and color for sure.