Pandemic Collage Journal

Early entry in my Pandemic Collage Journal

Pandemic Collage Journal, front of my 3 ring binder

I love art journaling with all the mixed media bling and originality, but, at work, when the Pandemic really got going, in March, I started a loose leaf Pandemic Collage Journal. My love of words and pictures, together, again lead me to find a way to record my feelings. 

It started out as collaged pages on lined paper, in a binder. I was shadowing another peer counselor who had a women's group. Collage was being used as a creative activity while the women talked about their issues. No one shared what they had put together, or wrote about it.  To me it seemed liked a missed opportunity, but I think that was from my art therapist's perspective. The ladies had been attending the group for some time and were happy with the format.

On my own, of course, I could not resist leveling up the meaning for myself by journaling around and inside the images.

I bought a ream of three hole punched paper and dug in.  Some days I made more than one page, some days I just ripped images from National Geo, Self, O, Real Simple and junk mail.  I did not need to know why the image appealed, but sometimes I did.

The images turned out to relate to stress, self care, lists and plans, self concept, and the like. Some pages have been more about collage itself and design.  Most pages continue to be a way of lifting the personal effects of the world's ever changing response to emotional, financial and political issues, not to mention global health issues.  

From March, 2020 until today, the first week of August, I have found my Pandemic Collage Journal to be a tremendous resource. Please join me, and post comments, and pictures of your own efforts. Send me a message through my etsy button if you would like to do a Zoom Pandemic Collage Journal activity for yourself or a group. I also do Spiritual Counseling and Oracle Reading. 

Here is a How To for starting a Pandemic Collage Journal of your own.

1. Find a three ring binder and some three hole punched paper or a sturdy catalog to glue pictures into.
2. Stock up on magazines. "O", Self, Real Simple or others self care magazines are great for words and pictures to work with, as well as National Geographic. Any magazine will give you journal fodder to get you started.
3. Find Scissors and glue sticks.
4. re-purpose grocery store flyers to use to glue on
5. Find a pen you like to write with. Can also use highlighters and colored markers to enliven things.
6. Find a large clear envelope to store the words and pictures you find. 
7. Tear out interesting pages that have words and/or images you can use now or later.
8.  You don't need to know how or why you chose them or how you will use them.
9. Find daily time to paste down images and/or words and journal on your collaged pages.
10. Journal about how these words and images relate to your day, state of mind, goals, worries, solutions, emotions, the world, people in your life, your job, your health. Just use your imagination. You can revisit pages that you have previously made and add comments. It's fun to journal around individual images. 
11. Be sure to add the date of the original page and your additional comments.
12. If you need a starting phrase to get you going you can begin with Dear Collage Journal, or the like.
13. This is not only a place to dream, vent, plan, make lists, complain, solve problems or just write, this is also a diary of your process as a human during a unique time in our history as humans. A personal historic document.
14. Share your Pandemic Collage Journal with a friend or friends via zoom.

New Wisp Brush, Waxed Paper Masks, Remember

Love, Serve and Remember

Stampers Anonymous stamp, home-made word stickers,
K & Co. butterflies, waxed paper mask, waxed paper
cut-outs, Yasumoto iridescent watercolor, Imagine
Craft Fireworks craft spray, stencils, Office Max Metallic
Markers, Martha Steward craft marker

On the left my new Aqualon Wisp brush, waxed paper cutout.
On right a different, just started, journal spread that gives you an example
(around edge, orange outer circle) of what the brush does.

A bunch of cool (to me, at least) discoveries contributed to the top image "Love, Serve & Remember",
the name of a Ram Dass book and a good reminder of what I am here on this planet to do.  The top
spread started out with two circle shapes drawn with a compass, I meant to do a "Lettering in the
Round" (Joanne Sharpe) spread. 

1. Waxed paper masks
   Discovery one took place when I used the waxed paper I often use behind the pages I'm
   working (on to protect other pages) to cut out a mask to protect the circles from stenciling and
   spray.  Used just a bit of double stick tape to hold the mask in place.  You can still see the
   masked circles (lavender). 
   
   I used letter and swirl stencils with Fireworks craft spray and used the ghosting technique
   (saw Dyan do this in a video) where you place the sprayed or wet stencil face down to make
   a ghost image of the one you sprayed.  I actually like the "ghost" better.
2.  Waxed paper cut-outs
   Discovery two, I used a version of this technique with the tissue paper I used to blot another
   spread previously.  When I saw what great spray patterns and colors were on the waxed paper
   I cut out flower shapes with scissor and glue down the waxed paper cut-outs with Mod Podge.
   Love how transparent the waxed paper is.  Maybe you can make out a couple of flowers on
   each of the pages (subtle in this picture).
3. Aqualon Wisp Brush
   I saw this odd brush at Hobby Lobby.  It's for watercolorist who wants to quickly put in foliage
   or hair or the like in their watercolors.  I thought: lines/texture.  The brushes are by Royal
   Langnickel and come five to a "value pack" for around 14.00.  Sheds just a bit but within the
   acceptable range.  In the "Remember" spread you can see the interest created with these brushes
   when the light spaces where left and interacted with the spray.
4. Hand-made shiny word "stickers"
   This is a technique you probably already know but doesn't hurt to remind you.  You can print
   out words from your printer, on any older paper, with any color and style of font.  Cut or punch
   them out, glue down, then use Glossy Accents (Ranger) or Liquid Embossing (Plaid) or
   Dimensional Accents (Plaid Mod Podge product).  I used Liquid Embossing here. 
   Cut my "serve" button too small but other than that I like these.  I inked the edges before
   I glued down and added the Liquid Embossing.
   
   
   Reflective/Art Therapy Angle: 
   
   I wanted to make a piece to remind me about the daily things I need to remember to have
   balance in my life.  The first thing that came to mind was the two vitamins for my soul that I have
   been forgetting about lately, Walking and Meditating for more than a couple of minutes.
   Both these activities help me dump worry stress and feel more focused.  The other essentials
   that I seek to do everyday are Create and Teach.  Finally I added "Love, Serve and Remember" which is such a great daily reminder. 
   
   The doorway shaped stamped images came before the words.  I wanted  to write something
   about answering the door when opportunity knocks.  You know how it goes though--creations
   have a life of their own that the strategic mind may have no idea about.  Think that is what
   tickles me about art. I added the butterflies because they represent radical transformation,
   and brief beauty to me.



Letter Love Lesson 4: Create 20 "Fun Fonts"



Really like the "Floral", "Forest", "Eve", "Flood Light"



Really like the "Flo" and "Electric" and "Art Makes You Grow"

In Joanne Sharpe's "Letter Love" online class.  I've only just completed Lesson 4.  So much fun to realize that I can create my own fonts!  Also found out that I can have them made into fonts for my computer at http://www.fontifier.com/ .  Not sure if I will but that sounds so cool.  Also found out that the Denver Botanic Gardens is offering a class called "Botangles".  Botanically based Zentangle type doodles.  It's in October, can't wait.  In the meantime I'm going to make flower specific alphabets (for example, Rose or Lotus).  Very appealing to not only draw flowers but "write" in them too.

Activating my imaginative life by looking inside...

"Art Garden" Art Journal Pages

Tim Holtz "Tattered Florals" die, newspaper, rusty washers,
scrapbook paper, markers, ink, Inktense watercolor pencils

I've been feeling so weird lately.  Inspired by a million images and ideas on facebook, YouTube and other blogs.  Think I need to shift from gathering to planting, tending, harvesting.  I saw this great quote from Joseph Campbell and I think it cuts to the core:

"We're living in a period that I regard as a kind of period of the terminal moraine of mythology. It's as though a lot of mythological rubbish is all around. Mythologies that built civilizations and are no longer working in that way are just in rubble all around us.

"So an individual who puts himself to the task of activating his imaginative life - the life that springs up from inside, not in res...ponse to outside information and commands - that person can find stimulation in this wonderful literature that is pouring into the libraries. Now the world is full of these wonderful things again.

"So there is no rule. An individual has to find what electrifies and enlivens his own heart, and wakes him."

Joseph Campbell, "The Hero's Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life and Work," p. 133

The wonderful images I have been awed by are not "rubbish" they are pure gold, but they are not the gold I must seek inside of me.  I need to focus on activating my imaginative life through my own art process, then I will feel more whole and grounded, I think.  I need to focus on "the life that springs up from inside, not in response to outside information and commands".