Visual Journal complete (for now)

Since early on in Unit 1 I began the practice of keeping a journal. I would record emotions, places, and thoughts using any simple art tools available at that moment. It was a practice that evolved out of to two things:

  1. The question, “What is art?” or “What is art in the era of digimodernism?” arises out of a sense of uncertainty. For example, when I created art but hadn’t been to art school, it was outsider art? But outsider art is itself an insider term… While I understood eventually that ‘art’ had an ever evolving definition, or perhaps no definition at all, I still had to dig deep and figure out that the root of these questions was my own uncertainty towards what I created. They say, we are our own worst critics and I definitely was. This might not be a bad thing per se, but if it was leading me towards mental blocks, leaving me unable to create or share my work, then it was definitely a hindrance. So I happened upon this idea of the visual journal. Draw as you please. Paint when you feel.  Capture whatever you see.
  2. As a mother I felt the battle of taking out time for my work. It’s not the amount of work that piles up for a stay at home mom, but the overwhelming constancy of it that drags creativity down. I remember doodling on post its (inspired by another artist who went through the same) because it was literally the only thing I could do to create art. So the visual journal, light and simple, was the perfect companion through this chaotic journey.

This visual journal went through many iterations. I tried sticking to one medium (color pencils) but eventually realized that that was restrictive in itself. I had to use everything, from objects to coffee to create this journal in order to keep it totally freeing. So, as the final show drew closer, I felt like presenting this extremely important part of my emotional journey for the past two years. I collaborated with a book binding artist to create a handmade leather journal, titled The Untold Edition, and I added one of my journals to it.

Here’s a quick look at the completed journal:

1 thought on “Visual Journal complete (for now)

  1. Pingback: Unit 2 Assessment - Kehkashan

Leave a Reply