Simple & Raw Art Journaling
Mixed media doesnāt always have to be super layered. And when it comes to art journaling, what matters is to authentically express your emotions, your thoughts, your inner world. Sometimes it might be full of color, joy, texture and dreamy imagery. But at other times, emotions just need to rush out, and a page can emerge in only a few raw, minimalist layers. Thatās what happened with the one Iām sharing today.
No matter how a page turns out, itās OK. Your journal is the right place to welcome all of itāthe mess, the beauty, the love, the anger, the peace, the sadness, the joy, the storiesā¦ the truth of YOU.
A few layers are enough
This page started with some cut-out words from magazines, a phrase that had been lingering at the back of in my mind ever since I spotted the word āundoingā in my little pile, some months ago. For a long time I didnāt feel ready to use it, to make something out of it. I didnāt have the courage. Probably because it rings so true, so deep. And then it was time.
I felt such sadness as I contemplated this first layer, these simple words. And the feeling of grief called for some black as the next step. Not the deep, opaque black of paint, but rather ink, as fluid as tears flowing.
Then butterflies, as always, landed on the page, all from a little piece of paper that had been lying on my table for a while. They needed to take flight, like so many memories and feelings in desperate need to be released. The reason why butterflies are my favorite symbols is not just because theyāre so beautiful, but because they hold so many different meanings. Here, they evoke change and transformation, as well as the need for freedom.
The next thing I spotted on my table was a heart-shaped paper punch. I started making little hearts out of the pink patterned paper of one of my favorite books from when I was little (a print of it of course). Intuitively, I placed them upside down. Then I started cutting some of the hearts in two, and they morphed into tear-drops. And soon it was raining love from the top of the page, that turned into grief. Itās bittersweet, and it feels true. They say that grief is simply love that has no place to goā¦
After that, the page already seemed almost complete, and I felt the need to grab a pen and do some journaling. It came in quick, short phrases, like a lullaby:
One thread at a time, unraveling. One tear at a time, slowly falling.
One life, cut short. One hand, letting go of another. One kiss, forever lost.
One dance, ending. One smile, fading.
One girl, crying. One woman, fighting.
And so many memories, evaporating.
I journaled some more with a light pencil, then finished by adding blue into the tears. Maybe because I was feeling blue. Maybe to evoke water, the element of emotions.
And thatās all this page needed. No plan, no overthinking. Just a very quick, intuitive session and not a care in the world if itād turn out āprettyā. But I love it, and I find it beautiful, simply because itās true. Thereās beauty and light in it, even a bit of sweetness, together with the darkness. Itās not one or the other. It just is.
As always, I hope that by sharing my soul and my creative process, I can give some of you just what you need today: the inspiration to open your journal or bring out a canvas, the confidence to rely on your art to express who you are, what youāre going through, be it joyful or sad and the knowledge that youāre not walking this path alone.
For more inspiration, more pages, and resources to explore the practice of art journaling, go to this page. And to join me in a soul-nurturing class, this is the way.
Light, Love & Fairy Dust,
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When it comes to art journaling, what matters is to authentically express your emotions, without overthinking. And sometimes, they just need to rush out, and a page can emerge in only a few raw, minimalist layers, like here.