Another Afternoon of Art Journaling

Before I have another afternoon of art Journaling with the girls this weekend, i thought it was time I caught up on my last afternoon from two weekends ago. Valerie and I got together again to chat and catch up over some tea and our art journals (plus some crispy kale that I brought to snack on). This time we met up close to my place at my favorite coffee shop, Buzz, where we agreed we seemed to have the most space we’ve ever had to journal. We started tearing, taping, gluing, and talking.

part of our spread, and we could really spread out

more of our spread, i was reveling in being able to spread out

Valerie and I are both in journeys in our careers and it’s been great to be able to get together and just relax and chat. I didn’t really have a theme for the pages I created and honestly, I didn’t “finish” any. This time I seemed to add bits and pieces, but nothing was a complete picture.

the start of my pages

playing with layering

i sandwiched the envelope underneath a magazine page

the pages i started, i feel like there's more to go before these will be finished

And I realized when I was packing up, that not finishing any pages was completely okay. I played with layering and decided that I would possibly revisit these pages on my next afternoon with the girls. I also realized that one of my favorite things about art journaling is how it has connected me with others who have similar interests. I’ve made friends through this activity and that has made art journaling that much more meaningful. For me, it’s not just about the images on the page, but about the social aspect. So when I’m not given permission to chatter, it’s almost like my creativity gets stunted and i don’t feel as connected to my journal.

I’m so looking forward to the next social afternoon, where I can catch up with the girls, see where everyone is in life, share magazines, and maybe finish those pages that I started. It’ll be another afternoon of creative playtime, after a morning of creative playtime (I have a knitting morning planned, too) and I can’t wait. And if all goes well, it might be part of a long weekend of creativity, the cherry blossoms are starting to bloom and I think it’s time to break out my camera and find inspiration in nature again.

Do you have creative playtime? Do you prefer being creative by yourself or when surrounded by others?