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What are your favorite writing techniques?
I tend to favor stream-of-consciousness style, which is a fancy way of saying that I just jump right in and start scribbling out whatever comes to mind. I don't bother trying to distinguish between paragraphs, since there is really no pause between thoughts. Each page ends up literally covered in words, with no margins to speak of. I also like to make lists. These are perfect for emptying the brain, and they appeal to the ordered, organized part of my brain. They are also quick and easy to do, which is always a plus. Sometimes, I will use a list as a means of collecting my thoughts before I write a longer entry or an article of some sort. I simply jot down everything I want to say - all of the information I want to include - and then refer to it as I'm writing.
What are your favorite ways to add visual interest to your journal?
I started making scrapbooks when I was in junior high school, and this has spilled over into my journals. I am a fairly visually oriented person, and I love paper, so my notebooks are filled with all kinds of scraps and odds and ends. Everything is fair game - photos, labels, ticket stubs, stamps from envelopes, newspaper clippings (with my comments added), funny cartoons, images culled from magazines, and just really anything that looks pretty. I also include fabric scraps. I have pieces from projects that I'm working on, favorite but defunct pieces of clothing, and swatches from furniture upholstery. I even cut swatches from each of the bandanas that the groomers put on my dog when he goes to be bathed. They are so, erm, interesting that I keep pieces of them because no one would ever believe what they look like otherwise. In addition to these things, of course, I like to draw and paint. My doodles may never be classified as high art, but they amuse me.
What inspires you to create?
Pretty much everything, but my favorites are glossy magazines and full color books. The subjects can vary (they don't have to be specifically art magazines or books - in fact, I prefer that they aren't), but they have to have gorgeous layouts with lots of vibrant colors. Two of my favorite magazines to leaf through are Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion and Martha Stewart Living. Both of these publications provide page after page of eye candy. I also like Lucky magazine for the same reason. Somerset Studio is a good source of inspiration for actual projects. It focuses on rubber stamps and all kinds of papercrafts. As far as inspirational books go, I am a sucker for coffee table books, gift books, children's books, and cookbooks. I also like handwritten or author-illustrated books, like the ones by Sark and Susan Branch.
Do you use music when you write or create? What types?
I actually prefer to work in silence or while listening to natural sounds like birds chirping or rain. When I do have music playing, it is either instrumental or in a language that I don't understand. Otherwise, it distracts me. I love the Putamayo music compilations!
If a future archaelogist were to unearth your notebook, what do you hope she or he would learn about you from it?
I hope that they will learn that I am interesting, a little kooky, intelligent, perceptive, and compassionate. Most likely, they will learn that I am slightly antisocial, often cranky, a little insecure, and compassionate. They will also learn that I read too much (if such a thing exists), watch too many movies and too much tv, and eat too much junk food.
How many finished journals do you have? Do you ever look through them?
I have nine that are "finished", meaning that there is no more room to write in them. Every now and then, I may get out the more recent ones in order to leaf through them or to look up some information, but for the most part, I don't reread my journals. Most of them are too cringe-worthy. :o) I will have to put a few decades my current self and the one who wrote in those books before I can read them again. Plus, I didn't put as much visual stuff in the earlier ones, so they are not as interesting to just look at.
What is the most unusual type of information that you track or monitor in your journal?
I used to track what I wore to work every day. I also used to track moon phases and planetary movements to see if I could uncover some kind of correlation with my personality or events in my life, but that got to be too tedious, and I never saw any patterns.
What are your favorite creative tools or products? How do you use them?
I'm pretty loyal to the brands that I like. I'll try new supplies, but once I find a version that I like, I stick to it. Here's the stuff I use most often (I swear I have no stock in any of these companies!): I like Berol Prismacolor pencils to draw and sketch with. For black and white drawing, I just use a 0.7mm Techniclick (Pentel) mechanical pencil. I just bought some colored leads for it, though; I haven't had a chance to try them out yet. Also, I love Pentel Color Brushes. They are basically markers with brush tips, and I use them for calligraphy. Once you learn how to control them, you can make thick and thin strokes for everything from delicate, floral-like hands to Chinese calligraphic characters. They are also good for coloring and for using with rubber stamps, although they are fairly expensive to be used exclusively for those purposes. For writing, I have gotten to the point where I only use Levenger bottled ink in my Levenger Seas fountain pens. I love those pens! I draw with them, too. I've gotten rid of all of my other pens, except for a few gel pens that I use to write in my Day-timer. When I'm in the mood to paint, I'll use a little set of cake watercolors that came with a Klutz book that I bought a long time ago. Sometimes I'll use bottled ink to paint with, too, especially the metallic colors. For attaching paper scraps, photos, postcards, and everything else, nothing beats double-stick tape, in my book. I use those adhesive photo sleeves, sometimes, too, as well as packing tape.
What advice would you give to those who are just starting to keep a journal?
Stop thinking about it and just get started. Don't wait for the perfect book or the perfect pen. Don't wait until you have "something to say". Write now; draw now; record your life now. The rest will follow.
Do you have a journal prompt or writing exercise that you would like to share with us?
This isn't really a prompt or an exercise; it's more of an idea. Try making a color collage. Add layer upon layer of everything you find of a single color. It can be words or images from magazines and catalogs, paint chips, fabric, ribbon, or anything else. Try to see how many textures you can create from the bits and pieces. As you add pieces to the collage, jot down any words or concepts that come to mind regarding this particular color. You can turn this into a writing prompt by describing your emotional response to the color in general and the collage in particular. Try it first with your favorite color, then experiment with others.
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