Saturday, July 29, 2017

New Journal Themes

Last week on an Instagram post someone shared her artsy commonplace book and I remembered how much I loved this concept. A few years ago a friend got me connected to commonplacing, which is described as:
"Commonplacing is the act of selecting important phrases, lines, and/or passages from texts and writing them down; the commonplace book is the notebook in which a reader has collected quotations from works she or he has read. Commonplace books can also include comments and notes from the reader."  (From "Commonplaces: An Introduction" by John Hilgart and Van Hillard

Some other definitions:
  • A book into which notable extracts from other works are copied for personal use.
  • A notebook in which you enter memorabilia.
  • The recording of words and ideas in a commonplace.
I have always done this practice, even before I knew it had a name. In my writing journals I tend to write down quotes and passages from books I am reading in order to take them in deeper and to come back to them again.

When I saw the Instagram post, and then went over to her blog, I got the itch to make an art journal just for commonplacing. Again, I already do this in my written journals, but I love the idea of combining the practice with art....cuz everything is better with a little art added, right? 

Here is the picture that caught my eye. Lovely, isn't it? You can see the rest of Brandi's commonplace book at brandikincaid.com



Now that I have completed the 100 Day Project, and I have 100 Rolodex cards in my holder, I'm kind of tired of working on the small scale that the cards offered. 


So, I spent this week thinking about what art project (um, projects) to do next. First I decided to take a binder I had that is kraft paper covered and already had a paint background on it. I don't even remember what I had originally made it for. Whatever it was I changed my mind and didn't use it. I covered the inside covers with some patterned paper and will use this for my commonplace art journal.

I haven't decided on a title for this book yet. My first page is the quote I used by Shelly Miller when I spoke at my church two weeks ago. This quote, along with a similar quote by my pastor, has become quite significant to me and I want to memorialize this part of my journey.




The other project I started this week is connected again to my speaking two weeks ago. (I wrote some about it in this post) For the past six months God has been doing some deep healing and transformation within me and the passage in Philippians I spoke out of has played a significant role. I want to have something tangible to serve as a reminder. So I transformed a Traveler's Notebook insert into a journal devoted to this. The practice of taking what God showed me in that passage and doing art journaling from it will also plant it deeper into my heart, mind and soul. Not only does art journaling give me a venue for using my creative muscles, it is also another tool in my therapeutic tool bag.  








I just don't seem to be able to work on one project at a time! 

Enjoy your weekend and make time to be creative! :)

7 comments:

  1. I enjoy your journals very much.
    I wish I lived next door! Too much art fun!

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  2. Oh, I love this Shelly Miller quote so much! I've been thinking something similar recently. Thanks so much for posting this. I love your journals too, of course.

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  3. Pretty cool. I didn't realize I also am a commomplacer 😊. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Happy to connect with a fellow commonplacer! Thanks for stopping by my blog, Rebecca!

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