Alexander was more than pretty okay, I think. I think he mighta been "great."
I wanna encourage you to take on some inspiration - from wherever you can get it! I love learning from other artists and taking inspiration from unusual sources. Which is easy, when you are a recycling maniac like I am. The kids I teach do projects from toilet paper rolls, Altoids tins, old egg cartons - you name it, we've probably used it, or it's in the queue to be used sooooon! I don't mind taking inspiration from all sorts of places. I use teabags, reclaimed billboard vinyl, labels out of donated clothing, ribbons which secure a sweater to a department store hanger (but only after I actually BUY the sweater, I should note). I like Oprah magazine, it has lots of good pix and funny little sayings (besides the fact that sometimes reading too much Oprah can make you feel you need to fix yourself - BEWARE THE MESSAGE THAT YOU ARE ALL MESSED UP AND NEED TO BE "FIXED!" But, back to the mag. Oprah Mag pages Mod Podge down very well. Nice quality, good strong color, not too many wrinkles. Which is what I'd like to be, but I digress. The cheaper mags smear, wrinkle, and show through the back . . . and sometimes that's a good thing, but you just gotta know it might happen.
Last night, my inspiration in my workshop was a small picture of a bust of Alexander the Great. So, I was thinking a couple of things: "Wow, he was HANDSOME. And apparently, also GREAT! It sez so right there in his name!" So, I Mod-Podged that puppy down, and I built a little page around him. Random, yes.
With Art Journaling you wanna be free - you gotta be free - and you need to know that there isn't one way to do it - or NOT to do it! You don't have to be an artist - you just have to be willing to make a fool of yourself - even if you are the only who will ever see the journal pages (and THAT'S your choice, as well!)
You have to be inspired by the silliest of things - or the most serious - and just go with it. Don't judge, don't edit, just journal.
I post my stuff . . . almost without exception. But, maybe that's because I've done comedy and art for enough years, that I have fallen many, many, many times. In front of sometimes very large audiences. But I've managed to get back up. Lots.
As the old Japanese proverb says, "It isn't how many times you fall down. It's how many times you get back up."
Fall down, make a fool of yourself. Enjoy making your art journal!
peace, y'all.
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