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Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Journaling By 5s

I haven't blogged much since starting my YouTube channel but lately I've noticed that a lot of YouTubers have a very active blog to go along with their video uploads. Who are these crazy superwomen?! How do they do it??!! And you know what's worse? Some of them have full time jobs outside their home. And some of them are still raising young children. Lots of young children. And some of them have successful online businesses in addition to their full time job and litter of children.

And here I sit unemployed retired, my daughter is grown, I should have no excuse not to update my blog regularly in addition to uploading videos but can I manage that? Heck no. Just thinking about it stresses me out and gives me old lady zits.

I'm not one to back down from a challenge and failure is an option that I'm completely comfortable with so I see no reason why I shouldn't try to blog my videos. Wouldn't it be great if I had a video to go along with this blog post? Yeah, I didn't plan this very well.

I will regurge a recent video since I'm planning a follow up for it anyway. It's called Journaling By 5s.

I wanted to come up with some concrete steps for making art journaling more casual and fun. I wanted to make it easier for the left brains who tend to over-think and over-plan. I wanted it to be something that would silence those inner critics who beat us down with a blow horn. I wanted to eliminate the paralyzing anxiety that often accompanies a blank page or a new blank journal. I wanted it to be a process where we use the stuff we already have on hand so we're not required to buy something new. I wanted to keep the focus on the joy of the process instead of the expectations of the end result. I wanted it to be something that would appeal to a seasoned artist/crafter as well as a first timer.

I'm no stranger to coming up with ideas and inventing techniques. It's sort of what I do. But that was an awfully big order to fill. All I can say is thank you Jesus for filling it for me! Thanks to Him and inspiration from Diana Trout and Rae Missigman, Journaling By 5s was born.

That makes it sound like some revolutionary thing that's sweeping the country. Yeah, not quite. But it's working its way through my YouTube minions subscribers and a lot of them are finding it helpful and for that I am grateful.

(Now I remember why I can't blog and upload videos. I'm too dang long winded.)

5-10-15-20

5 sessions--all in one day or just one a week...your choice.
10 prompts--2 per session, feel free to make substitutions.
15 minutes--that gives you 45 seconds per page so don't mess around!
20 pages--just one side of a sheet of paper, not both sides.

These are the recommended prompts for each session. You may make substitutions to fit what you have on hand:

Session 1-Background: Paint, Ink
Session 2-Texture: Collage, Recycle
Session 3-Pattern: Stamps, Stencils
Session 4-Focal Point: Words, Images
Session 5-Details: Pen, Pencil


Watch the video to see how it's done. The rules are loose but don't cheat on the time limit or number of pages...those are the important parts. Being a little bit rushed keeps you from over thinking every little detail and forces you to just run on instinct. Don't think, just do.

After the first couple of sessions you might be convinced that any 3rd grader could create something better than what you just did. By the 5th session you might have a completed 20 page art journal (done in just 1.25 hours) or most likely you will have 20 jumping off points that have already sparked ideas for what to do next.



These are some of my favorite pages from my first Journaling By 5s journal:


For more Journaling By 5s inspiration, visit these YouTube channels:








I'm hoping to do more blog posts to go along with video uploads in the future. I've done one in a row! I'm on a roll!!