Journaling - Baring my Soul and my Lack of Talent

Ok, the things I won't do for my friends! Embarrassment, exposing my deepest secrets, making a fool of myself, you name it, I'll do it for you if you're my friend. So, Tarita... this one's for you!

Tarita is my friend, and former co-worker in Colorado. She has been having a rough couple of months... major life changing, unexpected blows (so please remember her in your prayers). I've been trying to convince her that journaling can help us get to our true feelings and feel a bit better in the process. We can push out all the bad stuff and that helps us move on to the good stuff.

I've been telling her that no artistic talent is required, so now I must "prove it" as my Grandson likes to say. I've had her doing some "homework" in anticipation of me sending her some blank journals (which I designed and self-published)... shameless plug. I also am sending her some pens, a glue stick, some stickers, some ideas and most especially,
this issue of Somerset Studios "Art Journaling." Little did I know that this little gem from Winter '09 would be SOLD OUT. Completely... so that put a little wrench in the works...

Yep, that's Pam's Journaling/art work on the cover above! I took her class at Art Fest in 2007 (when I was working full time and could afford such luxuries)!

Undaunted, I pressed on. This news however, forced me to a new low. Begging. That's right, shameless, blatant, down and dirty straight up begging. Why couldn't I just send her my issue? Surely you jest!

This issue is my very first, and very MOST important one to save because as I said my teacher, the beautiful, famous, cute and fabulous Pam Garrison is featured in this issue, and her work graces the cover! I can't possibly consider giving it up even to a dear friend (now you know the truth about me)... Oh, the WORLD for a great magazine!

So WHO came to my rescue?? The same precious friend who ALWAYS comes to my rescue, day or night, good or bad, my precious JOY, that's who! (Her Mama didn't name her Joy for nothin' ya know)! She gave me her very own personal issue to send to Tarita! Isn't she the BEST? Oh, and if I ever get rich, I'll buy Joy (and myself, of course) every single issue of every single publication that these Somerset People put out. I LOVE them ALL. Joy and I are trying to figure out a budget friendly way to get 'em all! Old issues, new issues, all the ones they've had and all the new ones they quickly and furiously come out with every month. (Nothing has come to us so far...)

Pam is a REAL artist and the best journal teacher I've ever had! And I've had some great ones! She is featured in the latest issue of "Where Women Create" too! I have to hurry and get this because I don't want IT to be sold out too. Besides, it has some other artist friends in it too, AND some other really great artists.

The one below is Magdalena... she's an angel and the beginning of HER story is: "Magdalena, she could have seen ya..." get it? The rhyming? Ok, whatever! She is "in progress" and I can be silly if I want to.

Now my journaling can't be called "art"... the only thing "arty" about it is that I use art supplies! Oh my gosh, do I EVER love art supplies. If I were stranded on a desert island and could only choose one thing (not human) that would be "non-essential" for staying alive, I would choose art supplies!!! I LOVE 'em, I want to marry 'em!

Ok, that's a whole other post! Anyway, I just want to show Tarita, that you can scribble, write, paste over it, and start again... whatever and it's fine and great because you're getting your thoughts and feelings out and processing them, even if only to get rid of them and move on to something happy!

Pic below is blurry on purpose... (I should have done that to all of 'em)!



I have a million journals and I use them all from time to time. Yeah, I am not organized enough to finish one and then start another, I operate with mood (oh yeah, and whatever isn't buried or "lost" at the time).

What? You want the "story" on the one below...? Well they DO, and you know who you are! Being annoyed or unhappy with your life doesn't mean it's fair to be cruel or rude to people you deal with anywhere, especially if you're getting a salary for it. (End of public service announcement, thank you for tuning in)...

You can shout out, you can cuss, you can be silly, the sky is the limit.


And no, none of these pages are really finished yet, I'll get back to them. That's how "I roll" baby! Love you Tari!

p.s. I WILL get the package in the mail after next Tuesday (I know, but this time I REALLY mean it)!

p.p.s I'll show you some of my other journals another time, including the one I made in Pam's class!