Writing
I have several journals going all at the same time. Different sizes, different kinds of paper, different purposes. But my main journal, the one I carry with me all the time, is a mix of writing and drawing and collage. It has blank pages, medium weight paper, and is the size of a regular hardback book. I often color or paint the pages in advance, just to overcome the blank-page syndrome. I stick in pictures from magazines that prompt ideas, or when I'm attracted to the color combination. Quotes and passages printed off from websites that inpired me. I write about all kinds of things. What I did that day. Some issue I'm thinking about. An idea for a project (oddly, most of my visual ideas start out as a written note in my journal). Shopping lists, appintments, phone numbers and addresses. Copies of business cards and ticket stubs. All in there. When I do goal setting exercises or free writing (like Morning Pages, but not so regular), that goes in my journal. I date every entry, though I don't always use the pages exactly in order. It is very personal and rich. I love to flip back through the pages and remember what was going on with me last month, three months ago. It holds things I'd never remember otherwise.
Collecting
I'm fascinated by the detritus of life. The little bits of paper that pass through our hands every day. I feel like if I save them, I'll have a snapshot of my day, even if I don't have time or energy to write about it. My personal journal has a lot of little scraps of paper glued in to it. I carry a glue stick with me, as necessary as a pen. I also sometimes use glued-in papers as a starting point in my art journals. Sometimes I print off an inspiring quote, or a passage about the work of making art that I want to read again later. I also include collected items in my paintings on canvas, and I think that grew out of the habit of emptying my pockets into my journals.
Drawing and Sketching
Although you'll find a random sketch here and there in my daily journal, it is far more written and collected than drawn. I have a couple of journals I keep just for sketching in. One has fairly light-weight paper, and I use it for pen or pencil sketches. The other has watercolor pages, and I use that one for watercolor sketches. I'm not very consistent in either of these practices. Although I use the pages consecutively, and I'm good about dating every entry, months will go by between entries. I've noticed that I use these journals more in the spring and months. I just don't sketch much during the darker part of the year.
Generally Arting it Up
My art journal is where I go wild. Some part of each of the above find their way into my art journals. Sometimes I pre-paint backgrounds on the pages. Sometimes I write over the background, sometimes I do a collage with no words. Sometimes I try out techniques I'm learning or thinking about using in a painting. Sometimes I sketch out a design for something I'm making, or brainstorm ideas for a project. A recent page was just the alphabet, written over and over again, as I played with the shapes of the letters. These journals are open. Although once in a while something deep will wind up on the page, I don't really mind people looking through these. I guess because they are mostly visual, the meaning feels more obscured and safe. I don't work in my art journal every day, either, but usually once or twice a week. It sits on my table in the studio. If I don't have enough focus to work on a painting, I'll work in my journal instead.
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