Keeping a Studio Journal
I started keeping a studio journal at the beginning of last year (2022). It’s helped in so many areas of my studio practice that I thought I’d share this little nugget of joy with you all.
Now just to clarify, my studio journal is completely different than any of my sketchbooks. I only have drawings and random scribbles in my sketchbooks.
My studio journal is filled with weird thoughts, new painting concepts, ideas, to do lists, supplies lists, comments, and pretty much anything that I want to spew out of my mind. Most importantly my studio journal is 100% private.
In a world of sharing and content it’s important to remember, for me at least, that not everything that I work on or create needs to be shared with the world. Somethings, like this, are meant for me and me alone.
Having an art journal in my studio has upped my game in three specific areas:
1. Ideas Galore!
Any idea that pops in my head I frantically write down and can come back to it whenever. It’s pretty great to have all these concepts and ideas that I can pull from without having to try to remember anything. It’s like having my own creative library at the ready 24/7 .
2. Artistic Recipes
Just like a chef with his own cookbook you can use your studio journal to create your own recipes for color pallets, color mixing, compositional formatting, notes, etc.
3. Mental Health
I think as artists we are all a little strange, and with that comes even stranger thoughts. It’s great to have a place in my studio where I can vent about my own work, thoughts, or rituals and not care what someone is going to think, comment, or have an opinion about. And like I said before, in a world filled of social media where we feel the need to share every single aspect of work, it’s nice to have something that is yours and no one else.