Keeping an Art Journal

From an older Art Journal

I love keeping sketchbooks, in them I record my travels, sketching days and other random art related experiences. When I first learned about having cancer, I started an art journal as a way of keeping track of all the new experiences. The last year I have had so many new experiences, which in someways is super good for my brain. These aren’t the types of experiences I wish on anyone, but I have gained entry into a club for which there is no leaving.

My art journal is full of kinds of things that I experienced. Like having the CT scan dye make me ill, so ill it took many weeks to recover from it. Now I will get to have a PET scan, and will see what the reaction is to that dye! I had let the journal sit these last few months while doing immunotherapy as nothing much seemed to be happening. Now I am back at it. Recording emotions and thoughts, dreams and desires. Not to mention all the experiences that I am having again.

So pull your sketchbook out and start up that daily practice, even if it’s just doodles on the page with a few words. Get the stuff out of your brain and on to the paper so you have room to breath and think.

Keep a daily sketchbook, a morning pages book or something that allows you to record your feelings and changes in your life. If you want to change you have to get uncomfortable. Sometimes it takes a huge shift of discomfort to make those changes happen. Put them in your journal, no matter how weird it may seem. It’s all for you anyway.