Journal Keeping

Although I am an illustrator this is the first time that I have placed a picture on my blogsite. This is a page from my journal/sketchbook. My journal goes with me all the time. I love the A4 ring bound plastic covered sketchboks that WH Smith do. The cover is water and mud proof, it folds open conveniently and the paper is OK. I have a pile of around 15 used ones and 6 new ones in my room.

Into the journal goes writing, sketches, thoughts, things to remember, prayers, scribbles and anything else I want to jot down with my pen. I began a few years ago by keeping a purely written journal of several sides of A4 a day. I don't mean a diary, but a journal of thoughts, ideas and exploratory thinking. Now I try and be more creative and write in it whenever I get inspired. Sometimes I will write just nonsense, sometimes bits of poetry, sometimes prayers, sometimes nature awareness stuff. It varies. I might just play with a pen and doodle and see what ideas emerge. I might do sketches whilst out on a walk or in Hitchin Market Square where I love to sit and draw people passing by.

I find my journal a liberating place to explore ideas and thoughts that I find difficult to verbalise or even think about normally. It is like a door that opens to my inner soul to allow it to express itself visually in words or pictures. I do try and set aside some writing time whenever I can. It might be for an hour or so by candlelight in the summerhouse before bed, or early in the morning at a cafe before work. My main aim is to just write. It doesn't matter to me what I write. It doesn't have to make sense, but the freedom to be able to express through the power of the black line is of great comfort and healing for me. When I write I enter, what could be described as, a sacred place.