Wednesday, November 1, 2017

My Take on Journaling

I am a proponent of journaling on scrapbook pages.  It is essential that you add explanation so as not to have to lean over the shoulder of the one who is looking at the page with constant finger-pointing and dialogue.  I mean... really?  Will you be here 100 years from now when your great-great grandchild is looking at this very same album?  I think not.  

That being said, I do not hesitate to write (in my handwriting) on my pages.  I even write titles!  How I became comfortable with this is a mystery to me.  I suppose it just happened that way.  When I think about it, though, I think this is how I overcame my fear.  

Before I started scrapbooking and with an interested friend, I took a calligraphy course taught by a person with a master’s degree in art.  She used her writing to make a very good living.  She claims to have written 1200 envelopes in one night for an open house using paint colors that she matched to the invitation.  She was an indisputable expert.  

She taught us to write correctly with a calligraphy pen filled from a bottle.  She eased our fears by telling us that it was all in the way you held the pen; properly and loosely.  The pen had to have a flow that we were comfortable with and that was up to us.  

We practiced.  The course lasted 6 weeks; we met twice a week.  We practiced some more. 

Surprisingly, our last class was short.  She encouraged us to develop our own style.  She encouraged us not to be such sticklers about the proper formation of certain letters.  Just go with the flow.  (No pun intended.)

So I took it to heart.  I wrote some wedding invitations for friends.  I invested in a light board to keep my lines straight.  I had my own swirls and tails and it was my style.

And I do believe this confidence helped me overcome my fears of journaling.  Heck!  I've always loved to talk!  I just needed to get all my thoughts down on my scrapbook pages. So I wrote just like I talked.  With all the expressions and just being myself. 

Recently, I found a favorite free-flowing gel pen that flows with all those thoughts.  These days I know I've made a great album if I've gone through 2-3 pens when it's completed!  

So if you have a fear... just sign up for a class!  These days you can YouTube it.  Read all you can about journaling and prompting your memories.  Tackle your fear.  Your handwriting is precious, beloved.

Man! It's a shame I can't remember that teacher's name.  ;-) 




No comments:

Post a Comment