I always like to start the year with some art journaling.  This is my first journal entry for 2017, a mix of paint, collage and ponderings.

The process of creating this kind of collage is spontaneous and unplanned which creates unexpected results and often leads to questions like why on earth have I got a ming vase and a viking on here?  We just celebrated our twentieth wedding anniversary last month – china is the traditional gift for a twentieth, is that where the ming vase came from?

I do find collage a great tool for self discovery.  I can see all sorts of things in this journal spread that I would never have uncovered if I had just written words.  Grabbing visual images from magazines, brochures, catalogues, etc, allows you to tap into the things that resonate with you.  I love to ‘read’ these pages for insight after they are done.

I can see travel in this collage, connected with a desire to explore Scottish history and culture more. I also have a growing interest in pattern, particularly mandalas and Islamic design.  I see the letterpress blocks as an indicator of my intention to write more and make blogging part of my creative process.  There’s an awful lot there when you start to interpret all those visual clues.

My journal page was totally unplanned and evolved without any conscious thought process.  Creating a vision board can be very similar, but usually that is done with a question or specific intention in mind before you start collecting images.  The finished result is then a statement of intention, a visual reminder of the vision you are working towards.  I’ve found this incredibly powerful in the past and before our move to Scotland, many of my journal pages were actually mini vision boards, helping me to clarify and define what my dream of moving here really meant.

The mandala collage below takes that one step further by being layered over the top of a guided writing exercise.  I’ve yet to uncover all the meanings in this, but I think the artist at the easel is a pretty glaring clue as to what is important to me right now.