The use of personal journals for of writing has had powerful and far-reaching effects. Apart from improving writing skills, journals also work to change your enduring attitudes, values and sense of personal identity. Ideas, feelings and insights, kept in journals offer us not only a clue to the richness of our imagination, but insight into our very being.

The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape...Pablo Picasso

15 Reasons Why Artists Keep Visual Journals. 1 Keeping a visual journal helps the artist develop a sense of self–discipline. By drawing in your journal everyday you are developing the habit of creativity. The drawings can be ever so simple and as time goes by you will have developed a repertoire and a visual source book. When the time comes to design a long term drawing, a painting or sculpture you will have a wealth of ideas available and you will have developed your skills so that drawing up your design is just a matter of applying what you have learned. 2 The chronological nature of the journal means that you are automatically recording your personal improvement. By recording trouble spots that need attention you are creating a path for yourself to follow. Because the internet is such a rich source of instruction and example you should put aside time to go online to find out what the solution to your artistic problems may be. Once you have collected a variety of examples and ideas use them to work out a personal solution by trying out all that you have seen. This process will nurture your artistic development and help you develop a sense of direction. 3 A journal can become for you a ‘place’ where you can work out what themes are developing on the journey. As issues, questions and ideas develop ‘go with them’ and let them give you direction. Themes are good because they give you a dialogue and point of interest. This can be a good starting point for discussions with other artists and fellow students.

4 It is always good when you are presenting your work to be able to fit it into a theme. Many exhibitions are grouped in this way. The working out of a theme also gives the artist a sense of completion when that thematic response has been followed to its logical conclusion. 5 Style is a process of evolution. When you begin keeping your journal you may not even know what your preferred style is. As you develop on a daily basis a personal style will emerge. Dialogue with that style. Ask your self why you have gone in this direction? Does it make it easier? Can you see patterns and relationships? Do you know what is influencing you? Write you’re self-questioning down in your journal as you go it will make interesting reading in years to come. 6 Once you have begun to develop the habit of creativity you will also have begun developing an intuitive awareness. You will see things that stimulate curiosity and provoke fresh and new ideas. You will not be able to keep up with them. Jot them down. Keep your journal at hand at all times. Make sure you always keep it handy and small enough to fit into any bag or in the glove box of the car. Draw everything that catches the eye. Later you will be excited by all of the things you have gathered as source material that you would have forgotten about entirely if you had not recorded them in the minute. Collect ideas by jotting them down (scribble neatness doesn’t count) come back to them at a later date when that intuition or inspiration becomes relevant to the work at hand. If notes aren’t taken at the time…the thoughts may be lost forever. 7 Regard your journal as your personal safe place. A collection of experimentations. No one should be looking over your shoulder …it is your space for trying out techniques in a non-threatened way before committing to a more public form of artwork.