Why I Art Journal.

When I was a senior in high school, I started scrapbooking. haaa. It was a huge trend at the time, and I was so into it that I made 8 of my closest friends a scrapbook for their senior gift. I was actually at my friend Landon's house the other day- and we looked through it and reminisced at the old memories. The design I did on it was hilariously awful, but it's still so precious to look back at that time. Through the years, I started phasing out of the scrapbook look and getting into something more sophisticated that I like to call art journaling. Basically, I decorate each page I journal on. (In a pretty and artistic way, I promise. I no longer use those little 3-D stickers or laminated page books.) One of the reasons I love journaling this way is that I have always loved to write- period.. But there is something truly freeing about handwritten journaling.. It's sort of therapy to me. It's a good place to vent and use pretty pictures. Adding some color and texture to your pages is always a good idea, and pretty elements like watercolors or layering paper makes it even better.

Whenever I start a new journal, I get inspired to live life richer and really feel what I'm experiencing. Life gets so mundane at times, where you just get stuck in those seasons that are a little routine and blah- or you are having so much fun you can't even process it all. It really helps me to document what I'm feeling and experiencing in each season, and it is also just so dang sweet to remember life in the fun times as well as the hard times. Whenever I'm journaling, I can't help but think of who will end up with these crazy books of my life. I wish either one of my grandmothers would have done this so I could read through them and see what they were experiencing at my age. Just because I'm sappy like that:)

I'm so excited about Rachel Denbow's 52 weeks of art journaling class that was released yesterday. I've done her art journaling classes in the past, and I am over the moon excited to start a new one with some fresh new inspiration.