When I signed up for this class, I thought it was just going to be an art history lecture course like I had taken last semester. Not only have I learned about art in this class, but I have been able to experience it hands on and in a way I never had before with this journal. I am not a very artistic person, I have no prior art experience, and I am not at all confident with my abilities to create art. When we were assigned this journal I was honestly dreading it, wondering what I was going to do because my artistic side was not up to the standards I thought everyone else’s would be.
This journal really forced me to find my creative side and embrace it. With a new journal entry every week there were so many different kinds of art that I had to work with. I became a lot more comfortable with my drawing capability as the weeks went on. Also, the stamping project was something completely new for me. I was so nervous to carve into my block for the first time, I really had to plan everything out and be sure that I knew what I was doing because we only got one block to carve on. I also got to play around with some photography in a few of the journals. I have always enjoyed photography and never really thought of it as a form of art.
This journal really helped me learn about myself through art. Each entry was personal to me in one way or another. The weekly assignments had me dig down deep into my own thoughts and old memories to pull together something creative. I learned a lot about myself through this process and I believe that was the point of this journal. It helped me see that everyone, even myself, has some form of artist in them and art can be made out of pretty much anything, anywhere, and by anyone.