Making journals the creative subconscious way all started when I found myself down a youtube rabbit hole. i had been exploring/teaching myself quilting techniques that can be applied to paper. The youtube quilt/craft personalities are quite the thing. I found I could apply some of the quilting things they do to paper. other ideas? Not so much. The dance between craft and art is a very fine line. Its important to me to stick to a process that is sustainable, and unique to me. All said, one video was sharing how to make paper, and applying that homemade paper to an art journal. Her journal was quite lovely. 

I have a long history with journal writing. In current times I have several inexpensive composition books as journals. Each help me organize or strategize a particular area of my life. One new journal had my "things sara" notes in it. My friend Sara Galactica is teaching others about tarot, and astrology. I am following along and found the need to keep my notes all in one place.

I thought wouldn't it be fun to jazz that particular composition book up a bit. I decided to use old collage work and to experiment with machine stitching it onto a notebook. What was rather unexpected was how much vibe the art added to the book. I love the feeling of a blank piece of paper compared to one that you've written on. Take a stack of paper with all of your notes and ideas on it. or a working journal and there are intentions there. You can feel them. Even if it's a grocery list! The addition of the art seemed to notch up the intention of my notebook. I found the experience vibrational and rather affirming.

I shared this experience with Sara, who also collages, and asked her about combining our instructing efforts. Could creative subconscious collage be of added value to those who are learning about Tarot?  We spent a bit of time strategizing about it. To my delight the Vision 2020 Workshop was born!

After I made my first  journal, I made one for my daughter to honor her going back to school. She loved it. 6 months into her studies, she asked for another! For my birthday my daughter gave me my first tarot deck. I had the notebook ready to take notes as I began to implement card reading into my life.

All my 2020 notebooks are now collaged. I experimented with stitching some, with just collaging others. Most of them I used old art work that I had laying around. Some I will try and sell as blank journals.

As seasoned as I am with collage work, it wasn't a surprise to me how making these books, even if it was to make them "pretty" still offered the powerful reveal that the creative subconscious collage process allows.  

This yellow collage was made for winter solstice. anticipating brighter days.

The collages below were from the journal I made during January's Vision 2020 Workshop.

As I continue to learn more about Tarot, I have added artwork to my journal. I've paireda  collage with a tarot card pull, or an astrology prompt or in conjunction with the new and full moon. It all seems pretty new to me. The tarot part. The collaging is fitting right in.

The creative subconscious collage process no matter how it's prompted is always the same. To review here are the basic elements: 

1. prompt. this could be a thought, something you've read or listened to in a song, a tarot card, or an idea discussed among friends. 

2. image search. allow 5 minutes to tear images from a magazine, or flip through a pile of imagery. let the images pick you. Trust that they will.

3. assemble your collage. give yourself an allotted amount of time. 30 minutes is enough. Working under pressure allows you not to fuss too much. The goal is to get it done. Of the pile of images you have torn, usually there are a select few that will become your collage. Trust that.

4. Are you someone who prefers a controlled collage with precise scissor cut imagery? Or are you willing to tear your resources, be a bit more free in how you make and have interesting edges in your collage??

5. Refrain from pasting words in your collage. To collage is to assemble in a personally aesthetic way. Dream and vision boards are more where words have their place.  If you find yourself attracted to words. Consider a page just for words in your journal, or add the word/s to the back of your collage. Still compelled? Ask me to show you the typography and collage technique. 

6. Assess your collage. Note the words/meanings and or visuals that are expressed in your collage. If you are in a group share your thoughts and then allow those around you to offer comments. In our workshop each person passed their journal around for others to experience up close. We found that very meaningful and community building.

7. Take a moment to glue all your corners and edges.