How's it going beautiful people?
To flex my creative muscles, I've been doing a regular sketchbook practice.
This is what a use: an inexpensive spiral-bound watercolor sketchbook. Like many of you, I was always intimidated by the blank page. But by learning from books, art classes, prompts, and regular practice, I've learned to look at a blank page more as possibility rather than dread.
One of the ways I like to fill my sketchbook is by using it as a travel journal. It serves as a nice souvenir from a vacation and it combines the things I love -- photography, collage, lettering, collecting, and watercolor.
Abbey Sy is someone who has an extensive collection of travel journals. This photo is from an on-line class I attended where she demonstrated how she builds a spread in her travel journal. You can check out her work on her YouTube channel.
Abbey Sy also wrote a book called "The Art of the Travel Journal" that came out in 2022. It's filled with tips on how to start and sustain a travel journal. Here are some of my favorite ideas:
1. Create a travel art kit that has everything you need, is compact and ready when the travel bug bites. This is my travel kit and it contains: a pocket watercolor tin, a small sketchbook, water brush, pencils, pens, glue, scissors, washi tape, and an envelope for ephemera.
2. Postcards as travel journals - whenever you're in a new destination, pick up a postcard from the souvenir shop, address the postcard to you and write down some anecdotes or trip highlights. Then mail the postcard to your home address. It serves as a nice memento from your trip and a collection of postcards (strung on a ring binder or stored in a dedicated postcard box) will tell the story of all your travels.
3. Gather proof of your travels - these include tickets, maps, brochures, packaging material, coffee sleeves. These are called "ephemera" or printed matter produced for a specific short-term use. When we add them to our travel journal, they a longer-lasting use and will always remind us of our journeys.
4. Get creative with collage journaling - combine the ephemera you've collected on the pages of your travel journal. Abbey reminds us: there is no right or wrong way to collage. The simple act of cutting and pasting is the only thing you need to know to start.
5. Remember what food and drink you tasted during your travels by including these in your travel journal. It can be through pictures, written descriptions, and even sketching. These don't have to be perfect, just enough detail for you to remember them. It would be good to include the address, too, in case you want to return or recommend them to fellow travelers.
I can only agree with this quote from the book. Travel journals help develop our creative vision, is a form of creative expression, and the process promotes mindfulness, intention, and reflection.
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