Daily Pages

I find my daily journal pages to be essential.  Not only do they keep me grounded and enhance my creativity, but I've found it's also just a great thing ~ to write down my thoughts in a more unstructured, free-flowing manner.  Not all of my pages in these "daily" journals involve media other than just pen and paper, as the goal is to let the thoughts come, and to record them.  I have, of course, used collage to enhance the front of my journals.  Not only do I enjoy this, but it keeps my journals separate and individual.  While my first art journal is a mixed-media page notebook, my daily journals are not.  Both were EXCELLENT finds, as I bought them on clearance after the school-supply rush: they were about 50 cents each!  And they are different - one has sleeves on the inside where I can slip in inspirational things I find.  To prepare the covers for collage, I first added a layer of gesso, to "strengthen" it, as well as somewhat cover the existing pattern.  I then did some paint and collage work.  For the inside pages, when I do feel like doing more than just using pen, I again use gesso to reinforce the paper, and prep it for paint, etc.

Journal away!
~R