Notebooks and Pens

Life Lessons, collage, 6 x 6, by Leslie Avon Miller

I am a notebook person. I am also a pen person. The good quality of the paper, the flow of the ink, and the feel of the pen in my hand please me. I think this is because I am an idea person. And the better the ink flows on the paper, the better I can keep up with my thoughts.
I like to collect quotes in notebooks. Sometimes I keep track of colors I mix in the studio. And when I experience loss, disappointment or struggle I need to write about it, privately.
I must have oh, a dozen notebooks at any given time. For a while I tried to keep different notebooks for different subjects; one for recording my dreams, one for quotes, one for art ideas, and so on. But I’m not able to keep track of an idea long enough to find the appropriate notebook. So now I record little bits of everything in all my notebooks. And that is working for me. It seems to be more important to me to have something to write in than it is to have a tightly categorized notebook.
In 2007 I experienced a difficult time creating my art. I can see now that it wasn’t exactly a creative block; it was more a time of transition. I kept a journal during that time, on my laptop. I really struggled. My art was unrecognizable as mine. I was lost.
Looking at my notes from that time I see that I maintained some sort of forward momentum despite the difficulty I was experiencing.
I made a list I called “What I am Doing Right.”
- continue to think
- wait a while if I am tired
- stop and look at the painting before I proceed
- creating a lot more time to paint; like a job. Great!
- using good colors
- thinking some more
- continue to experiment
- continue to look at lots of art
- continue to nurture my own artistic voice
- seek authenticity
- have fun!
In another notebook I recorded this quote; “To write is to locate my own address inside my head.” – E. M. Broner.
Indeed.