Recording Life Events

One of the most important things to do with your journal, I believe, is to record the events in our lives.  Not just the fun or pretty stuff, not just make an interesting page or a piece of art, but to pay attention.  To be present to our own lives.  To respect the hours and days.

As my friend and longtime inspiration Hannah Hinchman, author of my favorite journaling book, A Life In Hand: Creating the Illuminated Journal, wrote: "We have won a moment in the unfolding universe. Doesn't that warrant comment?" 

Indeed it does.

(And by the way, Hannah is one of the artists included in the upcoming book; her interview will be up here before long.  Find her artwork on Picasa and her delightful books on Amazon, Barnes & Nobel and more!)

My sweet husband had a bit of preventive maintenance at our local hospital this week, and I find it calming to sketch rather than try to read.  I'm not a television watcher, so paying attention, noticing, sketching works for me, no matter what the circumstance.  I take notes, right on my sketches, of things the doctor says, recommendations, results and so forth.

Not a lot of thought given to composition on this page...just fitting things in as I could.  I switched from Prismacolor colored pencils to a technical pen because it was more precise and I could get more on the page!  The border at top satisfied my need for "design."

On the images above, I'd imagined we would not be there that long, so I was going to just fill one page in my journal.  And fill it I did!  I kept sketching, and sketching, and sketching...and eventually gave it up and did two more pages.  The one at top was the last one of the day...

This is somewhat the type of journal sketch known as "reportage" drawing...real-time events as they unfold, telling it like it is.  Here is one definition of the term...