Wreck This Journal

Journaling on my scrapbook pages is very difficult for me but I am beginning to realize that it is very important for future generations to see my handwriting, feel my emotions and know when and where the photo was taken. On the rare occasion when I do finally make the decision to journal on a layout it is cathartic for me but most of the time, typing the date and place of the photo is enough. My struggle is not about what to write, it’s about making it look perfect. I would like to step out of my comfort zone and, for once, just be happy with the “messy” look on a page…. A torn or wrinkled piece of paper, an ink blotch, uneven writing…..

I know that many scrap-bookers often struggle with journaling in their scrapbooks, for many reasons. My main reason for not journaling is that I don’t always trust my handwriting. I am a perfectionist so I use stickers, rub-ons, the computer and my typewriter to get my feelings down on the page but I am determined to use my own handwriting on my layouts as I try to step away from this compulsion.
As a child I always kept a journal and loved sitting down to record my memories and feelings. The writing wasn’t always “perfect”, the cover of the book got a little ragged and the pages were worn and torn. Somewhere along the line I have lost the idea that being “messy” is ok and feel that it is important to get it back. There are a host of journaling products on the market for scrap-bookers and I think I have them all. One of the reasons I started this blog was to push myself to journal but it doesn’t push me in the direction of using pen to paper so I have found another tool which I am hoping will help to get my feelings out on paper in my own handwriting and then, in turn, transfer them onto a scrapbook layout. A couple of weeks ago, my friend, Maureen and I found the coolest little concept book by Keri Smith, it’s called “Wreck This Journal”.

The following is the journal’s description by Keri Smith:

This book was created for anyone who has ever had trouble starting/keeping or finishing a journal/sketchbook. By forcing ourselves to wreck it on purpose, the “journal as an object” loses its preciousness, and allows us the feeling of completion. This book was created for every person who has looked at other artist’s journals and said, “I wish I could do that. I’ve started dozens of them but didn’t stick with it.” or, “But the journal itself is so beautiful, I don’t want to wreck it with my ideas/handwriting/drawings.” Or, “I feel pressured to write something good.” In this book good does not exist. The goal is to fill it up, to shift your perception of the blank page and the journal itself into a place for experimentation. Into a place where you just get stuff out onto the page. A place to start working against your better judgment. To do those things you were taught to never do (make a mess, destroy, fold down pages, write in books, play with dirt). This book IS the place. Each page of Wreck This Journal is filled with prompts telling you how to systematically ‘destroy’ the entire book.

We each purchased a journal and have begun our mission to complete the journal as recommended. There are, of course, some pages that I just cannot bring myself to complete – not yet anyway! Here are a few examples; “document your dinner; rub, smear and splatter your food & and use this page as a napkin”, “place sticky things here, gum, glue, syrup” and “bring the journal in the shower with you”.

I have made a commitment to myself to complete this journal front to back, following the author’s suggestions on creative destruction and fill it with all things personal and emotional. During the time that it takes me to complete this journal, I’m hoping that it will help me to; step out of my comfort zone and lose the idea that everything has to be “perfect” My hope and wish is that I complete the journal page-by-page and not end up in the psychiatric ward of the local hospital!

Wish me luck!