I was never very good at keeping a traditional sketchbook. When I was in college, I always felt awkward and on the unlined drawing paper my handwriting became illegible. Classmates would diligently add beautiful sketches, while I was scared to death of the blank page. I wanted every page to be perfect, every drawing to be a masterpiece and since this wasn't possible I failed to record anything. No one pointed out other options or impress upon me that a journal is just as important as a means to stimulate and inspire. I wanted to keep a record of my progress as well as a place to collect my reference and scraps I found inspiration. It was not until ten years later that I began modifying the sketchbook concept to suit my needs. So I began to keep visual journals. The first one was born from collecting images based on the theme of a painting I was working on. I'd make notations and even small sketches to focus on an idea. From there it simply grew. Just about anything that I felt any kind of attachment to could be included. I devoured old sketches and drawings, cutting and cropping to fit the pages. I had years of work packed away that I never looked at. I found related themes or medium. I'd write dates and titles where possible. I began to add my own photographs that inspired new ideas. The pages included works I admired from others as well as notes taken from galleries and museums I visited. I made color charts and took notes on my findings.
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