Journaling

I have been keeping this journal handy over the past few months. Noting my progress (or lack thereof when that happens) with my latest cloth doll figures.  Reminding myself with notes of what worked and what didn't work.  I've found that reminding myself to write out what I did of a day is a way of slowing down my life - letting me reflect in a way that I was not used to doing.

Several times in the past I've started art journals -- but  have never gotten very far.  I always spent my energy on the making of something and didn't take the time to notate it (at least after the first few entries).  But now I'm working on pieces where I can allocate my time into segments.  By doing this, I find that after each segment, noting my progress - problems - successes is easy to do. 

This year has been quite a change for me in the way I'm working  and what I'm working on.  Truly, I have such a peaceful feeling about what I'm doing right now and how I'm managing it that I wonder what in the world possessed me to work like a mad woman over the past years.  Perhaps I should note this in my journal in BIG GIANT CAPITAL LETTERS!

"Still, what I want in my life is to be willing to be dazzled -- to cast aside the weight of facts and maybe even to float a little above this difficult world." - Mary Oliver