Rules?

Why do I put so many rules upon my creative self?

I just cruised through the latest issue of Art Journaling magazine and I'm so inspired! I can do this! I love color! I have lots of thoughts to put on paper, memories to keep and more. I have tons of ephemera I don't want to give up so why not keep it in a cool art journal?

Why not?

Because you've started all sorts of journals in the past only to "get busy" and forget about them. Only to find them years later, mostly empty. However the pages that are done do bring about all sorts of memories. I can even remember the day I created most of my journal entries.

What if I make an entry and I don't like it? What if I add one more element and it ruins the page? I don't like to make "ugly" things. It frustrates me to no end. I really hate to screw things up.

Where do I start? Just paint backgrounds Alicia says. I don't know if I'm a painted background person. I guess I'll have to study AJ magazine a bit more and see what sort of backgrounds folks do. I'll have to find the pages I really like and use them as inspiration to get me started.

An art journal really is just another place to experiment with color and images. And keep a thought journal at the same time. I really need to turn my judgmental brain off and just create. How much relaxing or alcohol will it take to get that part of my brain to ease off a bit? Sigh.