Visual Journaling

"The creative process is a powerful, transformative tool for healing our minds and bodies, our relationships and our world. Each one of us carries this ancient medicine inside."
--Kay Marie Porterfield, M.A.

"For many years, I stopped myself from using art in my journals by telling myself I wasn't an artist. About twelve years ago, I began keeping a written spiritual journal in a bound sketchbook. After making several entries, I had the urge to buy a set of watercolors. My original plan was to paint colored washes on the pages of the journal so that I could write on a colored background.

Before long I found myself dripping and brushing bold stripes of crimson, burnt umber and phthalo blue along the margins of my writing to make borders and frames. When the paint dried, the random shapes I'd created reminded me of the pictures I'd seen in the clouds when I was a child. I found myself tracing their outline with a felt tip pen. Soon afterward, I bought a gold pen to add more detail.

Sometimes I'd make art in response to journal entries and other times, the abstract paintings in my journal pages inspired me to write a poem or express a thought or feeling I didn't know I'd had. I loved the interplay of words and images. My illuminated journal seemed to be creating itself..." read more of Kay's story and view her website with links.