Last week I was in Portland, OR to teach at Art and Soul, and while I was there, I began a new journal. This journal is a bit of a departure for me. For the past 18 years, I have been using an 11x14 inch hardbound sketchbook as my journal - at first Cachet Classic Sketchbooks and then more recently Strathmore Hardbound Drawing Journals. Over the years, I have filled 24 volumes of these large books. David and I have a preference for this size simply because it's bigger than what we are all used to - 8.5x11 inches. From magazines to printer paper, 8.5x11 is the standard size of so many things, so the 11x14 makes us confront a different kind of space. Over the years we have also used 4x6 inch hardbound books as well. Again, their size creates a different space for us to react to.
But for my new journal, I wanted a change. I wanted something different. So I went with a Stillman & Birn 5.5x8.5 inch hardbound book with mixed media paper. I have used similar sizes in the past as sketchbooks and when I was fist getting onto the visual journal, but this is the first time that I am making a journal of this size my main journal. It's a bit of an experiment, so I'll have to see if it's something that I stick with or if I go back to the larger book. In the photo above, the journal on the left is the one that I am currently wrapping up and the one in which I have been doing the daily challenges. The journal on the right is my new one, the one that I began last week. Having four days in Portland and teaching a full-day class on journaling gave me a lot of time to get things started.
Check out my short video below that shows a quick flip through what I have done so far.