My Inspirational Book

(otherwise known as an #artjournal by @schulmanArt)

Working on my art journal… added a motivational quote by  Maya Angelou: You alone are enough You have nothing to prove to anyone.

I am getting to the last pages of my art journal with a bit of sadness and also trepidation. I promised myself that when I reached the end of the journal I would submit it for publication to one of the many art magazines I read. 

I am a little sad because I will be parting with my art journal that gives me comfort, and also a little scared that the publishers won’t be as in love with my pages as I am.

 

Preparing the Pages for Publication

 

I am going to have go through the pages, clean them up. Mark some as “not for publication” and others as “previously published” ( I was featured in an online art journal magazine not so long ago.. you can get information for a free download of that magazine HERE)

Inspirational Art for your home. Art reads: Believe in the Beauty of your dreams. You can own this art in your choice of sizes and framing when you collect art {read MORE}

 

Pros and Cons for Keeping a Journal

It’s amazing that I hadn’t even truly started keeping an art journal before January. The process has been much more than I anticipated in both positive and negative ways. 

Decorating Idea features inspiration art simply framed.  mantra reads: Breathe in Strength, Release your fear.

Personal Art

One of the reasons I resisted keeping an art journal for so long was I thought  (correctly) that the art making process in my journal takes away from time I spend making art for sale. However, lately, I have scanned some of my best pages, cleaned them up in photoshop and are now offering my inspirational musings for others. In addition, I have noticed that some techniques I have experimented with in my journal has found its way to my art on canvas and other art for sale.

Redefines my artist mission

Initially, the biggest benefit for keeping an art journal is for me to gain personal insights. However, ever since a close friend had a breakdown ( you can read that story HERE) I have turned my attention to creating mantras that are not just for me but to help the disenfranchised. This has helped me redefine my life purpose as an artist. 

 

Colorful quote art to empower yourself the  whole day through whether at home or at work.

Slow Sales ≠ Bad Artist

For example, the past few days I have been feeling down that my art sales have slowed…which they normally do in the summer. Even though I recognize that my art sales are cyclical with ups and downs, it is still very easy to question yourself as an artist when sales are slow. First, you have the financial considerations of bills to pay which are not being met completely by your job and second artists, myself included, start to question their self-worth as an artist.

Thankful for Art

Yesterday, I was fortunate to receive an email from a facebook fan after I posted the work in my art journal (shown above) She said:

I just wanted to tell you that I am thankful for your art. I’ve never met you and live 3500 miles away but you have made my particularly horrible day a bit better. Please keep sharing your work and your inspirational book.~Michelle B.

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE ART JOURNAL CLASS!

My Inspirational Book

 

I loved that she called it an “inspirational book” so from now on instead of calling it my art journal, it will now be called my Inspirational Book. So from now on, I also understand my mission as an artist is to empower and inspire .