Agonies of a Young Author

No, no, not the little black dress, but the little black book. Okay, well, perhaps not so little, but my new journal (which comes in at a smidge over 8 1/2 x 11) is definitely my favorite "go-to" item of the moment.

For my Life Writing class I have to create a journal-- normal enough, considering that I am in a creative writing class, except this has to be a visual art journal. While words and writing have their place within this journal, they take a distinct back-seat to collage, sketches, photo montage and other forms of visual self-expression. All in the form of a journal, so self-reflection is key. At first I was a little skeptical, and thought it wouldn't add anything meaningful to my life, but then I went shopping at Barnes and Nobles for my journal. Tired by the long day of class, frustrated at the bookstore's inability to stock my textbooks, I was ready to grab a $1.50 lined spiral bound notebook and call it a day. Then I decided to wander over to the art department's section, and fell in love with a hardcover sketchbook-- with black pages. The unusual color grabbed my interest and must have sparked some sort of creative bug, since I bought it without hesitation and have hardly put it down since. The need for nontraditional decoration (I can't exactly write in it with a normal black ink pen, now can I?) has really shaken up the mental cobwebs. The first page I drew with metallic gel pen, the kind that was all the rage in the elementary school era. The next page I used white-out. Yes, white-out, drawn in diagonal stripes. Then colored pencil, that shows up against the black in varying degrees of success. And then gum wrappers, flattened out and glued to page, the bight silver metallic gleaming beautifully against a field of black.

I'm really starting to love this journal. And I can delude myself into thinking that this, really and truly is homework that I'm doing, because I really and truly actually have to turn it in for review.

See why I love being an English major?

Right Now:
What I'm listening to: "Sweet Dreams" by Beyonce
What I what most: more time.