ARTIST'S JOURNAL REFLECTION

Throughout this course, my Artist’s Journal has been a vital part of my creative process. The Journal allowed me to document all of the experiences and inspirations that I had in class. More importantly, the journal allowed me to focus on making small observations and capturing ideas without having to worry about making anything “perfect.” As time went on, my journal documented my artistic growth as well as the evolution of my thoughts during the course.

I took pictures of many exhibits at museums and wrote down some basic information about them when we visited. This helped me to remember specifics of the exhibit that photos couldn’t show. When documenting Public Art I drew murals, sculptures and performances that I saw around NYC. Drawing made me look closer at shapes, color, texture and composition which gave me a better understanding of why the artists created their work. Even just drawing basic representations of things I noticed required me to observe much longer than I normally would so that I could catch the little things that I may have missed otherwise.

As far as coming up with project ideas for things like the Living Geographies Panel and other Maker Lab Projects – my journal became another way for me to brainstorm ideas, try out different arrangements and ways to display things, and even review and critique myself for things that were challenging in the creation of artwork. When looking back through my journal I am able to see how my ideas evolved and developed over time. Most importantly, it reminded me that being creative is a process of experimentation, revision and continued learning rather than simply trying to create something perfect right off the bat.

One of the greatest advantages to maintaining an Artist’s Journal was the emphasis on Observation and Reflection. By taking the extra time to draw and write I was able to be more involved in my environment and more thoughtfully consider how there are connections between Art, Place and Community. While Journaling was something entirely new for me, I found that it greatly enhanced me as a thinker and a learner; in addition, it will serve as a representation of all of the Curiosity, Creativity and Growth that occurred throughout the course.