the Visual Journal Guide
by Claire Christy-Tirado
 
"To see the world in a grain of sand, and heaven in a wildflower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour.” - William Blake
 
I created this little book for a youth art workshop I taught on visual journaling, nature journaling, and calligraphy. It's a kind of introductory guide to starting your own practice of keeping a visual journal, which can become an intimate expression of your thoughts, feelings, and sources of inspiration. The best part of keeping your own journal, is that it can take any creative form that suits your particular inner voice, so while mine may include a mix of every medium from drawing, to calligraphy, to collage and pressed flowers, a visual journal looks different for each individual and this is the idea I try to encourage in the book. 
 
Creating a practice is all about having your supplies in a convenient bag (aka “Bag of Fun”) that you can take on any outing so you never miss an opportunity to capture a stroke of inspiration. The other important piece is not judging what the final product looks like. It's all about pure expression and connecting with yourself, your inner voice and your environment. Have fun!