Raw Art Journals--We don't find meaning, we make meaning.
Raw-Art FAQs
Raw Art Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is raw art journaling writing or drawing?A: It's both. I like to think of it as writing with abstract art, but that's because I'm a writer. I have a friend who fills her journal with geometric doodles. That's raw art, too. Raw art is less about the medium, it's more about what fulfills you.
Q: Raw art seems to be whatever energizes or soothes. Is that right?
A: Exactly. Some people get their energy from writing and drawing; others feel soothed by it. Writing with abstract art is making meaning, and that's important.
Q: Is raw art journaling different from art journals?
A: I'm not fussy about titles. Raw art journaling is for people who think they can't draw or write, so they wind up not expressing themselves. Raw art journaling is about letting go of the fear and making marks. Doodling. Sketching. Creating symbols of your own. Backgrounds and edge designs.
Q: How do you do it?
A: I look carefully. I notice. You already know a lot of symbols: A Yield sign is a triangle, a Stop sign is an octagon. A circle with a line through it means No or Not. Letters and numbers are also symbols.
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Here's an example. I saw this illustration of googly plastic eyes in the New York Times. [Week in Review, 3/22/09, illustration by Tamara Shopsin] Months ago, I noticed an interesting pattern on one of the freeways where I live. It was a background that looked like fitted stones in various sizes. It's here: http://tinyurl.com/dea32s if you want to look at it. Being a fan or organic shapes, I created the idea below. |
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Q: What tools do I need? A: Keep it simple. The most powerful tool is your imagination. A pencil, eraser, pen and paper to write on is all you need. You might want to add a straight edge. I like experimenting on 4 x 6 index cards, developing an idea until I connect to it. When I have the design worked out, I start using it in my journal. You can add whatever you like using--color or watercolor pencils, inks, pan pastels, paints. Because I get overwhelmed by all the equipment out there, I like using pencils, pen the best paper I can afford. |
A: There are many people who create Raw Art. I decided to give it a name and gather up those who don't know about it. So I give classes and workshops in it. And I've started a Creativity Incubator for people who do Raw Art of all kinds--people who make meaning with their art. You can also join a raw-art journaling experiment, the QuinnCreative branch of the 1001 Journal Project.
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Click to join QuinnCreative_Rawart |
Q: Is it hard?
A: When I was a child, I never liked coloring books. I'd add to them, or color them in non-traditional ways. I never liked filling in large portions of sky or grass. I'd color in a small portion, then draw lines to show how far out the color should go. So this is not hard for me, but I do like a challenge. And I like to invent my own designs. It's easy to learn, but challenging enough so you will never run out of ideas in your lifetime. That's what makes it so appealing to me.
Q: How do squiggles make emotion?
A: Because they are your squiggles. What you are doing is creating a personal iconography of symbols and designs. It is extraordinarily satisfying. It combines a secret code for your inner spy and secret keeper with meaning-making. Making meaning is our purpose in life. I really believe that we don't find meaning in life, we make meaning.
Q: Isn't using paper and pen kind of old-fashioned?
A: Actually, hand-drawn images on Websites are popular. Until recently, it wasn't so easy to integrate them into Websites, so you didn't see them often. You can also use it in Visual Thinking and in Visual Facilitation, which is a way to take notes with images.
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