My Visual Journal

A visual journal can be used for many different ways of reflection. As the label states, it is a journal, a place to reflect on events, emotions, and even to work out how these may have impacted your thought process at a particular time. We use these extensively in Art Education classes, particularly to reflect on teaching experiences, to record ideas for lesson plans, to document artists lectures, museum visits, and to detail summative thoughts. I especially like to use it as a reference for ideas on lesson plans, books, and to record research on different artists. Then when I have a need to use these as examples they are all in one place. This is one entry I made during the end of the semester and I wasn't sure how I would get everything done:

 

Professors like to see your philosophy of teaching and this can change depending on the experiences you may have or different ideas that are presented in class. Because we art majors, it is important to make the images as important as the text. It is actually very relaxing to be able to take the time to do visual journaling. This is one sample from Fall 2011 semester:

My sister is a therapist and she facilitates women's therapy groups in which visual journaling is a method to work out emotions and issues. Those journals may differ from these, but all visual journals are a vehicle to explore your thought processes both visually and verbally. I have found lots of ideas to create pages by looking at magazines and books that are targeted to scrapbookers. Here is one last sample - it is an outsider artist I like, Nek Shand:

  

I'd encourage anyone to try keeping a visual journal, even if you don't think you are an "artist".  Many people are surprised at how fulfilling it can be, especially when there is no pressure to show anyone your work. Besides, you might surprise yourself and discover your have some hidden talents!