Visual Vocabulary

#21 on my 101 Things in 1001 Days list is to create and complete an art journal. I have absolutely loved doing this and will write more about the experience later. But this week I had a sudden a-ha. Sometimes when I sit down with my art journal, I think, "Okay, Jamie, draw something, paint something, anything," and I *blink blink* stare *blink blink* at the journal.

Now, with words it's another story. I can always find something to say. I can just put word upon word upon word on the page without hesitation. So what's the difference? It occurred to me that it's the fact that I've been expressing myself with words since I was, what, a year old? Now, that's a fair stretch of time now. No wonder I'm at ease with words.

But images? I've always appreciated them. I've always taken note of them. But it sure isn't that long that I've been trying to create them, at least not on a page. This revelation led me to thinking how I learned words and whether I could use the same approach to expand my visual vocabulary.

I let my mind wander until it came across 5 visual images which for whatever reason attract it right now. My plan is to seek out these images and pay attention to them. Once we feel comfortable with each other, I'll play with them and see what happens. I'm not setting myself a timeline. I'm thinking of this as a relationship I'm building and trust that I'll know when it's time to move on. I'll let you know what I learn!

Jamie's Visual Vocabulary

1. Star
2. Bird
3. Clown
4. Clock
5. Sphere