Why art journaling is a good idea !!

Being a student, this lockdown has been very taxing. I am an introvert and I didn’t really know how to manage my routine initially – nothing gripped my interest. I feel it is important to realize what is affecting your mental health and obviate it at the right time.

One afternoon, I was going through my Instagram to drive away the boredom – and I came across a few images of journals that were very colorful and artistic. I had never wanted to be an artist – painting is kinda time-consuming. Lastly, I had drawn something when I was in 12th, as I opt for drawing as an optional subject rather than physical education, I thought this subject would be easy ( but I was wrong !!). After 12th I never look back to the creative side ( except biology diagrams ). So after some of the research work, I finally came to know what art journaling is all about( after all I have a lot of time to waste😑). Though I have some personal grudges from drawing after the 12th but still all images looked so fascinating that I thought let's give a try ( actually I have nothing productive to do😕). 

And what I found that it is the process of how you can get to know your inner self better and be more honest to yourself.

What art journaling is all about?

Basically an art journal is a combination of writing and painting, and the best part is that you don’t have to be perfect in either. An art journal is a visual diary; it combines elements of writing, drawing, painting, collage, and even printmaking to express yourself. This includes your everyday life, as well as your bigger hopes, dreams, and fears. A single page will often fuse words and illustrations to offer a look at what's going on inside your head.  It is a way to practice self-care. It encourages you to take a little time for yourself—even if it’s just for 15 minutes a day. You can start whenever you want to; you can draw or write ANYTHING, about yourself, about your fear, dreams, hope, breakdown, wishes, etc. 

One page of my personal journal....( yes i'm still learning)

When you look back at what you’ve written, drawn, or stamped, you can gain valuable insight into the challenges in your life. Trust me on this one.

Your personal mess

Art journaling is completely customizable depending on your skills and interests. Art journals look great when you fill the page, so whatever the size you choose, make sure it compliments the way you like to work. My favorite thing about art journaling is that it lets you be free in artistic expression. What does that mean? It literally means you have no boundaries. You can use whatever medium or tool you want. Your art journal can take anything you put in it.

Art journaling is easy, like you can just scribble something in it, write a part of a poem or a quote and decorate it a bit. It doesn’t make you overthink and prepare a bunch of supplies or take you a lot of time. But it is still a fulfilling and productive creative process. As a result, an art journal becomes your personal outlet for art and for your emotions as well. It is only yours. Nobody has to see it ever.

You can combine art and journaling and have something only for yourself to express who you really are. Don’t forget it’s going to be your personal stuff and you can portray yourself in the way you want to without hiding.

It becomes a kind of artistic diary. It can help you express your emotions in a number of ways. You choose. You can take your time and deal with emotions while still practicing art. So, while creating in it, you can also deal with what’s deep inside you and trust the process. The result is not that important, whatever the result, you enjoy the process!

 Because, remember, nobody is watching, and nobody is judging in this process. It is just about you.

And finally, you are going to have a wonderful alone time, with no one there to judge you. As Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” so why not try once ??? 

Only you, your thoughts, your emotions, and your art.

-Komal Singh

 

My secret confession...

Sometimes his imagination is so wild that I don’t know what comment should I make,

The silly things he does often made me feel hopeless,

But sometimes he is really funny

He is so interesting I can’t help following him

Whenever I see him it feels everything’s stop for a while,

The way he looks at me makes me numb and nervous

Surrounded by tons of people but still alone, at that time he had dragged me out of my quiet and cold world.

I began to feel things from his perspective, I found no matter how serious the matter is he could handle it in a wonderful way.

However, I’m boring and dismal I’m not qualified to have him.

I thought I would return to my quiet and cold world at worst but luckily he is willing to bring me back to the noisy human world again.

I have learned that a view is only fine when he is part of it…….

Spark of feminism

 

I don’t know what exactly made me aware of the word “feminism” or helped me develop a connection with it, but I do know I was becoming a person who was aware of her rights and could see gender-based discrimination in everyday activities. Sometimes society unintentionally forces you to think right about yourself while fitting you inside the prejudice of the patriarchal system. The same happened when people put you in certain situations where you have to swing your mind by their irrelevant and so-called toxic questions. Once someone visits my home that day. As I entered the room, I expected him to say something about how much I had grown up, or about how my studies going on.

He looked at me and said words I will never forget: “Are you still that lazy, or have you learned to do some household chores now?”

Angry as I was, I shot back and said asked if he had ensured that his only son, who I knew had been brought up with outmost love and care, knew how to do “jhadu-pocha”.

He made a disgusted face, and we don’t speak anymore.

(Ok that may be the very quick reaction that puts me in a category of bad person in the eyes of my relatives, but seriously it doesn’t matter at all)

Every time I met this extended and rooted society, I braced myself for being told uncomfortable, misogynistic things repeatedly.

 “So when are you planning to get married?”

“Sure, we are okay with a job, but what if your husband has a problem?”

“What if your husband wants to eat homemade food every day?”

“Why are you laughing so loudly!!!”

“Arguing is not what girls do”

“Control your anger, this attitude will ruin your marriage”

And the one traditional, rather oppressive line reflecting misogyny: -

“Behave like a girl”

Why to behave like a girl when I can behave like a human first.

My frustration wasn’t just with that one relative, it was with a system. I used to look at my mother, a woman who has been doing house chores for almost her entire life and hate her for not resisting. I used to see my mother simply as a victim of patriarchy. It is not about just one household and this one incident, but thousands of similar incidents at different households. Feminism is not merely a definition that one can find while surfing the net, feminism is not something which you can use in hashtags to show your concerns. Neither it is about analyzing critical issues related to women nor about pen down the feminity. Feminism is beyond books, definition, blame games, and gender equality. One can be feminist when you asked why freedom is limited by times. You can be feminist when you ask why every conversation comes to the kitchen. Feminism starts when a girl asks who made the “behave like a girl” module and why I need to follow it. Feminism is when you break patriarchal conventions that limit you. Ask yourself when the spark of feminism takes place in you. It is not just about me or you, who are privileged enough to pursue the career of their own choice – it is also about those who are not privileged, who are not aware. No one is born or raised as a feminist but you can be a self-made feminist which is a step to remove the intangible restrictions on the lives of women.

From Draupadi to nirbhaya there is no end. Even in the 21st century, you must stick to femininity but any deviance and you have to meet with terrible catastrophes. They expect you to be clad with modernity but what is modernity remains to be defined by society. Maybe one day, I used to think, the society will learn to understand without being blinded by the notions of a perfect girl who does all the house-work and still manages to top in college and has a job prospect as well – all along with a desire to get married at the “right” age.

It may take another century to let any woman to just be aware of these things and yet another to change it, but that does not mean we have to stop. So keep squashing stereotypes, discourage body shaming, invite others, and seek help.