Creativity from the Subconcious

I've been playing in my journal again.

I have in my possession a Golden Medium sample set. It contains some cool stuff... different kinds of pastes and gels in small jars so you can try them out and see if you like them without laying out over $10 for the only other size jar available. I've had it for a while, and I haven't used any of it. I've been busy, sure, but how am I going to know what awesome things I can make with them if I don't actually open the jar and try it?

First project, I get out the Tar Gel. I've never actually heard of this before but I'm curious. I look online first... just to see how to apply it. First suggestion I read is... with a spoon? Ok... lets give it a go. It has the consistency of... i don't know... caramel maybe? After it's dry I put some paint to it. Interesting. Looks kind of bone like. Let's go with that....

The thing about art... when you work intuitively, ideas will come out when you're otherwise occupied with things like colour and composition. I had a bit of a shock last week when I looked at my self portraits over the years and realized that by looking at the image I knew exactly what was going on in my life at the time. I may not have been able to remember the date, but I remembered the events. A couple months ago I had a little accident that has left me in pain for what has seemed like eternity. I had some resulting inflammation in my joints that just doesn't want to go away. I'm on the mend now... finally... but obviously my subconscious is still very much concerned with the state of my bones. Can't really get much clearer than this.

I'm almost at the end of this particular book, but I think I shall try to keep an art journal going now as part of my practice. It's tough to find time, what with the job, the family, shows and other work that I've committed to. But I am seeing the value in doing it. It keeps things fresh and new, a place to create and experiment without judgement. Maybe this is what will lead me to my next thing...