The meaning of “personal.”

The word “Personal” concerns one’s private life, relationships, and emotions rather than one’s career or public life.  Considering the theme for this course, “the everyday,” my personal life will naturally be part of my sketchbook, for instance.  My sketchbook will reveal when I travel and the destination of my travel.  Show my interests, what I care about, and even my mood and emotional state.  

I am happy to share ‘the everyday’ with my tutor and the public.  The same discretion I use during a conversation I will use in my sketchbook. As the pages of my sketchbook fill up, more of my personality and soul will be revealed.  It is almost like getting to know a person through the wonderful visual language of a sketchbook.  A visual language can express so much of our inner world. In his book Ways of Seeing, John Berger says, “Seeing comes before words.  The child looks and recognises before it can speak.”  (Berger, 1972)

Inner thoughts, emotions, and personal problems

My art is an escape from my problems, and I haven’t had the need to make them part of my creative world.  I enjoy focusing on the goodness, love, and joy in this world.  Sadness, loss, and heartache are a given in this life, and everybody will go through that, but happiness, love, goodness, and kindness are sought-after attributes I wish were more abundant.  That being said, sometimes you feel sad or upset and mark-making can be a way of processing your emotions.  I have found this to be true while grieving the loss of my father.

Grieving is both a private and public experience.  I had shared a portrait of my belated father in my sketchbook when he was healthy and full of energy, but also when he was sick and close to dying, sitting in the morning sun with a beanie to keep his head warm.  The latter was too private for me to share on social media, but I am happy to share it with my family, close friends or the few people paging through my sketchbook.

I left the drawing unfinished with the attached masking tape because that is how far I got that day and how far he saw the progression of the drawing.

Pockets, corners, and personal spaces in my sketchbook

Now that I have explored pockets, corners and personal spaces in my sketchbook, my sketchbook approach will change, and I will use these personal spaces to conceal drawings like this, away from quick viewing. 

These personal spaces could also be ideal if you don’t feel comfortable having your mistakes visible to all and is still in the process of appreciating the flaws of your work and allowing space for mistakes so that you can grow from them.

Below is a video of how I created personal spaces in my sketchbook and ideas for using them.

Reflection on what I have learned in this exercise.

• My personal life will naturally be part of my everyday sketchbook.
• As the pages of my sketchbook fill up, more of my personality and soul will be revealed.
• My art is an escape from my problems but an extension of my emotions.
• My sketchbook approach will change, and I will now use personal spaces to conceal emotional drawings away from quick viewing.
• Ugly or drawings full of mistakes can also be hidden away.
• Pockets are a good place to store sequencing explorations.
• Samples of different papers, patterns or loose papers can be stored in these pockets.
• A smaller travel sketchbook can be stored in one of these pockets and still be part of keeping record and an unbroken chain of your thought process over time.
• You can make a private smaller “foldy” sketchbook where you can express your emotions.
• Sketchbook pockets can keep swatches and colour charts for all your different mediums.

Works Cited

Berger, J. (1972). Ways of Seeing. London: Penguin Books Limited .