Recently in my newsletter I was talking about how I reflect on projects after I finish them. Sometimes I do this in videos, and folks get upset that can be a little mean to my work. I thought I’d explain what I’m up to and how it helps me.

First, and maybe most important, my work doesn’t have feelings. I can say whatever I want to my work. It’s all fine. The work never responds.

I DO have feelings, but I don’t hurt my own feelings. When I say I don’t like something, I don’t stop there. I give myself feedback as if I’m in art class. What specifically do I not like? I can’t just say “it’s ugly”. I have to say why it’s ugly. Once I can zero in on what I specifically don’t like, I can then figure out how to make it better. You see, I’ve been trying to find my artistic voice for many years, and this is the way I am uncovering it. I do the same thing with what I do like. There is something to like in every piece, even if it is just enjoying the fact that it is finished.

I’ve finally set up a special journal for myself, and I’m sharing my format with you so that you can do the same, if it is an exciting idea.

I started with a composition book. These are the composition books I purchased from Amazon. (Affiliate link.) You can see my investment was minimal.

I also am in love with my little mini printer. At $100, this is a more significant investment, and totally optional. I use mine constantly, although it did take me like a year to take it out of the box and try it. It figures heavily into my banana journal. I found this on Amazon, too.

I print out a pic of my inspiration, with date and location information. I also print out a pic of the finished project, again with the date noted.

I write out what materials I used, if I have that info. (It can be fun to glue samples in, too, but the journal isn’t meant to be that kind of project.)

Finally - I answer two questions. What do I love? What do I dislike? Then a few sentences of reflections.

Here is the first page from my journal. I really don’t like this little landscape. There is a shimmery, ethereal quality to the photo that I completely missed on the collage. I knew immediately as I was making it that it wasn’t working. I pinned it together, then tossed it in my bag. I didn’t want to stitch it. I finally pulled it out last week and did the stitches. They didn’t help. It still looks awful to me. But, now it is done, and I can juice it for ideas and move on.

This pic isn’t ideal for a mini collage. It needs to be a big piece, with ombre fabrics, or a watercolor painting.

See? Do not love. As it is now, it will go into my stitchbook and live with it’s pals. It still encodes the memory of the beach at sunset, it is just more of a private page. I remember how much better it was in real life.

Most of my stitchbooks have pages I don’t like. Other folks seem to like them just fine. There is an interesting thing about making art. You can only control what it says to you. As soon as someone else lays eyes on it, it becomes something else to them. I take comfort in that.

Okay. Now, go forth bravely and make some ugly art. Learn from it, and make something better next time.

Project Reflection Journal

Side Flower Panels complete!