The Uglies

Dealing with an ugly art journal page by Carolyn Dube

 

I make ugly pages all the time.  That used to frustrate me and fuel my inner critic which effectively sucked the joy out of playing. But not any more.

Now I see each and every one of those ugly pages as something to celebrate and I trust that it is contributing in some way to the finished page.

How did I get from being harshly self critical to accepting of ugly pages and layers?  By saying O.O.P.S.  There really is an Outstanding Opportunity Presenting Suddenly!

As you play and create, if things look ugly to you, if something feels like a failure, if the page is just not working, try saying OOPS.

Video Password:ArtFun

Video Password:ArtFun

Watch/download on Vimeo.

Need help downloading? Check out the Troubleshooting & Technology Questions page.

 

 

Dealing with an ugly art journal page by Carolyn Dube

What to do when you have an ugly page or layer

  1. Step away.  Ugly is very subjective which means it is very different for each person.  It is so subjective, that even I can think something I have made is ugly one day and love it the next even if the page is exactly the same.
  2. Add some to it.  This is where part of the layer is still visible. There may be parts of the layer you like and you keep those while covering over the parts you don’t like.
  3. Obliterate it.  Cover over the layer/page if there is nothing that you like about it.  That is what happened here.  There was nothing that I liked about this page at all!

What I don’t like can be just as important as what I do like.  I didn’t like the color at all on this page one bit.  That is what guided my decision as to what to do next.   If you find you don’t like a page, ask yourself what you don’t like about it.  Then you have a place to start as you decide where you want the page to go next.

Dealing with an ugly art journal page by Carolyn Dube

Now it’s your turn to play!   I’m looking forward to seeing your play!  Share it with us in the secret Facebook group.  Not a member yet? Send me an email (carolyn at acolorfuljourney dot com) letting me know your class username and I’ll get you in there!

Questions?  Leave them in the comments below or in the Facebook group.  I answer all questions personally and I trust the computer elves to notify me when a question is posted.  If you don’t hear back from me in a day – that means the elves didn’t notify me.

Supplies I used in this lesson (and substitute with whatever supplies you have on hand)

Leave a comment