Artistic Act of Generosity: Supplies
If you have professional-quality art supplies you’ve been saving to make something “important” with, then by all means, gather them up and dare to use them abundantly in your visual journal.
There is a certain satisfaction about using really good supplies on process work that no one else may ever see.
This act also sends a message to the hard-to-impress subconscious mind that you are serious about the work you are doing in your journal.
How About Sharing: Your treasures and a bit of time?
Lots of people are wondering how they can help out those less fortunate in our crazy economic situation right now.
Budgets for schools and non-profits are being slashed, while more and more people are tightening their purse strings, making the situation for those in the most need even harder.
Now is the time to clean out your art supply closet, drawers, etc. and find some unused treasures to donate to a local school, homeless shelter, senior center, or community center. I just had a teacher stop by my moving sale, and even basic items like pens, paper and crayons are not being provided!
Yikes! Find out what your school teachers need and take an hour of your time to ask your friends to drop off their unused items. Then make a giant care package for the teacher/kids to unpack.
When you clear out stuff you are not using, it has double benefits. Someone else gets to use it. And you are making room for the new: a topic worth a whole other blog post!
Shop Your Own Junk Drawer
While you are spring cleaning, here are some ideas for cheap, effective, wonderful visual journal supplies, which you probably already have:
Writing Utensils
Ballpoint pens are good for doing the writing exercises. If painted over, the ink won’t smear. Certain pencils work without smearing, too. Just test them first. Look for pens or markers that write over painted surfaces. Be sure the surface is dry before writing, or else the pen will gum up.
Paint
The cheaper, the better. Use inexpensive craft paints, whatever brand is available at your local craft or department store. Use acrylic or tempera paints that dry quickly, making it easy to layer colors and then write on top of them. Watered-down cheap white paint is a great way to transparently cover background collage material.
Recycle!
Before you shop for supplies, check to see what you already have. Crayons and markers, watercolor sets, tape, colorful stickers, tissue paper, wrapping paper, and greeting cards are all fodder for the imagination and your journal. The child versions of all of these supplies are just fine for visual journals. Do you know how exciting is for kids when you ask to use their art supplies?
Ephemera: Not Just for Junk Drawers Anymore
You’ll also want to start collecting ephemera-the flotsam of daily life-receipts, photos, notes, junk mail, to-do lists. These can all be great additions to your journal. They provide the background narrative of your thoughts and your days. For other background elements, try using stuff from your old work: drawings, plans, paint chips, torn-up sketches, edited manuscripts, project notes, calendars, brochures, and contact lists.
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Howdy! I’m Lisa Sonora Beam, author of The Creative Entrepreneur. I teach people how to get unstuck and use their creativity to make a living doing what they love. 
