Antiquaria Journal Club | The Blank Page, Vol. 1

One of the most enriching aspects of Journal Club so far has been the sense of community we are building around this process, from start to finish. For yeeears we’ve wanted to be able to take a beautiful notebook, really breathe some life into it and build a steadfast habit of journaling. Not only for today, but for all of the tomorrows; peering back onto journal entries gone by. How COOL will it be to look upon your stack of completed journals with a sense of proud accomplishment?! With the establishment of the club, we are all well on our way to doing just that!

It has been AWESOME to see everyone’s vastly different perspectives and personal takes on journaling. Seeing your personality infused into the page is something else - seriously, we can’t say how excited we are every time we see a new Journal Club spread!!

So, to fully honor the wide range of unique perspectives, we felt we needed an outlet to verbalize and share not only our own experiences, but YOURS as well! Enter 'The Blank Page' Interview Series.

Within this series, we’ll feature various members of our journal club. Every single perspective and experience is valuable. The featured member will answer questions, share photos and offer other insights they’ve gleaned so far!

With that, our first featured member is Grace Hill, Studio Manager with the Antiquaria team. 

Grace Hill

Journal
Strathmore Visual Journal

Journal Personality
Art Journal

Toolkit
Charcoal, Washi, Dot grid paper, Pens, Stickers


What is your primary goal in keeping a journal?

My primary goal in keeping a journal is to continue to working with art and try different techniques and medias.

How do you approach the blank page?

I’ve always struggled with the blank page, but recently I realized that you just have to sit down and make the first mark without thinking too much about it. I’ve started setting aside 30 mins every other day to journaling and drawing. I tell myself just to make something, it doesn’t have to be good but to just do it.

Do you use a certain paper or page style? What do you like about it? 

I do not use a certain page style. I’m still really new to journaling I’m trying as many page styles as I can. If I find one I like then I’ll start using that one, if not then I’ll keep jumping around.

What is your favorite journaling tool and why? 

I don’t really have a favorite journaling tool at the moment. I’m using charcoal because I’m really comfortable with it, but I plan on getting into medias that I’m not comfortable with. The whole point of my Art Journal is to explore creativity and try new things. Although if I had to pick I’d probably say scissors and tape because even if I create something not in my journal, with scissor and tape it can become a part of my journaling process.

What drew you to the type of journal you chose to keep? (art, bullet, reflective, etc)

I choose Art Journal because it seemed the most unstructured of the options. It can also encompass any of the other journal types. So if I wanted to try bullet journaling or reflective journaling I can easily incorporate that into my Art Journal.

Do you prefer to write at a particular time of day or place? Why?

I don’t have a preference on time for journaling. I usually do it when I get home from work or before bed just because that’s the most convenient time for me to do it, although I’d rather do it when the sun was up and the lighting was better. I have set up a small desk that I journal on, for me it’s nice to have a separate space to journal so I won’t become distracted by the tv or my phone. Once I sit there the only thing I’m doing is journaling.

What do you love about journaling?

What I love about journaling is that it gives me time to sit down and be creative. With a busy life it can sometimes be hard to find time to do stuff that you enjoy, it’s also easy to get side tracked. With setting time aside to journal, I’ve found the time to do the creative things that I’ve pushed aside the past few years.

Do you consider journaling therapeutic? If so, why?

Yes I consider journaling therapeutic. It’s one of those activities that you can sit down and start doing and not realize how much time has gone by. I always say I’m just going to sit down for 30 mins or so to work on my journal but I end up doing it for a few hours without even realizing it.

What is the most challenging aspect of journaling for you?

The most challenging aspect of journaling for me is finding time. I’m an active person and love to go out and do things. I always feel like there are a million things I want to do and never find time for all of them.

How has the way you’ve journaled changed over time? (If you’ve seen a progression so far)

I only started journaling a week or two ago so my journaling has not really changed yet.

How has journaling benefitted you?

Journaling has benefitted me by just giving me the time and space to be creative and try new things.


A big thank you to Grace for being our very first Journal Club 'Blank Page' feature! If you're interested in being featured, (yay!) please leave a comment here or reach out to us on instagram @antiquariadesign and we would be thrilled to have you share your experience!

Stay tuned for the next volume, and until then, Happy Journaling!

xoxo
Bailey, Emma and the Antiquaria Team