Whisper Journals: Crafting Hard Covers

Project Girl originally began as a curriculum based art education program.  Here in Boulder, the layout is being altered a bit to fit within an Open Studio Model (OSM) approach to art therapy.  The OSM process includes creating an intention at each session, art making, and witness-writing.

Witness writing is a way of  recording the thought and emotional processes in art making, responses to the art being created by others within a community, and a way to tap into the messages that our art may be attempting to send us.  For this purpose, PG participants have started crafting 'Whisper Journals'.

* Slideshow to the positive role model tune of

"Put Your Records On" by Corrine Bailey Rae

The idea of crafting Whisper Journals for witness writing came from an art activity paired with this beautiful quote (from artist Kelly Rae Roberts' book Taking Flight) which was read before the art process began...

“Whispers.  We all have them.  They’re the little voices in our conscious minds that tug at our hearts and want our attention.  These whispers, these seeds of dreams, encourage us, even when we’re not entirely willing to listen, to simply begin.  They’re like little bitty wings, needing the nurturing of our spirits to give them flight into a real and true existence…Whispers tend to reveal themselves someplace where they know they’ll be safe - like a journal, for instance…Peek inside and you’ll find pages and pages filled with raw words, pure emotions, your heart spilled out onto paper.”  ~ Artist Kelly Rae Roberts from her book Taking Flight:  Inspiration and Techniques to Give Your Creative Spirit Wings

Although we are not taking the exact art directive offered in Taking Flight, we were very much inspired by the prompts and concept of recording whispers.  Whisper Journals are a way for the participants of Project Girl to keep the whispers that may arise throughout their experience at the Naropa Community Art Studio in a safe space, while viewing the art of others and reflecting on their own art making process.

This week we worked on creating covers and in our next session we will bind the books and begin the writing process. To make your own art journal I would highly recommend checking out Kelly Rae or other artists like Traci Bautista and Diana Trout who have also published books and projects on their blogs.

To learn more about Kelly Rae Roberts please visit her website:  

http://kellyraeroberts.com/  

and consider purchasing 

her fabulous book:  

Taking Flight: Inspiration and 

Techniques to Give Your 

Creative Spirit Wings!

*buy it here on Amazon.com