The journey actually started to begin in January within Suzanne's from http://quietfiredesigns.com Byhand Yahoo Group when Susanna, from Finland, made a comment regarding how wonderful it would to have an art idea journal to refer to that was created from the members of the Byhand group. This comment originated after she had received some spectacular artwork in several swaps and Deco RR's. Once the comment was made, the idea just sort of snowballed from there, each of us adding in what we'd like the journals to contain such as a technique that so and so used in this swap, or a background that another participant used in a Deco. It didn't matter who posted or who commented each of us knew we'd cherish having something of that nature in our possession.
It wasn't simply about containing the artwork, we all desired a technique tutorial! Provide me with a step by step tutorial so that I can recreate it. As the discussion continued, so did the ideas! They simply poured out of each of us... like we'd love to see photographs of one another's art studio's and spaces, read about one another's creative process, and how the book would even cooler filled with art and creativity quotations, and then it was back to discussing what each of would to learn from one another, sort of an "I'd like a personal one on one class with so and so learning to do this....."
It wasn't long after that few weeks of bouncing all of this off of one another that Susanne thought that we could make this dream and the daydreams of all these comments on a message board within the group, become a reality. She suggested the Art Idea Journal RR, where each of us would create a journal and the RR would begin. We formed a new group where even more ideas were thrown out and tossed around until one day it was decided that we'd two groups of participants within this group. Everyone was invited to sign-up for whichever group they desired to participate within and some even signed up for both! The two categories within the group were a lightweight already bound journal and the other a pages only group that could be bound by each participant upon its return home. I signed up for the pages only group and glimpses of the journal that I created as we embarked on this Art Idea Journal RR can be found in my February 2005 archives.
It was sort of our version of the True Colors journal RR but with a twist of anything goes! To quote on Suzanne's amazing calligraphy style rubber stamps that uses a William Wordsworth quotation, "Fill the paper with the breathings of your heart..." and that is exactly what each of us did! Every journal is unique in its own way as each of us worked on creating our own journals we added in what we envisioned for our own to be once returned to us.
As the journals circulated and page upon precious page was created and even though some of the techniques were repeated within them, each and every one is uniquely created for the original creator, author, and designer. I have never participated in something so beautiful and amazing before in my entire life!
Would I do it again today? Knowing that it would embark on an almost two year journey? Yes! and in a heartbeat!!!!! As the journey begins to make its way through the final stages and the end is near, it is bittersweet. I am excited to have my journal returned to me and wait anxiously for the day that it arrives, yet a part of me is going to greatly miss the communication, the companionship, the love, the caring and the compassion that each of us have shown to one another throughout the journey. I know that we will stay in touch, continue to swap artwork, continnue to participate in even more Deco round robin's but there will never be another Art Idea RR journey quite like this one. It is that knowledge that makes each and everyone one us desire to hold our own journals within our hands and as close to our hearts as we physically possibly can! What an amazing adventure it has been! Throughth personal trials, illness, and deaths, we managed to pull this off and remain a bit more than simply inter-continental artists who exchange artwork, we've became a family and shall forever remain friends!
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