Welcome to International Fake Journal Month 2013!

What is IFJM?
Please read the page "What Is IFJM" for details.
Learn the difference between Faux, Fake, and Fake Historical Journals.

2019 IFJM Celebration
IFJM has been suspended indefinitely. Please read the pinned post about this below.

Participants who Post Their Journals
A list of 2018 participants who are posting their fake journals this year will appear near the top of the right side bar of this blog around April 6. Lists of participants who posted their pages in 2010 through 2017 appear lower in the same column. Please pay them a visit and check out their fake journals.

View a Couple of Roz's Past Fake Journals
Roz's 2009 fake journal takes place in an alternate Twin Cites, where disease has killed the human and bird populations. (It ends up being an upbeat tale of friendship.) Watch a video flip through of Roz's 2009 fake journal here.

Read an explanation of Roz's insanely complex 2011 fake journal.

Tips on Keeping a Fake Journal
Click on "tips" in the category cloud.

Remember, "Life's so short, why live only one?"


Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Midpoint in 2014 International Fake Journal Month

Above: My April 13 entry in my 2014 IFJM Journal. 30 x 22 inch mystery printmaking paper, with acrylic inks used with a brush. Rubberstamped date. That's Beverly my giant plastic toad, who made his/her drawing debut in my fake journal this year. (My character shares my love for large toys.) Click on the image to view an enlargement. 

Yep, it's the 15th. So if you're in the U.S. you've paid your taxes by today. It's also the halfway point in International Fake Journal Month. If you've been making an entry each day then by the end of today you'll have 15 entries. That's fantastic. Now it's just a matter of putting in the same amount of time for the rest of the month and you're home free—no more "hiddens," you know what to expect.

Sure it's not that easy when you start a project or you try to form a new habit. Now might be exactly the time that you take a deep breath to relax only to find life throws you a curve ball and leaves you with less "free" time for the rest of the month.

You need to remember two things.

1. Don't take it personally.

2. You were able to find time for 15 days you can find time for another 15 days. It's worth it, your project is worth it. So just wake up each morning willing to put in the time.

And these things are true even if your project is nothing like what you'd hoped it would be.

To date my project has taken some interesting twists and turns. I started the project knowing I wanted to sketch a lot of people and that most of them would be from life, local friends. But I also asked for readers to send me selfies. Thank you, thank you to all the readers who did that because I never knew when I started this project that I would come down with a cold that turned to bronchitis and be two weeks into this project without seeing a living soul but Dick and two friends who whizzed through so quickly there was no time to sketch.

Having the selfies has allowed me to keep sketching and keep up with the project. My character still sketches the faces for the same reason, but now I can actually still do it.

Another curve ball my health has thrown me is that the black Pentel Brush Pens I've been using for the project are the squeezable, fugitive dye-based ink type with a nice fine (and sometimes extra thick) brush tip. Well on the 12th I realized that squeezing the pens was undoing all the therapy I'd been doing with my right hand, elbow, and shoulder. Drat.

That means I've ratcheted way back on use of those pens for now. I have been using the Pentel Pocket Brush Pen, which simply flows (you don't squeeze it) but the paper soaks up the ink so quickly that I don't like the line I get with it and have to go over lines sometimes. A bit annoying, but still, I'm getting the project done aren't I? So I'm happy.

And I've always got a regular brush and acrylic inks as a way to sketch (as in the image shown today) so it's all good.

In other words, even though things aren't what I've hoped for I've been able to adapt and keep going.

If you're reading this now and are participating this month that's what I hope you're doing—finding ways to adapt and keep going. That's the essence of creativity.

Take a moment to think about your character and how your character would react to these influences. And also take a moment to pat yourself on the back for making it this far.

Ask yourself what it is that you would still like to get out of the project and see if you can't arrange things to make that happen! You've put in so much effort up to this point now is the time to pull out all the stops.

Keep going.

8 comments:

Susan Ernst said...

I really am enjoying this process Roz! I've completed 10 entries so far, but have been developing my character in my head and making notes. I like her life so much, I may want to continue making journals with her all year!

Candy Sparks said...

I started this project a bit late. I am three pages in and I am delighted with the progress of the journal. This journal is so much better than my normal journals. Ahhh this is changing the way I personally journal. Thanks! I plan on finishing my fake journal soon. Thanks for sharing some of your pictures of your fake journal. I will be posting some pages soon on my blog.

Roz Stendahl said...

Susan, are you posting your journal or working privately? If you're posting send me an email with a link and I'll add you to the list when I update it next.

Regardless of that I'm so glad that you are going along and enjoying the process. You know some years I fall in love with a character and find I have conversations with the character during the year. It's a different perspective on things.

Keep going!

Roz Stendahl said...

Candy, starting late is totally OK. Keep at it and work with that idea. When you get to 10 pages/page spreads/entries take a moment to ask yourself what specifically is working differently from this process and your normal process. It's important to do that when you still have days left in the project to go back and taste that. Then you'll be able to bring those specific approaches and attitudes forward into your real journal.

Send me a link when you post your pages.

ellen ward said...

ONE FINE TOADY!

Susan Ernst said...

Roz, You have added my link already.
Thanks for that,
Susan Ernst

Michelle Himes said...

Love the toad and the chocolate habit. :)

Roz Stendahl said...

Ellen and Michelle thanks. I really like Beverly. He/she is the largest of my toys. Quite impressive to look at. I walked into the back room the other day and forget that he/she was in there and Bang I nearly jumped in surprise. Very realistic when viewed peripherally.

I'll have to take a photo.
Roz