A little over a year ago, I bought a book that challenged me in ways I never expected. While a creative free spirit, I am also a highly organized neat-nick that likes to have things in perfect order. This is a great trait for my day job and keeping a well-ordered home, but for writing it can be the kiss of death. Creativity needs spark and inspiration, not a color-coded filing system (at least not all the time!). I realized I needed to break out of my box and go nuts with imagination. It was time to let go and make a mess.
Keri Smith’s Wreck This Journal dared me to break my own rules with page after page of unique activities. In fact, there were no rules and I was free to do whatever came to mind! The process of wrecking my journal turned out to be a truly liberating experience. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite pages with the hope that they will inspire some more messy creativity. As always, click on images for a full-size view.
The cover of my journal. I’ll explain the rip in the binding soon enough, (it involves yarn and centripetal force). At one point, the cover will be decorated with doodles as per instructions I have not yet completed. I’m thinking metallic gel pens and glitter glue will get the job done!
The overall “instructions” for the journal. What I love about them is the blatant ambiguity – there is no right or wrong way to wreck your journal. These two pages are covered in doodles and color because I felt like using my crayons and markers.
My muse juice is splattered all over this page along with some musings and lame attempts at drawing. This page turned out to be an amazing source of motivation during the arduous process of revising/editing the third draft of my novel. It was a great way to vent my frustration in a constructive way that left me with hope and the gumption to keep going. Who would have thought some splattered coffee could inspire so much?
c.b. 2011
This is an awesome book. My graphic designer colleague has one. It’s so irreverent and shocking, in a good way. The instructions in the book are liberating, but kinda scary. You want me to do what to a perfectly good book? I need to go pick one up for me now. : )
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Lol! The hardest part was allowing myself to ruin a book! It was like refuting my genetic code or something. But once the first page ripped, the rules flew right out the window. 🙂
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By the way, a tall mocha is my favorite Starbucks drink, too… I always as for nonfat (only because it’s a little too sweet otherwise), extra hot (which forces me to drink slowly), with whip (they always assume I don’t want whip because I say nonfat, so I make sure to say it upon ordering). : )
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Niiiice! 🙂 Whip cream is essential, no matter what!
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Maybe i should send you scans of my notes… I hardly ever lack ideas and alternative ideas and alternative alternative ideas and… Chaos is the reservoir for creation, but a bit of structure and organization (mind-wise and other) is quite useful, too 😉
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Balance is key. I’ll always be ridiculously organized, but it’s nice to break out and be chaotic every once in a while. It’s the only way to keep my brain on its toes!
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I LOVE this! Creative messes help us to grow wings! peace, Courtney
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Thanks for reading! 🙂
Life sure would be boring without those creative messes!
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It would indeed! 🙂
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ooooo, being unorganized? yikes, this could difficult but I’m intrigued!
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Lol! It’s worth it. I promise. 🙂
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Looks like a fun book, something to help break out of the mold. I look forward to seeing more of your pages!!
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It definitely defies all common logic, but in the best possible way. 🙂 Get ready for some serious page surfing!
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i have one of these and i had the Hardest time taking that first “wrecking” step. my organized, color-coded mind just could not let go. but once i did, look out book! it was in for a wild ride! the wildest: i asked my brother to take it surfing with him. i think it’s Still drying out… but salt water gives a book some great texture! 🙂
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Oh, that’s awesome! 😀
I do hope you’ll share more stories about your journal. I’ll bet its an amazing record of your creativity!
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I’m so looking forward to this series of posts. I just may have to go buy a copy of this book. Some creative craziness may be just what I need.
walk in beauty.
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The next Wreck This Journal post will be posted next week Wednesday. It seems fitting to put some crazy creativity in the middle of the week, when we need it most! 🙂
I’ll bet you’ll do some pretty amazing things with your journal and they will all be beautiful! Please share if you decide to get the book!
Thanks for reading!
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Looking forward to the next one 🙂
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I found this blog fun to read. I always get ideas and different titles of books when I read your blogs.
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I’m glad you’re inspired! Keep reading and definitely keep writing. 🙂
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Oh my goodness. I need to get my hands on one of these. Thanks for sharing it! 🙂
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Oh, fun! I hope you’re inspired to be totally reckless. 🙂
Please do share pages when you get your journal!
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This is awesome…I need to break the barrier sometime soon and fill up those pages!
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I hope you do! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
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You have beautiful handwriting, I love your doodles, and I want this journal. The end.
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I don’t think anyone has ever complimented my handwriting, (or my doodles)! 😉 Lol. I hope you’re inspired to wreck a journal with your own whimsy! 🙂
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Fantastic way to liberate the writer within! The book is ordered. I can’t wait to get going. Thanks for sharing this.
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Yay! 🙂 Have fun and perhaps share your pages. Creativity feeds creativity!
Thanks for stopping by!
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I got this book a few years ago and burned through it, loving every second. I’m thinking I’ll buy another one and try again, in new interesting ways.
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It would be so interesting to see how a second one turns out! 🙂 Thanks for reading!
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I saw this post listed on your sidebar and couldn’t resist a look: I’ve been struggling a lot lately with the idea of letting go of things. I tend to travel quite a lot, and it’s difficult for me to find a balance between enjoying the travelling itself and documenting the travelling in as many ways as possible. I’m interested to see a couple more of the pages of the journal – something like this might be a great way of cutting down all the rigid writing and drawing and photographing I feel I HAVE to do, and just expressing myself instead. Thanks!
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Self-expression tends to liberate everything else. Once you let go, the creativity just explodes! Good luck with your journal! 🙂
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“While a creative free spirit, I am also a highly organized neat-nick that likes to have things in perfect order.” Are we peas in a pod or what?
A friend of mine gave me a copy of Wreck this Journal a few years ago. She laughed hysterically when she got to the fruit label page and all of my labels were neatly lined up in rows! Not exactly a “mess” of creativity.
It’s such a fun book, though. You’ve inspired me to revisit it and wreck the heck out of it this time!
Thanks!
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All right! 😀 Get wrecking . . .
I have to laugh about the fruit labels. When I first played with that page, my fruit labels were all lined up in perfectly straight rows, too! We are peas in a pod! Lol! I’m trying to be more messy with that page, but it still looks nice and neat.
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What a neat idea! It looks like a blast! 🙂
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Hope you join in the fun and wreck a journal, too! 🙂
Thanks for reading!
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This looks amazing. I’d never heard of this book before. I’ll look forward to your posts about how you’ve abused it. 🙂
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It’s a fun little project and I’m excited that its inspiring so many people! 🙂 On Wednesday, there will be a new page!
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I find your drawings quite charming. 🙂
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You are entirely too nice! 😉 I’ve never had the gift to draw, but I do have fun trying.
Thanks for stopping by . . . it’s very nice to see you here. 🙂
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This is so great! I just checked out your blog and I’m also a big fan of creativity inspiring big-kid activity books…check out “life if a verb” by Patti Digh – it’s got writing activities, dares for things to do to get the creativity flowing & helps you be more mindful of the people/things around you…really recommended if you like this sort of thing! 🙂
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That sounds like a great book!! I’m heading over to amazon right now to check it out. 🙂 Thanks for the recommendation and for stopping by. Hope to see your around again!
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the books a work of art in itself xxjen
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I love this! and the sneak peaks of your journal. Out comes the wrecking ball!
Hey, thanks for visiting my blog!
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Thanks for stopping by mine! 🙂
There are more pages to come, so stay tuned! 🙂
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..to let live the child that til death reside within, to an adult spent life by some, would sound a sin, but truth be told, it is when one’s life truly begins…. all the best in your discovery and exploration.. have fun..naykdpoet
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It’s been an amazing adventure so far. 🙂
Thanks for reading!
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Perfect timing C.B. — my copy arrived yesterday. Of course the strong Type A part of my personality is hesitant to make it messy.
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How exciting!! Go ahead and make that mess!! 🙂
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I love artists journals and find them incredibly inspiring, both mine and others!
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Me, too. Over the course of completing the journal, I have really enjoyed seeing how other people completed each task. It’s amazing how the same pages can turn out so differently! I love it!
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CB,
The fact that you are a teacher is awesome (I have been there and realize how much work it is) but the fact that you are such a consistent blogger who also consistently comments on other blogs and then replies to those comments on your blog. Well, then add that you actually write novels. It’s enough to make my inner writer hog wild jealous. But you are just so darn talented and so darn nice, I just can’t hate you or be jealous. You are doing it. Girl, I wave and salute you. You rock! You deserve to get discovered! Have a happy day! I always take time to read your posts. With a toddler I am so all over the place and don’t have long stretches of time to get stuff done, so I do it here and there. I am just proud to get out my Monday Museletter!
Cheerio and I hope Monday was museful for you!
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Thank you for so many kind words. On the teacher front, it was a tough day (students were great, the bureaucracy is not), so all your wonderful words totally turned this day around. Thank you a thousand times for reminding me of why I write every day.
Your blog was such a bright spot in my day as well. Thanks for creating such a positive and beautiful space! 🙂
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Thank you CB. I looked for you on Pinterest, but you must use a different name. I have to watch myself on that website — I could spend hours dreaming and coloring so to speak. I wonder if your school has applications like that you could use for teaching. I bet the kids would love to create boards about what they learn. Technology is such a great tool with middle and high school students. And elementary. My 4th graders knew more about computers than me sometimes! I miss those little buggers — there is magic in a classroom when they learn something. I miss those big eyes saying, “Yes I can!” Just know that your creative spirit and nonconforming ways teach those kids about what is important — them and their minds! I can tell you are a great teacher. Sometimes you just have to go around the elbow to get to the thumb — take a little tour off the beaten path is always good for learning. I could write pages and pages in the comment about education and how we are not focusing on creativity enough in schools. Have you read Daniel Pink’s “A Whole New Mind”? It is a best practices book. Give a copy to the bureaucrats to read and then write your own book on teaching CB. You are gold, silver, ruby and emerald. Don’t let anyone tell you different.
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Today I had an amazing day with my students. I assigned a project that asks them to be creative and innovative with every day objects. They were so excited and literally broke off into conversations about the assignment. I can’t wait to see what they come up with. 🙂
Thanks so much for being such a positive presence. I’ve always gone my own way and found strength in being different. And I will continue to believe in that philosophy. 🙂
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This sound intriguing!
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it is beyond fun and full of insight. 🙂
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Great idea. Love the order doesn’t matter!
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Sometimes I just drop the book and see where it opens . . . 🙂
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