April is International Fake Journal Month. This annual art-participation event was begun in 2001 by graphic designer Roz Stendahl. The Official International Fake Journal Month blog has lots of information and ideas for how to participate. This could be a fun way for people who already keep a journal to inspire themselves to try something new, or for people to get started with keeping a journal.
The basic concept is for each participant to find an empty notebook or journal and make 1 full month’s worth of diary entries in the guise of an assumed persona, then post the materials to Stendahl (if participating in the competition portion). It seems like an excellent exercise for writers, actors, comic book artists, etc, who want to “get inside the head” of a character or characters that they are developing for a role or narrative.
I’m not terribly sure what the value is for visual artists though. Why would a visual artist need to assume a false persona in order to spend a month drawing landscapes instead of still lifes, using watercolor instead of pen and ink, etc? Why not just find a different style of sketchbook and set aside a little time every day or week for a month to experiment with a new medium/style/subject matter?
What do you think?
I think it takes a “fake” persona to shut up our inner critics!
I hadn’t thought of that!
Sneaking around behind the back of our inner disapproving grown-up.