Hold onto the gold... keep an art journal

My mind is full of art ideas - and I do not take that for granted. I make a habit of spending time each day browsing my favorite blogs (many listed here), Etsy, Flickr, etc. - creative outpourings from around the world, at my fingertips, on the Net. Colors, shapes, use of materials inspire and spark something entirely new in my mind. When I find myself drawn to a particular design over and over again, I ask myself what it is about that piece that I like so much. The answer is a pathway that will lead me to my own unique creations. Another way to keep my creative juices flowing is to get out of the house. Seems simple enough, but I can guilt myself into staying put which eventually leaves me stir-crazy and dull. Crazy mind! I'm so fortunate that I can walk out my door and down the road in quiet and beauty. At first my mind gives me grief about "wasting time" (but then it will give me grief about not exercising - go figure), but if I keep moving my feet I suddenly experience a stream of ideas. Except that they're gone as soon as the next need catches my awareness, leaving me standing in my studio not knowing where to begin. Those "I'll remember this one FOREVER" ideas have slipped away. Enter my Art Journal. One of the most important suggestions I ever read was to keep an art journal. Like my phone message pad, every idea goes in ONE PLACE, IMMEDIATELY. I keep a large notebook and have gotten into the habit of adding inspirations, Scrumble names, cut out pictures as soon as I have them. Such a simple thing that's so profoundly changed how I do art.