#journaling – Page 2 – Joslyn Taylor

The Meaning of Words

November 14, 2022 No Comments

Words and their meanings have been quite a hot topic lately: how they are used, how the meanings have changed, how they hurt. Whole those conversations are being played out in the public sphere now, but trust me, I’m NOT throwing my hat into that ring anytime soon. But what I will say is how we use words to describe ourselves have a lot of weight in how we view and feel about ourselves, and even the trajectory of our lives. Just recently, I was in contact with a friend and was telling her how I’m back to really focused on making art. She was pretty happy for me. I said something along the line of it “being long overdue”. But you know what, I immediately regretted saying that. I corrected myself and said that perhaps this is happening now because this is exactly the right time, that this is happening now because it needs to. That’s the way time works, and life works on timing. By saying that “it’s long overdue”, I’m not giving life’s unpredictability the space and respect it demands. For example, the question of what are my plans for the next five years has always rubbed me in a weird way. I’ve always thought that my plans are simply to stay alive and live as well as I can. But that question usually demands some grand answer. What does that answer do to our self perception and the road we see before us? Does it place a lot pressure on ourselves? Does it motivate us? Does it make us depressed because it was all talk with no course of action what so ever? I can speak for myself and say that I’ve been on this earth long enough to know that words do indeed have weight, and saying that’s “it’s been long overdue” only produces guilt, and diminishes the progress of what I’ve done in the here and now. Guilt is poison, especially when I haven’t done anything to feel guilty to begin with, it’s purely unreasonable. But that pressure, and subsequent guilt, we place on ourselves just defeats us. It weighs us down, makes us question the validity of our work, and even question our own self-worth. I guess that’s why daily affirmations are so popular: they recognize that maybe all we have is right now, and to count those blessings while we’re at it.

And speaking of counting our blessings, I’ve been very busy working on more journals and some other things that I will share in the very near future. The weather is turning for the chillier here in NYC, and I’m preparing for it. Like I said, I will share!

Two finished journals with some cool Japanese fabric that I believe are based on kimono prints

This batch of journals will have 72 pages of mixed paper

A batch of finished beauties on my perpetual busy table

Thank you good folks for stopping by

Jos

Jossy Creates

Busy, as usual…

November 8, 2022 No Comments

In my happy place, with my plants, and feeling thankful for such a great Saturday

First and foremost, and great big THANK YOU for those folks that came out and supported me on this glorious Saturday. And what amazing weather we had, so very joyful….

One thing that I find when my hands are busy, my mind wanders. I think about many things: dinner, plants that need watering, fish that need feeding, etc, etc…I watch, or listen, to music, YouTube, Netflix. I think that I just like the sound of voices in the room with me. Sometimes the distractions are welcomed, sometimes I just need to turn it off and hear my own thoughts. I heard about something that’s new to me, but has been around since the 1990s. Then it was published in an essay in the New York Times in 2015 by Mandy Len Catron. It’s The 36 Questions That Lead to Love. It’s a series of questions that explore whether an intimate connection can be made between strangers. It presents itself in 3 sets of 12 questions that become increasingly personal. I read through them and found that they are not that easy to answer. They seem a bit simple, but simplicity does have its complexities. One of the questions that made me think is “If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future, or anything else, what would you want to know?” That really made me think. The answer I came up with is nothing. There’s nothing that I think I would want to definitively know. Sure I’d want to know if I’m walking into danger, if my very life is is on the line, yes, I want to know. But, I am the person I am because of the lessons I’ve learned from life’s challenges. I would’ve wanted to know the heartache that homelessness brought, but that falls under the desire to know if I’m walking into danger. But other than that, life’s tests has made me me. But what about life’s joys? I don’t think that I’d want to know before hand either. Learning the truth about myself is part of the journey, making mistakes is apart of life, wanting or needing to know the far future would suggest that life is written in stone, and I don’t always think so. The missteps, as well as the joys, are my learning tools, tools that I get to share. And not just tools, but my memories, the very wrinkles in my brain and forehead, the many thoughts that I get to recall because it gives me pause in certain situations, I may not have wanted some of these experiences, but I’m at times I can feel almost grateful for them. Ultimately, they affirm my humanity, and that’s a precious thing.

The only thing I would want to know for sure would be for someone to go back in time and tell my younger to self hang in there, and that you truly matter.

Standing next to “Rapunzel”, my amazing pothos plant

On a separate note, the top I’m wearing in the photo I made. The choice to use fabric for the construction of my journals came from sewing my own clothes. I had A LOT of fabric scraps and pieces left over, bits that were too beautiful, as well as extremely wasteful, to just throw away. I’ll post more in the future. It’s based off of a favorite blouse of mine that got ruined by bleach at the laundromat. I carefully took it apart, and use it as a sewing pattern.

I make patchwork clothing and patchwork journals. Life is good!

Thanks for reading.

Jos

Jossy Creates

Out of the Chaos…

November 2, 2022 No Comments

Doing many things at once, as usual….bookbinding, collage fodder, backgrounds for future zines, etc…

There’s one thing that I think is on the minds of artists, and that is what happens when you become known for something but also want to flex your mental and creative muscles? Sure, it’s a comfortable place to just keep doing what you’re doing, but what if the very reason why you started doing something is no longer pertinent in the here and now? As a creative, I turn to art as a way to cope with life’s ups and downs, to cope with the chaos. I figure it’s way better than alcohol, retail therapy, or drugs. And at the end of it all, I something to show for it. If anything, the pandemic showed us the benefit of having an esthetic outlet, without it, I know I would’ve gone out of my mind. Museums posted their collections online, there were movies to watch, music to listen to, sewing, woodworking, cooking, whatever! I’ve always bristled at the talk of folks thinking that art was a waste of time, that artists are a waste, but try living through a crisis without something to keep your hands busy.

During some years back I was homeless, I turned to art. I began an embroidery project that I posted online. Because of that, I was able to connect with some pretty nice folks. But I found myself walking away from it. Why? Because I think it served its purpose. I was able to focus during a rough time, and in the process create a body of work. I’m proud of it, and grateful to have had the mind to create. But this brings it back to the original question: if you become known for something, should you simply continue because of expectations? I don’t think so.

I embroidered during my homeless years, this is one of the first ones I made

I’m now bookbinding, something that I never thought of in the past, but find it soothing, calming. I love fabric and color, something that I’ve always loved as evidenced by the embroidery, and always will, but now I’ve found another outlet for that love. I think that we should always keep in mind that everyone has a story, and that everyone is at a certain station in life, that life is not static, but needs to continually move and evolve. I’m always learning new things about myself, and with that knowledge may come something special. That’s what life is about. It boils down to faith: faith in yourself, faith in the process, and faith in artists. Fear and faith don’t mix, you have to choose one or the other.

I must choose faith, without it, what’s the point? Like, for real! “Don’t wait for inspiration. It comes while working.” – Henri Matisse. If I didn’t have faith in the process, I simply couldn’t keep working. And the words of Henri Matisse suggests that there’s much to gain just from doing the work.

Thanks for taking the time.

Jos

Jossy Creates

Feels so good to be back!

October 23, 2022 No Comments

Saturday morning, it was still chilly out, but still, I’m happy!

Years ago I was a regular street vendor. It was how I supported myself and my young son at the time. So many doors opened because I met so many people. For example, I met a woman who worked as a teaching artist and her company was looking for employees. We became friendly, and she recommended me. I auditioned, yes it was an audition, and got the position. Fast forward, I stayed there for 5 years.

Vending was and is hard work, but I can honestly say that the good certainly outweighs the bad. I really like it. It was hard feeling isolated during the lockdowns. While I’m not a social butterfly per say, I did miss sweet, lively conversations to be had with others brought together because of a shared interest, plus being online so much was resulting in digital fatigue. And before the pandemic, I was seriously thinking of going back to vending, and to teaching. But it was during the pandemic that I began to make hand bound journals. I’d already had a love for journaling, so thought why not make my own. And while I’m at it, combine the things that I love in one place: paper, fabric, and writing.

So this weekend, I got back into the saddle. I decided to vend at the largest farmers market in Brooklyn, at Grand Army Plaza. It was GREAT! Being around people again, let face it, people watching is an amazing pastime, felt truly exciting and uplifting, I felt alive. Talking to folks, looking at their very cute pooches, and getting feedback for my work made for a really beautiful day. And if the day couldn’t get better, my terrific partner drove me there and kept me company the whole day. I’m truly blessed.

There’s a reason I so admire the quote from Arthur Ashe: “Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can.” For awhile, I just couldn’t seem to get out of my own way, taking just that first step seemed so insurmountable, but of course, it was just in my head. I dedicated a page of my zine to that quote, it’s just that important to me. So, I took that chance, starting where I was, using what I had, and with that, doing what I could. To expect more from ourselves is to set unrealistic goals, and a setup for failure. When we follow the advice of that quote, we keep the faith, most importantly, the faith in ourselves. When I was in my own way, I’d lost faith in myself, and one has to wonder that if you’ve lost faith in YOURSELF, how can you expect others have it for you?

Until next time,

Jos