My First Guest Blogger- Roni Jones & Her Amazing Inspiration Book

OK! Super special treat for today’s post! I am pretty excited about this for several reasons. First being Roni and I have been talking about working on something together for a few months and we finally did it with this blog post! Secondly, I really dig Roni’s art and the different styles and energy she infuse into her art. Thirdly, she is my first guest blogger EVER! And now without anymore delay here is my special guest and friend Roni…

How y’all doin’?! I’m Roni from BadJonesRising and I am honored to being guest posting today on Chongolio’s blog. When he told me about the altered art theme this month I immediately wanted in. I have lots of altered books, discarded boxes turned into sculptures, and weird knick knacks that are now kitschy art. Of course, I wanted to start something new just for you!

I picked an old grant funded curriculum book from 1975 to alter into something new and functional. I like to make art that can be used again and again so this “instruction manual” was well suited for my big ideas. It has a hardcover, and old vintage type inside. I thought the inspiration be a-brewin’ from within the pages itself, word by word, phrase by phrase.

I have taken a couple of lines from each page as a brainstorming starter, or a journal prompt. I plan on taking each page and giving it a theme such as color, pattern, or even an emotion. The first page has an envelope with a notecard inside that says “Lesson #1…the hardest part is just starting” and a big bold mistake of me forgetting the “e” in “acheivement”! I was extremely frustrated and listened to my entire On The Go playlist before I picked my pencil up again!

In the end, I picked a great color and ran with it. I used what I already know to set up things that make my brain start. Seeing the bright pinks and reds, having an envelope hold journal prompts, and even a paper clip to keep fabric and collage pieces handy saved the day. I will leave space on each page, and room to collect more color, collage, journal prompts, and inspirational quotes to use for breaking artist’s block.

Think of this as an “inspiration book” (in a Smash journal style) taken straight from my signature Inspiration Boards I make and keep.

The lesson of the day is you don’t need a fancy book, or to gesso every page, or even have a story or idea set up. Put pencil to paper, and use the book itself as inspiration. This “instructional manual” on teaching children to face their fears as young artists, reminded me today that the hardest part of any new project is actually starting!

So how cool is that? Thanks so much for the post Roni!! I hope you enjoyed reading about Roni’s process and gleaned some ideas and inspiration to carry into your own creations. Be sure to visit her website, say hello and take a look at the wide range of styles she puts into her art. And don’t forget to leave me a comment below if you like having a guest blogger pop in from time to time to share a little somethin-somethin with you.