Guest Host MARIT

Hi! My name is Marit Barentsen, and I live in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

TWO PLACES YOU GET JOURNALING INSPIRATION FROM:
Oh my... only two? I kept a diary since I was eleven. For years, I jotted down everything that happened in my life. The daily routine, small stuff, big stuff, feelings and emotions. That was only writing - since I discovered art journaling I kinda extended my diaries into art journals by adding images and colours to my words. All my pages are very personal, although it isn't always visible to others. I also get inspired a lot by songlyrics, meaningful quotes and other (art journal) artists.

WHAT YOU FIND TOUGHEST TO JOURNAL ABOUT
Nothing - really... but when I'm in the middle of a 'strong emotion' - say when I'm angry or very sad - I can't journal about it right away. Emotions need some time to settle down before I journal about it.

WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT (journal/techniques, etc.)
I always try to stretch myself... new ways of journaling, new techniques - I'm open to it all and I'm curious to see what will come my way.

ARE YOU PUBLISHED? HAVE OTHER BRAGS?
There are no 'art journal' magazines in the Netherlands. I do write most of the articles for the Dutch scrapbook magazine "Creatief met Foto's" but the layouts are made by others.
My art journal style does not really fit in the concept of the Dutch magazines. American magazines are hard to get overhere so I only know them from what I see on the Internet and I never submitted my work there (yet?)

YOUR WEB SITE OR BLOG
Marit's Paper World: http://www.maritspaperworld.com
Marit's Blog: http://www.maritspaperworld.com/blog

A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF
I live together with my beloved in Eindhoven. My love and I run a small company together in graphical communication/webdesign. I have a son (from a former relationship) who studies Artificial Intelligence on the University.

I have been creative all my life - it runs in the family I guess.
My father is a talented photographer (I learned the 'old fashion photography' - you know, with negatives and photodeveloping and all - from him.) My mom is a poet and a writer - with lots of books on her name.

I discoverd 'scrapbooking' in 2003 but Over the last years, my art changed from scrapbooking to art journaling. When you look at both fields, there is a certain cross over and I like to explore the boundaries of it. I also like to use words (quotes, songlyrics) in my art and my art work often contains details or words that have a deeper meaning.

I am the owner of the website “Marit’s Paper World” where I teach online workshops in art journaling.

THREE UNKNOWN THINGS ABOUT YOURSELF

• There are a few (children-)books that always make me cry when I read them. Eventhough I read them a-hundred times, in different stages of my life, I still get tears in my eyes at certain passages...

• I can not sit in a car or train, without "jumping over the poles". On either side of the road there are poles that we pass by (telephone poles, masts etc) and I move my feet up and down to 'jump' over both the left and the right poles. This happens almost automatically, I can have a conversation with the driver while my feet still 'jump'.

• They say women are good at it, but I cannot 'multi-task' (except for the above 'jumping') I have to concentrate on one thing only... it's that bad that, when I try to cook while someone talks to me, I always end up with burned food/pans.
  

WHAT YOU HOPE TO GET FROM A YEAR IN THE LIFE
I hope to meet a lot of new artists and get a lot of inspiration.

WHAT YOU HOPE TO GIVE TO A YEAR IN THE LIFE
Lots of scrapbookers are afraid to start an art journal, because they think they are not "artsy" enough... but the fun thing of an art journal is: there's no 'right and wrong'! Everyone can do it!
I hope to inspire people, so they get started and have as much fun and satisfaction from it as I do!

MY ART JOURNAL
Just like last year, I made my own art journal especially for A Year in the Life of an Art Journal. It contains 12 pages (24 sides) to fill up in 2011.
The meisures are 21 x 19,5 cm (8.3 x 7.7 inch)

And here's a detail of the binding