Art Journal Cover

I said late last year I wanted to do more art journaling and so far that's working really well for me.  I have almost finished one of my art journals and I like to have more than one on the go so I can do something whilst one is drying. 

That meant a new journal needed a cover.  I like to have something that encourages me to be free in my journals on the cover and I also wanted to address a difficult conversation I had on Christmas Day.  I wanted to remind myself I had the strength needed to overcome the negativity hidden somewhere in the depths of me yet as a cover I didn't want it to be negative or too revealing. 

With those things in mind I decided I would use the theme  hidden depths, whether that be ocean depths, deep inside yourself, deep space or to be honest it can be interpreted in whatever way you wish.  Which is how I realised I had inadvertently covered another topic. 

Lately I was made aware of how someone who isn't deaf and has no hearing related issues had a week off work with a burst ear drum.  I couldn't believe it, any deaf person I know, myself included, wouldn't and don't stop because of an earache, burst eardrum or ear infection we just keep going.  It's part and parcel of our everyday lives and speaking personally unless I am unable to function with the infection {usually because I cannot maintain my temperature at or below 40oc with the aid of medication} then I don't bother to go to a dr, they'd only laugh me out the door so why bother? 

Whilst discussing this with someone else they mentioned tolerance and perhaps other people have lower tolerances which made me consider that perhaps because it is part and parcel of life deaf people are more tolerant and accepting of infections and the complications that comes with being deaf but also perhaps it's not just about being more tolerant but the fact that from experience if I complain or mention the words earache, burst eardrum, ear infection, hearing loss I get rolled eyes, sighing and more often than not "why are you always negative", "try being positive for once", "so your deaf it's not the end of the world so stop acting like it is", "attention seeking again do you ever stop", "you can't possibly have another infection stop overreacting".  I could keep going but I think you get gist.  If someone who is deaf bemoans a decline in their hearing or illness relating to it the reaction is that we are milking our situation for sympathy so we have grown to have a hidden depth of strength, of not complaining, of getting on with life regardless of the pain and struggling. I like how my journal cover shows this depth despite not being directly related to either meaning behind the creation of the page.

Talking of infections I had an infection over Christmas and the New Year and it has meant my Asthma is bordering on uncontrolled.  There are times I need my salbutamol inhaler whilst doing very little so because of this I have delayed the start of my "Thursday Adventures" then unfortunately a family funeral was booked for a Thursday and so I hope this week will be the start of my adventures for 2019. 

The text reads " Show your hidden depths" ⒸSallie Baker 2019 and I have used some stash I had for Christmas.  The marine life is a stamp set from Bumbleberry Crafts this store is new to me but the service is fabulous and the stamps are of fabulous quality.  I've used a combination of distress oxides, dylusions spray ink, silver nuvo mousse, nuvo drops and some blue texture paste for the background with stencils.  All stamps are coloured using derwent procolour pencils.  These are my absolute favourite colouring medium.