More self reflection

I received a communication from the instructor of the sketchbook course, in response to a couple of pictures I posted in the Gallery section of the website.  She pointed out that, maybe I needed to ask myself why I was making the sketchbooks.  Did I see it as a way to influence and develop my work? Was it a form of journaling?  Or did I see them as an art form, in their own right?  Wow!  That cuts right to the heart of the matter, doesn't it?

I've been thinking about this for a couple of days now.  I have admired her sketchbooks for several years, probably because I do see them as a form of art in their own right.  But she has also commented on how something in her sketch books had informed an art piece, and I think my years long obsession with sketchbooks has perhaps been a search for inspiration, as the creative process has always been the most difficult part of my art process.  But--what if I could look at sketchbooks as an art form?  One concept that I have heard before about the sketchbooks is that each artist can use their own sketchbooks in any way that has meaning for the artist himself.  Mine ( and there have been a few over the years) have served as a record of my process, including original concept, any pertinent stitched samples, examples of fabric selection, and a final photo.  Why not continue with that, while treating myself to a parallel process of creating the sketchbook as art?  Maybe, once in a Blue Moon, part of that process that might influence my art--or it might not.  It would still take a time commitment,and still involve skill development, that I have wanted to avoid at my age.

I can do anything I want. and anything that might have meaning for me.