Imagination: My Creative Journal

Alright. I admit it. Now I'm addicted. It's fabulous once you get going. The Personal Illumination books aren't what I expected. I realized that they were journal books, but I thought it was a journal supplement instead of an actual journal. Basically you plaster anything you want to anywhere in the journal. James C. Christenson helps your ideas get flowing, and from there on it's you. Very fun. I wish though that it was more of a full-blown book. I have tons to say.

Add to your "card catalog." That's the premise of the first volume in the "Personal Illuminations" series. Full of words and pictures designed as springboards to the imagination, this little journal delights as it teaches that everyone--not just "artists, writers, and other 'creative' types"--has the potential for creativity. Christensen provides the reader with tools to get more deeply involved in everyday (and not-so-everyday) life. We may see ourselves in Christensen's fun and thought-provoking illustrations of fish out of water, burdensome attire, impractical mechanisms, and imperfect angels; but then the artist invites us to collaborate with him--to "write, scribble, sketch, paint, draw, scribble, scratch, mark, or paste" on the pages. If we respond to his invitation, we will certainly end up with a unique treasure. But suggested activities go beyond the pages of the book. He also wants us to travel different roads, ask questions of family members, enjoy nature, observe architecture ("the boxes people come in"), combine the "cards" of our life in new ways, remember loved ones, visit museums, and use our senses (there are six!) to experience what we are, what we have been, and what we might become. The journals in the "Personal Illuminations" series are books with a mission: to help us discover ourselves and inspire us to participate in our world. As a language teacher, I appreciate Christensen's rich, clear writing and effective use of quotations. Both visually and verbally stimulating, Christensen's books are consistently a worthwhile investment.