What is Cosmic Smashbooking?

I get asked that a lot — and although I’ve been a certified Cosmic Smashbook guide for over a year now — I still fumble for words to describe this amazing art-journaling experience.

Here’s a picture instead.

This is a Cosmic Smashbook. I made this one during our weekly Cosmic Smashbook Book Club gatherings at the Pohick Library in Burke. It started as an inexpensive composition notebook.

Over the weeks, it transformed into a sparkly and colorful celebration of me — a wonderful place to record my thoughts, my intentions and my imperfect art-making.

Does that answer the question What Is Cosmic Smashbooking?

Not really. (I know.) But it’s a start.

What Is Cosmic Smashbooking?

Cosmic Smashbooking is a fun way to relax, be creative and learn a little about yourself along the way. I’ve learned that I really like incorporating goofy plastic googly eyes into my art.

If you just looked at these photos and thought, “That’s your art?! Hmmmfff. Even I could make that!”

You are correct. Yes. You could make that. (Yes, you, hmmmfff-muttering, I-can’t-even-draw-a-straight-line person. Especially you!)

You can make art.

• Even if you think you’re not creative.

• Even if you haven’t made any art since 2nd grade.

• Even if you are a Very Busy Adult With Very Important Things To Do.

Especially you.

Very Busy Adults With Very Important Things To Do are actually very good at Cosmic Smashbooking!

No, not at first. At first, you will feel all weird about it and try way too hard to make things perfect. Then you’ll get all mad because it doesn’t “look right” or “you don’t even know what you’re doing.”

But after a little bit of huffy-puffy resistance …

… something amazing will happen.

Words will start popping into your head and you’ll write them down. And in a few minutes–boom!–you just wrote a journal entry.

Then you’ll pick out few paint colors that you like and you’ll start swirling them around right on top of the words you just wrote and–boom!–you just painted a page. (And you’ll remember how much fun it is to paint.)

What is Cosmic Smashbooking if you can’t even paint a picture on the page? Hmmmfff, you knew this was a dumb thing to try!

Take a deep breath. You don’t have to paint a picture. Grab a magazine. Flip through it and simply cut out pictures that look appealing to you. That’s all. Just say “ooh!” I like that one and cut it out. You can do that.

You can also glue the pictures you cut out onto the page and–boom!–you just created a collage. Now add some sparkles. Look! Now you are a mixed-media artist! And an Official (and Awesome) Cosmic Smashbooker!

Then maybe, just maybe, you will actually like doing this and you will want to do it again. The next thing you know, you have filled up that entire notebook and transformed into a sparkly and colorful celebration of you.

Your thoughts, your intentions, your imperfect art-making.

And maybe a few goofy plastic googly eyes.

Hey there, Very Busy Adult With Very Important Things To Do! Are you curious about Cosmic Smashbooking and want to give it a try? Grab a notebook and your favorite art supplies and check out my free video: How To Make A Cosmic Smashbook