Sera Bourne is an art journaler living in Alaska. She loves to get messy with her art supplies and make people laugh. Her ultimate goal is to rule the world and have ALL the dogs!

Sera answered her questions through video!

Hi my name is Serafine Bourne or @journal.vixsin on Instagram. I go by Sera – it’s a lot easier to say and to remember. I got started in art journaling because I needed to deal with the grief of the loss of my dog. It was the first dog I ever lost unexpectedly, and I didn’t know how to cope. So I started to art journal, and I found my niche.

HOW DO YOU LIVE A CREATIVE LIFE?

I live a creative life because I need an outlet to get rid of the anxiety or depression or just to keep my fingers busy and my mind busy. I try and do it every single day. I have a shoulder issue – nerve damage done from my first open heart surgery. So that kinda gets in the way because I’m right-handed, so I’m constantly turning pages. But I try to do something every day, whether it be on my ipad or some doodles at work in my notebook while there’s a meeting going on.

DO YOU PUT YOUR LIFE INTO YOUR ART JOURNAL? OR IS IT FOCUSED ON TECHNIQUE?

What I put in my journal is a lot to do with how I’m feeling that day. Then I try to take a positive spin. So let’s say I had a really frustrating day – nothing was going right for me at work, I didn’t feel like I was being productive, not getting anything done, or everything is just too stressful. So I take that and look through Pinterest or Instagram for quotes such as “You are productive,” “You are able to do things,” “You can do it” – that kind of stuff. Then I’ll build my spread around that.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST BARRIER TO CREATING?

The biggest hurdle I have is dealing with expectations. I don’t know how to deal with that yet, so I feel like I let people down if I don’t post something or if I don’t get as many likes. I don’t know why that is important to me besides trying to be a part of the community.

HOW DO YOU GET OVER THAT HURDLE?

I just have to remember I’m doing this for myself. That could be the hardest part for me – putting my feelings and my art out there for people, and [feeling like] they’re judging me. I just gotta remember to chill and that it’s for me.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST LESSON WHEN IT COMES TO CREATING ART?

The biggest lesson that comes from creating art is that there’s no expectation. When you start a page and you have something in mind, whether it be the colors you want to use or some kind of drawing you want to use, and the next thing you know it’s a completely different drawing and a completely different color palette.

It’s amazing what gesso and collage elements can do to help you get over that hurdle and to create.

For instance, the spread I have in front of me basically started as pink and teal with some molding using crackle-paste flowers here and there on one page. Then on the other page, I was going to do some kind of forest scene or something that didn’t turn out to be this. So the page is now covered with a whole bunch of crackle-paste. I went and spread the whole thing and then laid down some iridescent gesso-like medium. Then I had drawn this girl a while ago when I was practicing facial expressions. She captured my thought like, “Dang it!” You start out with something new and the next thing you know, you have something completely different. I love that about art. I love that there’s no expectation going in and the next thing you know, you have something you can be proud of. I hope that makes people proud.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ART JOURNAL PAGE YOU’VE EVER MADE? WHY IS IT YOUR FAVOURITE?

I get asked a lot what my favorite art journal page is, and it’s kind of weird for me to choose because the ones that I like, nobody else does. It’s very strange, and I’m trying to understand that. When I don’t have my journals here, I give my journals to my mother to hold onto. She’s my biggest fan, and she holds onto them and treasures them more than I could sitting on a shelf here. I think one of the favorite spreads I have is that girl, just her face, and she’s surrounded by a galaxy. That’s probably one of my favorites ones, and I put her face in the middle of my page, so it wasn’t perfect. It just turned out the way I wanted.

HAVE YOU EVER ACTIVELY DISLIKED A PAGE YOU’VE MADE? WHAT DID YOU DO WITH IT?

Have I ever really disliked a page? Heck yea! (I’d say a bad word there, but I won’t). A LOT! I have a journal where I wanted to try and explore different colors – yellows, greens, and that’s just not in my color palette. But I wanted to try, so I did and I just couldn’t cover the page. I look back at it and go, “Just remember, you can’t use those colors again. Just don’t do it! Just don’t do it, Sera. You’ll be better off. Everybody else will be better off too. Trust me” But I let it sit, and I’ll look back at it because I gotta remind myself from time to time, when life gets in the way and I go, “Did I try those colors?” Yea, I did. Hated it. BLEGH! 

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN THROUGH ARTIST BLOCK? WHAT DID YOU DO TO OVERCOME IT?

Artist blocks are something I deal with a lot. I think it’s because of what I mentioned before about the shoulder pain or expectations, and I’ve gone 2 or 3 days without creating. I feel so guilty about it. I feel some art journal ghost is gonna come haunt me or something. So I have to create, or it’ll be poking me that I need to. To get over that, I watch YouTube videos of my favorite artists. Then I discover more. I just love to watch them, so it’s on my TV when I get home. Constantly, recommendations are playing, and I’m discovering more and more artists and their amazing work. I’m finding that it brings out what I want to do for a new page or go back to, something that I need to get done.  

WHAT’S THE BEST ART ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?

The best art advice that I’ve ever received is probably to just let go. A lot of artists will say this in their YouTube videos – go with an intuitive approach. Just let it go. It’s art. If it’s beautiful to you, that’s all that matters. So do it for yourself and love it! Because you’re amazing and your art is amazing. 

WHAT DOES COMMUNITY DO FOR YOUR CREATING?

I belong to the Get Messy community, which is an AMAZING community! I discovered it on accident, and it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.

BEST. THING.

I started out with a season pass then bought a yearly membership and then ended up going gold because I want to be part of this community forever. They are so supportive. I have learned so much. I have friends all over the world now. We keep in contact, and we do collaborations. You guys just get me. The community just gets me. The Instagram art community gets me. It’s because we’re all THERE, and we’re all doing the same thing pretty much. 

WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO CELEBRATE IN THE GET MESSY COMMUNITY?

If I were to celebrate any artist in the Get Messy community, first and foremost, it would be Caylee and Lauren for starting this community. You guys are amazing, and I thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart, for founding this amazing community. I say “amazing” a lot because it encompasses what I feel. So, thank you, and thank you to all of the amazing artists who have taught me, supported me, who continue to support me on this journey called life and art. Thank you! *MUAH*

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