Photos by Pauline Bactad
Every page is a fantasy. Every inkdrop spells magic. Every stroke of her brush, a vivid illustration of her imagination. Every detail, a sweet recollection of a wonderful memory.
Flipping through the pages of Pauline Bactad’s journal, we definitely get a buzz from the paintings, sketches, calligraphy, doodles, and collages in it. Absolutely a talent to covet but her efforts to inspire other people to love, appreciate and practice art and writing are equally astounding. She shares photos of her journals on Facebook, and drops an inspiration or two to get you back to maintaining your own.
I see sunflowers and we are loving this page!
An incoming senior of a Fine Arts major in Advertising at the University of Santo Tomas, Pauline dubs herself as Van Gogh’s daughter. She accomplishes her journal entries down to a fine art as if there’s no room for error, only pure art and beauty in every page – as if paying tribute to the painter Van Gogh himself.
Spot the adorable Van Gogh. Pauline enlivens the artist’s portrait.
Pauline’s journal is a testimony of her talent of transforming a dull moment into something colorful, vibrant, and meaningful. She has been keeping a journal since high school. However, she felt that there’s no time like the present, so she recorded her most memorable events, especially when she entered college, and applied her artistic skills onto them. Yep, art is long and life is short.
Bus tickets, stickers, and everything else in-between are used to make a collage.
“What is life without watercolor and brushes?” – perhaps a tagline befitting Pauline’s love for her art materials for she never leaves the house without them. Her trusty journal from Victoria holds all of her creations and when the right mood sets in, she fills a page. Never mind the backlogs; but writing, painting, sketching, and doodling on her journal helped her in so many ways, even if it’s not done on a daily basis. In my case, “journaling” is my way of shutting out negativity. I have a page called “brain dump” or “brain vomit” in my journal and I put literally anything on it anytime when I want to. See, “journaling” has no limits and best of all, it’s yours for keeps.
At this day and age, when everybody else is hooked onto their phones and laptops, typing away, connecting to the world at their fingertips, try to reunite with your long-forgotten journal. Jot down thoughts, write down daily missives to yourself, pen some resolutions and inspirations, sketch or doodle images, splash it with color, and you’ll find yourself building a treasure trove of memories of your own. Your journal immortalizes your being; and with all the inkblots, smudges, and soaked paper, it’s a beautiful mess to behold.
The artist’s essentials.
She dedicates a workshop during summer for kids ages 8 to 10 years old. Without a question, she aids in the discovery of the children’s artistic skills, and she starts them young!
Thank you for the inspiration, Pauline!
Thank you, Pauline, for helping us double our efforts in maintaining our journal. We journal junkies are eternally grateful, and we hope others can do the same – for the love of art and writing.
Do you have a journal? Is it a bullet journal or a smashbook? Share your art with us!
