why be neat?

I think the most important thing for me is to UNLEARN the grinding neatness that was instilled in me over the years - this neatness comes from the editor, the person who is scared what the work will look like.
If you are trying to spill, to connect to the inner sub-conscious part of you - the part that is all awareness and stillness, then this editor person can really derail the process for you.
I have found that working in my journal is not at all about neatness or perfection or even making images I plan in advance.
It is much more about discovery.
I try to just randomly put things together with no clue or reason why.
Accessing the real inner you, the authentic you - this is what you are trying for in your journal.
It's really NOT about making pretty pictures.
So - I make it my job to consider that if the pages are messy or weird - JOB WELL DONE.
I try to be pleased with experimentation and mistakes.
This leads much more closely to the mystery that is the inner me - the real me, the me I am looking for in these pages.
So - make a mess, be fearless, don't plan or expect anything . . . .
Just grab some images - your own drawings or images that are cut or torn from somewhere else - both is really great - and plop them all together on a page and add some words and color.
Just see what happens, and don't even think about the WHY of the things you are working with.
You might be amazed at the results, you might find out something you didn't know before. I am always amazed at how the subconscious level finds a way to get it's mind known, if I only let it!