Stealing Jenifer Ross' Diary

Writing a journal or diary is inherently a private endeavor – reserved for one. 

So what does it mean when you decide to let some of those personal thoughts, poems and expressions out in the open? 

What you get is Jenifer Ross' Open Journal, an art exhibit now showing at Coffee Labs Roasters. 

The work chronicles Ross' life from 1980 to 2010, more specifically, it showcases her journal entries filled with all the trials, exploits and thoughts of a teenager, young adult, wife, parent and artist. 

"My effort in all of this is to not let it sit on the shelves anymore," she said. "It's time to let it have some air."

Ross considers herself a quiet artist, and she has the background to support that claim. She graduated as an art major from Skidmore in 1989 and received her masters degree in Savannah, Georgia. However, she said pursuing art as a career never interested her, especially after watching her father make a living by producing designs and illustrations for commercial and corporate purposes. 

She remembers one family outing to a restaurant that provided crayons and paper to patrons waiting for their meals. Ross' father refused to participate in the doodling, stating that the very act constituted "work".

"I decided then I would never look at a Crayola crayon and look at it as work," she said. 

Unlike her father, Ross' art took on a much more personal tone, which developed over time on the pages in her journals.

Her younger years are full of faces and expressions, symbolism and drawings that border on political statements. Pictures of ex-boyfriends still hold their places on the page, next to streams of consciousness and sketches of individuals and places that no longer hold firm meaning in Ross' mind. Her later work is more observant, her writing becoming more poetic. 

On these pages viewers not only see the evolution in her style and emphasis, but are treated to an outlook on life that is both unique and at the same time universal. 

"Everyone is human, we all have our own baggage and things we aren't going to share," she said. "But for the most part we're all going through the same ridiculous stages of life, we're all walking down the same road. Everyone just has their own version."

While people express their own version in numerous ways, Ross said a blank page holds a special place in her heart, but admits it is not for everybody. 

"In my mind the journal is a universal outlet," she said. "If someone could do it they probably would. Some people aren't trained as children and fear being judged, that stops a lot of people from writing."

The sheer volume of entries means that most of Ross' life is still safely preserved away from the public in her personal pages. Though many of her topics are quite heavy, she said that didn't factor in what she chose to display at Coffee Labs, instead what is shown (drawings, poems and reflections) has more to do with her current outlook on life. 

"I am not embarrassed by any of it," she said, referring to her work. "Some of it (displayed work) is universal truths that people will find comfort in. And you may not acknowledge it, but we're all kind of tethered to a similar pole."

While her work has been private for over 30 years, Ross finds comfort in being able to share some of those similar experiences and feelings with the community.

"Even though journaling is a solo exercise, I like the confirmation that you are not alone."

Open Journal will be on display at Coffee Labs Roasters until May 31, 2010. A cheese and wine reception is being held at Coffee Labs at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, May 7.