WHAT IS AN ART JOURNAL AND WHY SHOULD YOU KEEP ONE FOR YOURSELF?

a fusion of art-making and words - but what is all the fuss about?

THERE IS MORE TO ART JOURNALING THAN MEETS THE EYE SO LET’S DIVE INTO WHAT ONE IS AND REASONS TO START ONE

WHAT IS AN ART JOURNAL / CREATIVE JOURNAL?

In its most simple form, a creative journal is a notebook that you fill with the bits of your life.

It could be drawings, collage, poetry, keepsakes, song lyrics, as well as being a private space to gather your thoughts, goals, worries, to-do lists and anything else that spills over the edges of life.

Most powerfully, creative journaling is about giving yourself permission to prioritise ‘me time’ and getting lost in the process of creating, while finding yourself there too.

Creative journaling can be an incredible tool for self-discovery and real healing (I cover this in more detail in the free class mentioned below)

The journal itself could be a sketchbook, a notebook, a repurposed old book, a scrapbook, a photo album, a handmade book or anything else you can think of.

A creative journal can have lots of words or no words, lots of imagery and art or very little imagery and art. You could use it to try out new techniques, to experiment with colour, or to collect beautiful ephemera.

For me personally, journaling is a place to 'just be me'. It is a safe place to brain-dump, heart-storm, get quiet, get messy, practice being present and I always find that my emotional battery becomes recharged in the process.

A journal is a place where you don't have to be anything other than exactly who you are in that exact moment. Isn't that an incredible thought?

Creative journaling is about the PROCESS not about the END RESULT.

Remember this: Art doesn't need to look pretty to heal.

It is not the words, the paint or the things we stick in the pages of our journals that make them powerful, it is the intention behind the creating. It is a deep desire to know yourself, to understand yourself better, to learn and grow from your creative discoveries.

LOOKING FOR MORE CREATIVE JOURNALING GOODNESS?

This blog post is a small excerpt from our free class How to Start Your Creative Journal - Mindfully. You can sign up for free, with instant access, right now, to try the mindful magic of creative journaling for yourself.