How I Journal Every Day

 

Have you ever had a creative block or trouble finishing something?

I have always been a really creative person since I was little. I tend to go through phases of making art and not making art. One day, while I was in college, I was feeling kind of bored with my life. I was going through one of those phases of not making art and hadn't really made a lot of artwork consistently in a few years. I had a thought that I should create art again.

Art journaling is a great method for creating art whether you are a new artist or want to try something new. I like art journaling because it allows you to experiment. You can try out different methods and materials to create and not worry about the outcome. It doesn't matter what you create, write or draw. If you don't like it, you can cover it up and start again. Nobody has to see it but you unless you want to share it. Here are some ways to journal consistently:

Get some supplies.

Sometimes, just having a few materials is enough to get you started. Find a few materials you think you would enjoy. Maybe investing in a nice handmade journal or fancy pen will motivate you to get started. Do what' works for you.

Set a routine for creating. 

If you want to create every day, set a time and place for you to journal. Maybe you have a studio or a space in your bedroom where you like to work. Set a certain time each day to go there and work on your journal. The morning is a great time to create. One method of journaling is to write morning pages where you free write three full pages each morning. Working in the afternoon or at night might work better for you if you find you have more creative energy later in the day.

Set a goal or join a challenge.

Setting goals can help you create the kind of art you want. Maybe you want to finish a journal or art journal day every day for a month. Maybe you will art journal with only one medium for a week, such as watercolor. I find community challenges like Art Journal Every Day can be helpful in motivating you and holding you accountable for your goal. I am doing a blogging challenge now from ProBlogger and I like that it gives me positive pressure to create new blog posts.

You can also try googling art journal ideas or creative writing prompts to use each day. I like to print out prompts, cut them out and put them in a jar. Pull out of the jar each day and use it to inspire for your entry.

Share your accomplishments.

You should celebrate if you finish a goal. Announce on social media what you accomplished. Post photos or scans of journal entries on Flickr or your blog. Show off your favorite journal entries.

How do you like to set and complete goals?

How to Choose a Planner

 

It is not too late to buy a planner in the year. I recently found a couple planners on sale at Paper Source and bought a few. You can also look in my shop, Move the Needle, for custom planners. You can also find planners dated from 2016-2017 so you can use it in to next year. These are some questions to ask yourself when choosing a planner.

What type of pages do you want?
Do you want daily, weekly or monthly views of the pages? Some planners have all three formats while others focus on only one format. Monthly is good if you want a general overview and more of a calendar style planner. These pages can also be good to plan blog posts. Weekly format is a good general format to use. It allows enough room to write notes and events for each day.  Use a daily format if you want to add more detail to each day or write a few schedule out.

What size do you want? 
Planners come in a variety of sizes. For example, you can find Moleskine planners in pocket, large and extra large sizes. When choosing a size, you want to make sure you have enough room to write things down, but it is small enough to be portable if you need to carry it around. Pocket size planners are good for carrying around in your purse and for jotting quick notes, but don't give you a lt of room to write detailed notes. Large size planners are good if you are not planning to carry your planner around and are keeping your planner at your desk. Extra large planners give you even more room to write or decorate your planner.

What style do you want?
There are many styles of planners out there. Choose a style that you love to look at. Do you want a handmade planner or non handmade? What color do you want your planner? Do you want a customized planner with your name or other details? Some other things you should consider are if you want a soft or hard cover planner and if you want the bookbinding to be bound or a ring/spiral binder.

What other features do you want? 
Think about what other features you want inside your planner. Do you want a place to write down notes? Do you need a place to keep addresses? Maybe you prefer pages with to do lists. Think about what features you need and which planners offer them.

How much do you want to pay?
You should also consider price. Trendy planners, such as the Erin Condren, are more expensive while you can find many planners at a cheaper price. If you are willing to pay more, you can also get a custom planner.

What type of planners do you like?

Paper Source Planner Review

Back to school time is a great time to start planning. I was shopping at Paper Source and saw a few planners on sale. I decided to pick a few up since they were half off.

 

 

 

 

This 18 month weekly calendar planner is dated from August 2015 - January 2017. It has a weekly layout with good space for writing notes or decorating. It also has monthly and yearly views in the front. I used it for keeping a schedule of events I was going to and keeping notes. The size is medium - not too large or too small. It is good for keeping at hot desk or carrying around. 

It has a pretty rose gold and black design. The side of the pages are gold when you close the planner. It uses an open coptic stitch binding that is painted black. The open stitch design is nice because the planner lies flat when you open it. It also has a strap, but no bookmark. 

This 17 month weekly planner is dated from August 2015 - December 2016. It uses a weekly layout with lined pages. I used it for keeping a daily to do list. The lined pages are good for writing, but may not be good for decorating.

This planner is soft cover. It has an elegant light gold color and design. It is a medium sized planner that can fit in your purse. I liked the design of this planner overall, but think it could use a bookmark or strap. The size is nice.

 

This paper planner is dated from August 2015 - December 2016. The layout uses a monthly view. I used it for planning blog posts. It is a small planner that can fit anywhere. 

The planner uses a cute tan, gold and black design. The pages are tan on the inside. The cover is paper and uses staples are a stitching. I liked the paper design, but this may rip or year more easily than hard or soft cover. 

Which planner do you like to use?

Five Minute Journal

The Five Minute Journal is a journal I heard about on a podcast. It has a page you fill out at the beginning and end of each day. It is supposed to make you happier.

At the beginning of the day, you write down 3 things you are grateful and 3 things that would make today great. You also write a daily affirmation starting with "I am...". At the end of the day, you write 3 good things that happened and how you could have made the day better. Here is a look at the inside:

I think the journal is an interesting idea. I think it would be interesting if I added some premade journals in to my shop. The Five Minute Journal kind of reminds me of the site Illuum which allows you to track your happiness each day. Would use the Five Minute Journal?

Extra Big Book of Abstract Patterns

This extra large art book contains 12 original watercolor paintings of abstract patterns. Each page is double sided with a painting on each side. It measures about 34 x 25 inches when closed. The front and back covers use brown book cloth. The book is stitched using the coptic stitch method with twine. The inside covers are painted with white paint and gesso. I made this book as part of a Book Arts class I took in college.

I used the dotting method for these purple and blue rectangles that sort of remind me of a garden arrangement.

This pattern uses purple, gray and blue colors. I made the pattern by experimenting with sponge patterns and dotting the paper to leave white space underneath.

These zig zag patterns remind me of a jigsaw puzzle. The left painting uses different colors. The right painting uses orange as it's color theme.

I made these circular patterns that remind me of the patterns water makes when you drop something in it. The left painting uses the colors blue and green while the right uses red, purple and yellow.

These two painting use an organic, linear sort of pattern with watercolor paint. The blue painting started off as one painting I was doing for another project, but ended up turning in to a whole big book of patterns.

These paintings use x shaped crosses to make different patterns. The pattern on the left uses tan and orange colors with purple. The painting on the right uses different shades of green. 

These two paintings use wavy patterns in different ways. The green painting on the left started off as one texture with light green and blue colors. I then went over it with these dark green waves outlined in black.

These brown and black swirls sort of remind me of bark in trees. If buying, please note there is a small tear in this painting as you can see in the first photo.

For pricing info and to purchase, see my Etsy listing here.