Art journaling is a long-term recognized practice within creative therapy approaches. It’s used to reduce stress and encourage creativity but it can also be a helpful way for you to work through problems. The main focus of art journaling is the process of self-expression so you don’t have to be an artist to art journal and there’s no pressure of having to deliver a perfect end result. There aren’t any boundaries or rules you need to follow either so literally anyone can do it – even if you can barely draw a stick figure.
I came across this form of journaling when I was going through a very stressful period in my life and I immediately loved the idea of having a visual diary where I could creatively express my ideas, thoughts, feelings and emotions with images, colors and words. Over the years my art journals have become a valuable form of therapy and selfcare: I’ve used them for self-expression and as a joyful play area but I’ve also art journaled through grief, health struggles and other life challenges.
What is an art journal?
An art journal is a tool and space to develop a creative practice and to freely express yourself through any type of art form you enjoy. You can write, draw, sketch, paint, scribble, doodle, collage, photograph, rip, tear, stamp, glue, sew, print and create in any way you want and you can experiment with materials, techniques, styles and mediums as much as you want.
No rules
Art journaling is a visual diary: it’s a place to record your thoughts, memories and emotions through words, arts and images. As there are no hard and fast rules to maintaining this form of a journal, you have all the freedom to use your reservoir of creative energy. This means you can express your emotions in the manner you deem fit:
Art journal materials often include paint, pens, paper ephemera, mark-making, printed text, written words, found papers, painted papers and images on paper but you can also use maps, magazine cutouts, pages of old books, photographs, ticket stubs, postcards, clothing tags, stickers, subway tickets etc.
You can art journal on loose paper, on cardboard or in a bound journal, a composition notebook, an altered book, a bullet journal, a diary or a sketchbook.
The pages of an art journal are about playing and exploring. You don’t need to have a particular structure or composition or a focal point or theme – but of course you can if you wish.
An art journal can span a specific time period such as a 365 day project or a monthly writing diary or it can continue across many years until it is filled or let go.
You can work page by page or approach the journal as a whole while working on different pages without considering the order.
There isn’t a specific time or moment to art journal: you can art journal when you have a lot on your mind, when you’re feeling scared, nervous, upset, sad or angry about something, when you want to talk to someone else and have something to say to them, when you’re excited about life or when you need someone to talk to.
The benefits of art journaling
An art journal is an invitation to discover, rediscover, reboot and/or rekindle the joy of creating just for the sake of creating. It’s a dedicated space for playful explorations and experiments and something that will fuel your creativity. But an art journal is so much more than a testing ground for artistic techniques or a place to gather quotations: it can also be a calming space, a companion, a playground for self-expression and a way to document and remember details of daily life.
And here are some more benefits of art journaling:
Art journaling acts as a form of selfcare: during the process of art journaling you take yourself on a journey of self-discovery that helps you get rid of the emotional roadblocks on your path and improves your communication with yourself. When you indulge in the habit of art journaling, you’re taking a step towards letting go of all the negative feelings stored inside you.
Art journaling provides you with an unfiltered outlet for your thoughts, emotions and ideas. It’s a safe space to unleash your creativity and to get into the flow without any judgement or constraints. And remember: your journal is your private book and you don’t have to share it with anyone if you don’t want to.
Through colors, lines, shapes and words you can communicate feelings that might be too complex for words alone. This act of translating your inner world onto paper can be incredibly liberating but it also helps you gain clarity and insight into your thoughts and emotions: when you express your feelings with colors, texture, images and words, you get a better understanding of your emotions. You can make out which thoughts are troublesome and which make you happy. This helps you uncover aspects of your life that you may not have noticed before.
Life can be hectic and overwhelming at times and all this stress has a huge impact on your health so it’s important to take your mind off things from time to time – and that’s exactly where an art journal comes in handy: when you’re focused on creating art, you stop ruminating about the problems in your life. And when you do this on a regular basis it can even help you to find solutions to the issues that are bothering you.
Art journaling encourages mindfulness: the rhythmic motion of sketching, painting or collaging can help you shift your focus away from worries and stress and as you immerse yourself in the process of making, you’re in the present moment while cultivating a state of mindfulness that eases anxiety and promotes relaxation.
How to start an art journal
Art journaling doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. My own collection of art journaling supplies and materials takes up quite a bit of space but the following basic art journaling supplies are more than enough to start with:
An unlined art journal (an A5 size is perfect for beginners as the smaller pages are easier to fill but of course you can go for a smaller or bigger journal if you want to – or use a variety of different sizes depending on what you’re using them for)
Acrylic and/or watercolor paint and a few brushes in different sizes
A permanent pen (black)
A few pencils, crayons and markers
Scissors and a glue stick
Staring at a blank page can feel quite intimidating so I suggest that you start with making a background on your page such as painting the entire page in one or several colors or splashing some paint on it. You can also glue another piece of paper (like a map or a page of an old book) in your journal to create a background.
Once you have a background, you have a great base to layer images and/or text. For instance, you can draw a mandala or you can track the shape of your hand and fill it with words and phrases about the things that are weighing on your heart or what you would like to let go. You can also fill in your hand with magazine cutouts, images or drawings that speak to you or say something about your mood or your dreams and desires. Quotes or song lyrics are also a great way to express what you’re feeling and that makes them perfect to use in an art journal. You can use a black or colored pen to simply write the quote or song lyric down but you can also use a specific handlettering alphabet or stamps and an inkpad. Another fun way to express how you’re feeling (or how you want to feel) is looking up the definition of that specific feeling, writing it on the page and decorate around it. You could even dedicate a whole journal to feelings and do one page per feeling. That way you have a dictionary of your own feelings.
Have you tried art journaling?
©HolisticHappiness2024
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