Oh my gosh! FINALLY! The long awaited "How I Journal" blog post is here! Okay, maybe not long awaited, but this is actually one of the things I get the most questions about because I randomly started to mention in in 2020 and people were like, "Wait, what? You journal?" and for Christmas and my birthday friends and family got me "journaling supplies" as gifts—which awwwee š„°š„°—but it was definitely not something people "thought" I did. I have been promising for like a year now to explain my journaling process and all of the supplies I use so let's dive in!
First of all, I wanted to journal when I saw Katy Bellotte's post about junk journaling. It looked like so much fun and it's something I've done all my life. I'm not very big on just writing my days out every day, I could never stick with it and my hand would start to hurt. So I would make these at-home type of scrapbooks. I would cut out words from magazines, hold on to movie tickets and other things like that. So when I saw through Katy's videos that junk journaling was a thing I knew I wanted to try it out again. When it came to what type of journal to get I was leaning towards a basic moleskin blank page notebook when I saw Brooke Miccio's post about her journal from Anthropologie and just fell in love. I received that journal as a Christmas gift and I did my first journal entry for New Years Eve 2020.
My journal is the fringe-lined notebook from Anthropologie and unfortunately I dont think they sell it anymore, which I'm bummed about because it's perfect. The pages are so soft and not too white and blank! I watch tons of videos on junk journaling and was quickly indifferent about it because Katy and other journelers (is that a word) has such nice handwriting while I do not. But don't let this discourage you!! The whole point is that it's YOUR journal, it can look however you want it to look, and it will not look perfect. That's the point. Another reason I prefer junk journaling is because it's not an everyday thing. Sometimes I'll journal for a week straight then won't touch it for a month. It's all about "being in the mood" to journal. Sometimes I write about bad things and sometimes I write about good things. Sometimes I plan out meals and other times I create new habit trackers. This journaling process is for the creative people who need to sometimes just get things out of their mind and onto paper.
The process is different for everyone, but I'll walk you through my process. Whenever I had an idea to put into my journal my notes on my phone is my best friend. I will easily write things down, tidbits of how I feel and my mood tracker. The only thing I need to fill out every day is my mood tracker and habit tracker. So I'll write down a couple notes on how I felt that day or put what mood I'm in then go back at the end of the week and fill it all in. But besides that, until I am in the mood to journal, I simply just don't. Then I'll have this mood of wanting to do something creatively with my hands and I set up the scene. I prefer my coffee table in my living room and I'll sit on the floor, turn on my fireplace and pull out all of my supplies.
My supplies also may be different from yours. First I have my journal, then I pull out all of my pens. I have two different colored marker pen sets both from Amazon. I have a few other pens my boyfriend got me from Michael's some fancy ones and one that is Tiffany Blue colored! Then I have my fancy Tiffany & Co. pen that my boyfriend got me for Christmas. I use Sharpies too. I like to have options okay? In my box that I have dedicated to journaling I have a ton of scrap papers! Mostly from Michael's and then some scraps from other books. Speaking of books, I had some coffee table books that I was planning on selling, two Kate Spade ones and an Audrey Hepburn one. I tore these things up!! They're so colorful and have tons of variety so I keep them around and draw inspiration from them then cut them and use them in the journal š. I also have scissors, glue and double sided tape. I usually have a glue stick but I ran out so I just used regular glue. Then I have some ribbon and stickers. I love a good sticker and I got a ton from Shein recently (click here to read that blog post). I also have different washi tapes and love the look they give the pages. Lastly, I have my ink pads. I have a black and pink ink pad with a number and letter set and the months of the year set of stamps. Once I have all of my supplies laid out I get to work.
The next part is not something you can really explain. I just cut up a bunch of photos and scrap paper, and start to arrange the page how I want it. These pages can seriously include anything...a special event, when I'm feel stressed or anxious, habit tracker, meal planner, gratitude, inspirational quotes...whatever you want! That's the best part of all of this is your journal so it can be whatever you want it to be!
Do I ever make mistakes? YES! I told you guys that my handwriting is garbage and sometimes I just can be inspired or satisfied with a layout. That's okay, I try not to restart too often because then y you're just wasting paper, but for the most part I'm able to tweak it how I want. Because this is a thiccccc notebook, the ink smudges or things might start to tear, but again that's normal and I think gives the journal character.
I started this in 2020 and I'm almost done filling this one out now. I can't recommend journaling enough especially if you deal with anxiety. This has helped me so much being able to get the bad thoughts in my head on paper. It's helped with figuring out issues, inspire new ideas and even document amazing moments that has happened this past year. Obviously I can't show you everything, but I wanted to show a couple of my favorite spreads.
I hope this has inspired you to start your own journal or just a creative project in general! Let me know if you do.
xoxo, Michele
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