Journaling Your Way to Creativity

 Creativity isn't something that comes naturally for all people.  Some have to work diligently to find and maintain that creative spark.  There are many different ways to do this, but my favorite is journaling.  No, not keeping a Bullet Journal (although you can keep your journaling entries in your BuJo).  Journaling is the act of writing or drawing in a designated space in free form or following prompts.  You can journal about your life, ideas, art, literature, travel, cooking, or anything your heart desires.  If used properly, journaling can give you immense insight into yourself and the world in which you live.

In the vast world of journaling, there are few rules, if any.  However, I would like to make some suggestions from my own experience that may help you in your journaling adventure.

1.  Have a designated journal that you use for each different topic.  Right now, besides my Bullet Journal, I have a daily journal for addressing prompts found on the Facebook group page called The Stationery Nerd Herd.  The Stationery Nerd Herd is a group dedicated to the love of stationery in all forms (including journals!!!).  I also have a dedicated art journal, and a Harry Potter Moleskine journal for compiling my chapter reflections of the Harry Potter series of novel aligned with the podcast called Harry Potter and the Sacred Text.  Four journals at once may seem like a lot to some people, but it helps me to stay organized in my thought process.

2.  Designate a specific time and place to journal.  This may seem like a no-brainer, but just like with schoolwork, we function at our highest when there is order in our world.  You may choose to write daily, weekly, or when you finish the end of a chapter in a book (like I do with my HPST journal).  By setting a specific time for the creative writing process, you validate the act itself.  Schedule time in your planner or BuJo for this important task just like you would for a haircut or a spa day.  This should be dedicated "you" time.

3.  Start the journaling process with a given prompt.  I have included this because it is hard looking at a blank page with no idea what to write.  You can easily "Google" journal prompts from art to self-care and everything in-between.  Just pick one and start writing.  I have enjoyed being a member of The Stationery Nerd Herd, because the group owner has provided members with almost a year full of journaling prompts in at least 8 different categories.  Pam Tremble, the group owner, has recently published a book called 30 Days of Journaling: An Introduction to Daily Journaling.  If you do not know where to start journaling, start here.

4.  Buy a journal and pen/pencil that you love to use.  No one wants to write in a wide ruled composition book with a Ticonderoga pencil.  If you are going to journal, use one that will excite you every time you open it.  There are TONS of journals out there, and the search for the right one that suits your needs can be daunting.  While I prefer black, hard-bound, dot-ruled or blank journals, not many do.  Lucky for us, Pam Tremble has unraveled the mystery of the best journals in 2020 which you can find here.  My suggestion is to find a cheap colorful journal to begin the process, and graduate to a new journal after filling the first as a reward.  Pens are a whole other story.  Choose a pen that feels good in your hand, has a color of ink you like, and will not bleed through paper.  Ballpoints and gel pens are fine for this activity.  My favorite pen is a Dr. Grip Gel Pen by Pilot which promoted by the Arthritis Foundation for ease-of-use.  They are more expensive than other similar pens; however, you can buy ink refills and reuse the barrel.  I keep a ballpoint and a gel pen in my purse which I have had for over 10 years.

For those of you that want to keep your daily journaling in your bullet journal, or just need a place to start for now, I have created a Minimalist Journal Entry BuJo Page that you may download for free here.  It fits a Statement sized sheet of paper as well as an A5.

 

I hope that you learn to enjoy the journaling process as much as I do.  Feel free to leave comments with your favorite journals, pens, or prompts.  Happy journaling!

~ Melissa

Maximizing the Minimalist

For those of you who do not know me, I am a minimalist at heart.  It took me years to become that way, and if you looked in my closet, my office, or my art nook, you would think differently.   I believe that I became a minimalist shortly after my house burned down in Hurricane Katrina in 2005.  It took an act of G-d to make me realize that my attachment to stuff was just that...stuff.  I didn't lose my memories, my knowledge, my beliefs, or any of my core values.  Everything else is replaceable.   Now, I am not going to tell you to read a book by Marie Kondo or start selling all of your earthly possessions on ThredUp.  I will ask you to evaluate what is important to you enough to spend your time, energy, and emotional investment.

I really did not see myself as a minimalist until I started keeping a Bullet Journal.  While there are many fabulous spreads on Pinterest and Instagram that will make you drool, I stick to a simple template without extraneous detail.  So, for my new BuJo journey, I decided to maximize my minimalism.  Just because you do not NEED to have a full detailed agenda, doesn't mean that you don't WANT one.  One way for me to maximize my time, paper, and sanity is to have all of my information that I need for the week in one place. 

After asking myself what I would like to know each week, what are my goals, what MUST I accomplish, and what I would like to track, I created a fabulously busy minimalistic weekly template for next year (or any year for that matter).  It includes Daily Appointments, a Habit Tracker, a Meal list, a To Do list, Notes, Weather Tracker, Random Act of Kindness, a Gratitude Log, a Grocery List, an Expense tracker, and Image of the Week, a Quote of the Week, and a Work Log.  The great thing about it is that everything fits on 2 pages of an A5 journal.  I have left the log black and white to suit the needs of everyone.  I have not yet decided if I will use color this year to code my appointments, so this leaves me the option to decide later.

For a free copy of my Maximized Minimalist Weekly Bullet Journal Template please click here

After developing my weekly template, I looked at past journals and agendae to see which portions of my monthly spread I actually used.  Where my week is packed with goodies, my monthly spread was merely a glance at the month ahead.  Adapting a monthly BuJo template was quite easy compared to the weekly.  

For a free copy of my monthly Bullet Journal spread, please click here.

I think that Minimalism is a state of being.  Once you know what you have to have to get along, then you can add extras here or there...whether it be a new scarf, a new pack of Mildliners, or an extra column in your Bullet Journal.  There is no rule stating that a Minimalist cannot maximize her time, effort, creativity, or even stuff.  I encourage each of you to employ a practice of minimalistic thinking to one area of your creative life.  Does your ATC need 3 different stickers?  Do you have to have a new set of Gelly Roll pens to start the year?  Will your world collapse if your office doesn't have the right pattern of wallpaper?

This can be a hard concept to grasp for some people.  However, when you let go of the need to have stuff, you make more room to maximize the things you love.

~Melissa