My Journaling Journey – The Beginning

I’m often asked these two questions:

What made me start journaling and how do I come up with my layouts?

Early on, I learned journaling was a great therapeutic tool. I was introduced to art therapy in grad school while interning as a marriage and family therapist. I worked with clients suffering from addiction and many of them had difficulties discussing their life stories.

Rather than just sitting and talking (which can be intimidating and uncomfortable) I’d give clients art journaling prompts, like draw each family member. It’s amazing to learn who the influential family members are, the roles within the family, and how the dynamics of the family work. Discussing the artwork allowed clients to drop their guard and start talking. I must admit, art therapy doesn’t work for everyone, but it does work.

I quickly identified with the benefits of art journaling and decided to embark on my own journaling journey. When I’m sitting at my desk and creating a layout, my entire thought process is focused on making the design; while simultaneously relieving the days stressors and giving me the chance to relax and decompress.

In 2018, I created 52 weekly journal layouts, 12 cover pages for each month, 4 covers for the seasons, and many other designs. Believe it or not, each one of those layouts tells a story about my life. Whether it’s a memory from my childhood or something motivating, there is actually a hidden story behind the design. With each of those 52 weekly layouts, I created a corresponding blog post often discussing what prompted the idea.

Speaking of hidden stories behind the design, take a look at my January 2019 cover page here. I did not write a blog on this but the page was entirely inspired by my future move to Michigan (read about that move here). Since I’d be starting the New Year in a new state, it was only fitting that my January cover reflect my vision of Michigan, cold, icy, snowy, cloudy, and tree filled (it’s the nation’s second largest grower of Christmas trees).

Anyway, here is my layout for the week, it has a story too. When we moved from SoCal to Texas and then to Michigan, I brought my succulents with me (they are well-traveled plants). It’s obviously too cold to put them outside and they are currently sitting in my kitchen under a plant light. I don’t think it’s enough for them to thrive and survive though. This floral layout serves as a reminder to research how I should care for my outdoor but currently indoor plants. Check it out.

Supplies

Step One

To start this layout I blocked out areas on the notebook that I did not want the stamped images on. I used washi tape to cover the edges of the book and I used leftover cardstock pieces to cover the sections where I’d write my schedule.

Step Two

Once covered, I grabbed my Floral Frenzy stamps by Ink Blot Shop, placed them on an acrylic block, and inked them with one of these three colors of Ranger Distress Inks, Peacock Feathers, Abandoned Coral, or Black Soot. Because I blocked various spaces on the layout, I could place the stamped image anywhere I wanted without it getting on areas I did not want it to be.

Step Three

After the layout was completely covered, I drew in the layered boxes with a ruler and a Tombow Black Drawing Pen. I even drew in a black border around the entire layout. It really makes the floral images stand apart from the weekday boxes.