Art journaling is a type of journal or diary that incorporates visual elements such as collage, painting, drawing—anything you want! Art journaling can be purely visual but often incorporates writing as well. It’s a great way to get creative while also documenting your life, just like a written journal.
It’s a wonderful way to get in touch with your creativity—because it’s a private journal and not necessarily intended for public consumption, you can try all sorts of different things without the pressure. It can be intimidating to “Create An Art” and a journal is nice low-stakes way to practice techniques, see what you like or don’t like, and develop your artistic voice.
It’s also a great way to process events or emotions that may be difficult to articulate in writing alone. Sometimes just the act of putting down shapes and colors can be beneficial—it gets it out of you and onto paper.
For me, art journaling is often like a meditation on something in particular. I almost always start with the words: often I will think of something that amuses me in some way or just sounds good to me for some reason. I let it roll around in my head for a while and eventually I create something based around it. The pages are like snapshots of the moment that inspired them but I may also remember other things that got attached to the thought as I was rolling it around.
As you start art journaling, I’m sure you’ll find your own unique way to approach it!
Many people do choose to share their art journal pages and it has become somewhat of an art form in itself. Of course, that is totally optional.
How to Start
Just start! Truly, all you need is something that makes a mark and something to make a mark on (e.g., pen and paper). As you try different things you will discover your preferences and will start to pick up supplies specific to those media (types of paints, papers, etc). For MY favorite art journal supplies, click here to read My Top 10 Art Journaling Supplies.
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