Beyond Pen & Paper: 33 Experiments in Journaling

By Sara Marchessault

What if you could get the benefits of keeping a journal by stretching the definition of journal writing beyond what we're used to? As a lifelong journalist, coach, and teacher of journal writing, I've heard from many people that they love the idea of what they can get out of keeping a journal, but they struggle with a regular practice of

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joyful by Design
• Release date: Oct 20, 2016
• ISBN: 9780997659016

Book preview

Introduction

Have you ever come across books about journal writing? They are usually about the results you can get from keeping a journal. Or they are a series of prompts and writing ideas.

This book is different. This book is about the many ways you can keep a journal or create a journaling experience. A journal that lets you call the shots for how you want to keep it. A book full of bodacious, creativity-boosting ideas to support you getting into a journaling format that meets your needs and appeals to your sensibilities.

Beyond Pen & Paper is about helping you to find a way to journal that stretches the boundaries of journaling conformity. Keeping a journal doesn’t have to be limited to pen, paper, and words.

Beyond Pen & Paper is organized into 33 chapters, each introducing and explaining a journaling approach. Within each chapter, you’ll find the description of an approach, who might benefit from the method, an explanation of how the technique works, and suggested materials or supplies that might be needed. Each chapter also contains a list of tips for making the most of the journaling method.

Throughout the book you’ll come across asterisks (*). They are there to let you know additional resources may be found on the Beyond Pen & Paper web page - click here to visit it.

Ideally, your journal is the place where you can express your whole self without limits. Find or create the journaling method that accomplishes what you want and need most, and make that method work for you.

The experiments in journaling in this book offer you 33 ways to play around with journaling. 33 ways to record the events in your life. 33 ways to process your thoughts and emotions. And 33 ways to seek answers and guidance.

If you get stuck along the way, you can always dip back into this book to experiment more and keep your approach fresh for a lifetime of happy journaling.

Journaling Your Way: An Invitation

There are lots of reasons to journal. They may include:

Keeping records of life events

Using your journal to capture your big ideas

Journaling to process thoughts and emotions

Detailing the specifics of time, place, people, and special occasions

Recording how or why you make the decisions you make

Unleashing your imagination

Keeping a log with an intentional focus, your first year in your first job, baby’s first year, the year you turn 40, etc.

Organizing your thoughts to determine goals and next steps

Reconnecting with your purpose to increase productivity

Seeking guidance or answers

Sincere love of words

You can use a traditional pen and paper journal for all of these types of journaling, but what if pen and paper don’t make you feel excited about journaling? What if the idea of writing with pen and paper day after day after day doesn’t feel inviting? What if it feels more like a creativity crusher?

Each creativity-boosting chapter of Beyond Pen & Paper does not require you to have read any other chapters. Turn to the topics you’re interested in and read about how that particular journaling method works.

Choose one to start with. Choose two or more and mash methods together. Combine them with pen and paper journaling if you want, but don’t feel like you have to.

This is not your mother’s or your father’s journaling method. And it certainly is not like any of the methods they used in the last century. This is about finding your unique journaling method.

So consider this book your invitation to your journal, your way. Your journal is for you. You can create your own process today. If it is no longer working for you next month, then come up with another one.

When it comes to journaling, there are no rules. There is only you, your thoughts and imaginings and a selection of journaling tools you can use singly or together.

Journaling is unique, just like you. And when you stretch the limits of journaling conformity, the way you journal is not likely to look like the way anyone else journals. So pave your own way and enjoy the journey. I hope these tools will take you where you want to go.

Chapter 1: Art Journaling

Who benefits from art journaling and why?

Art journaling is not a new idea. Recently it has gained in popularity and become much more mainstream. An art journal is typically still a bound book, like a traditional journal, but instead of filling the pages with writing, the journaler fills the pages with color, images, and possibly words too, but not always.

This process appeals to journalers who want to incorporate a visual or artistic element into their process. It can also be a great way to deepen your journaling experience. Enhancing the pages and then writing on them later gives the journaler a chance to express herself through several different mediums. By spicing up the pages, you get more excited to write.

Seasoned journalers may use art journaling to rejuvenate their practice. Adding paint to a page, decoupage, or even gluing down tissue paper can shift you back into journaling mode. This creates an experience of journaling on a more inviting background for those who enjoy something other than white paper.

But art journaling isn’t just for traditional journalers looking for a spring in their pen. The techniques of incorporating color, texture, and images onto the page can be as effective a way to tell a story or capture a feeling as words.

Finally, art journaling can take the form of book making. This is when the journaler creates a cover, preps pages, and binds the book herself. Building your own journal from scratch, which some refer to as art journaling, is a lengthy process. This is great for journalers who both crave a creative outlet and who enjoy the enhanced sense of ownership and self-expression that comes with journaling from the ground up.

What do you need for art journaling?

Some art journals start with a foundation of colored paper and add stickers or textured paper. Others use paint to add color to white paper. Some art journalers save every scrap of paper for potential use. Envelopes from junk mail, invitations to parties, and Christmas and holiday cards can be kept and reused in a moment of inspiration. Decoupage supplies can be purchased at craft stores and used to create pages in an art journal.

You always have the option to buy a journal created with handmade pages and covers and use it as your art journal. You can add words, colors, images, etc. as you move through the journal.

One artist I know visits used bookstores and buys old books to cut up and use in her art journals. Another technique I’ve seen is covering pre-cut pieces of poster or cardboard with fabric and making your own book out of fabric covered pages.

The sky is the limit. On my website, I list links to art journaling supplies and tutorials on different techniques including bookmaking.* A few basic supplies to get you started include:

A blank book as your foundation or the supplies to make your own book – if using paint it’s nice to be able to separate the pages so they can dry. If you can’t remove the pages, you’ll need to prop them open as they dry. Paperweights would work.

Adhesive for adding accouterments to your pages

Paint to bring an element of color

Photos printed on regular paper to create a softer or weathered look that you don’t get with glossy prints

Fun writing utensils such as markers, paintbrushes, glitter, glue sticks, etc.

Art journaling takes time and space. Perhaps you have a space in your home you already use for crafting. If not, decide how many supplies you want to store and plan time to work on your art journal.

This form of journaling is not the best choice for journaling on-the-go.  However, some elements can be made more portable. For example, you can write on a piece of paper on your lunch break and add the text to your journal when you get home.

You can also save images and words you come across during your day and add them to your journal later. Keep an envelope