What is Art Journaling?

Art journaling is a freeing experience! I’d have to say that my favorite thing about it is that there are no rules. You can write, sketch, paint, or doodle. You can glue yarn, swirl paint, blend oil pastels, or make patterns. You can write out inspiring quotes that resonate with you or scribble out your frustrations. You can self-express what-ever you feel called to on any given day, and you aren’t attached to having a huge project. The next day, you can start fresh or build off what inspired you the day before. Since there are no rules, you can do anything that you’d like to do with it. An art journal is a special place to keep your creative self-expressions, and many times, to work through some of your thoughts and feelings. It can be a place to put pictures to your ideas, give your thoughts visual form, and express your feelings. It’s a creative practice that can help you get more into the flow of the right-side of your brain.

What are the Benefits of Art Journaling?

• Having fun experimenting with different media and various techniques.
• Gaining insight into the ways that you feel personally drawn to create.
• Building your self-expression “muscles” through practice. Unlearning and becoming child-like is a process. Remember, there are NO RULES for art journaling!
• Feeling more playful with your art and allowing yourself to spontaneously create.
• Seeing how your art evolves over time and the unique story your art tells.
• Building self-awareness through reflection.

Art Journaling Materials

To start off, what types of materials do you need to start an art journaling practice? Really, that is totally up to you. Using any media that you feel inspired to create with and have on hand will work great, or you can purchase a few simple materials to get you started. Here’s a list that may inspire you in putting together an art journaling station.

• A sketchbook or other journal. You could also make one if you’d like. Check out Crafty Chica’s great round-up of 12 Ways to Make an Art Journal!
• Sketch pencils (graphite and/or colored)
• Oil pastels or chalk
• Glue
• Dried flowers, plants, or leaves
• Fabric, ribbon, or yarn
• Watercolor or other paint
• Collage materials
• Various colors of glitter or glitter glue
• Anything else that you feel inspired to create with

Finding a Place or Time to Journal and Creating Routine

Everyone gets inspired to create in their own way. Creating an atmosphere that encourages and supports the flow of your creative energy can really be helpful. Where do you feel the most creative? Is it a certain room in your house, looking out a specific window, or sitting on your front porch? Do you prefer to journal outside or in? Are there certain items you like to surround yourself with? I like to create my space. I like to feel INSPIRED. Putting out inspiring objects such as rocks or gemstones, feathers, and other special items that speak to me is sometimes my style. Other times, I create freely in a chaotic whirlwind that sometimes goes with the life of being a mother. In the summer time, I find a tree to lean up next to, a log to sit on, or kick back in my hammock. Do what inspires your creative self in the moment. Find your space and CREATE.

Getting into a routine, though, isn’t always easy. Life gets busy and nourishing your individual self-expression in art form sometimes gets pushed aside even though it’s one of the things that you most wish to do. At least that’s how it is for me. Finding time throughout my busy day as a mom is definitely the hardest. So, how can you develop a practice where you are more apt to continue journaling despite the many demands during a day? That’s really unique to each person. Experiment and find out what works for you. Some people like to art journal as a reflection to their day, others find that other specific times work best for them, and others spontaneously incorporate it on the fly. Try different approaches to find out what works best for you.

I’m finding it really helpful to have my art journal “kit” accessible throughout the day and taking it places as I feel called to. The more I pull it out throughout the day, even if for 10 minutes at a time, the more I feel inspired to create freely. Ideally, in an art journaling routine, I would like to journal daily and have a serene place to do so. For me, this is not always realistic. I’m starting to realize that following my bliss with art journaling can happen in the middle of whatever life is at any given moment. It helps me to express myself more authentically in the moment. It helps me to live. It helps me to be who I am and be OK with all of those moments that are far from being serene.

Ideas for Art Journaling

If you’re having a hard time getting yourself going, that’s OK. Do something. Scribble. Perhaps the scribbles will become something or you’ll feel called to switch to paint. Play with fun materials and get inspired to more fully express yourself. The biggest thing of all is to have fun with art journaling! Here are some fun art journaling prompts to get your creative juices flowing.

1. Write out a quote that resonates with you and have fun getting creative on your page.
2. Doodle out various thoughts that come to your mind. Let these come out in scribbles, patterns, sketches, or any way that submerges.
3. Play with watercolors flowing from one color to another expressing your feelings of the day.
4. Have fun snipping out pictures that speak to you from your favorite, old magazine or use photos to do a collage in your journal.
5. Glue special notes you’ve been given into your journal and spontaneously express your response to the messages.
6. Spend time outside and journal your reflections on something that caught your eye. Remember to use art and writing as you so feel called.
7. Spend time singing or listening to your favorite song, and then, spend time with your art journal expressing yourself using any medium that you feel drawn towards.
8. Draw or paint a form or image of your favorite animal and write out some of your animal’s characteristics.
9. Collect natural found objects that you feel drawn towards and journal about your connection to them.
10. Find natural items to paint with. You could use the tips of pine needles, pine cones, flowers, or grass.

Check out Nature Art Exploration’s affiliate Craftsy! They have an excellent class on art journaling, Expressive Pages: Journaling the Everyday, among many other art and gardening courses. What a fun way to get started with art journaling today! Your purchases made through clicking on the links to Craftsy will help support the ongoing upkeep of this site and the excellent resources compiled here. Nature Art Exploration receives a small percentage of the sales.

Thank you for your support and for joining in on the explorations with art journaling. Nature Art Exploration would love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Whether you’re totally new to the concept or have kept an art journal for a while, please join in on the comments below. It would be great to hear your experiences, insights, and ideas.