If you have seen our recent email about the Introduction to Art Journaling session at Wickwood Cottage on Saturday 21st June, you might have found yourself feeling curious… but also wondering:
What actually is art journaling?
Do I need to be good at art?
Will I have to share personal things?
What if I don’t know what to do?
So, I thought it might help to open the door a little wider and explain what art journaling is — and perhaps just as importantly, what it is not.
Because really, art journaling is not about being impressive.
It is about making space.
Space to pause.
Space to play.
Space to notice what is going on inside you.
Space to let your soul breathe a little.
A Very Old Human Habit
Although “art journaling” might sound like a modern phrase, the instinct behind it is anything but new.
Human beings have always made marks.
Long before notebooks, paint palettes, pretty papers and stamps, people were leaving their stories on cave walls. They used images, symbols, marks and patterns to say: we were here, this mattered, this is what we saw, this is what we felt.
Across time, people have kept visual records in all sorts of ways — sketchbooks, travel journals, nature diaries, illustrated letters, scrapbooks, prayer books, commonplace books and personal notebooks filled with fragments of life.
Some were beautiful.
Some were messy.
Some were private.
Some were practical.
Some were simply a place to gather thoughts, memories, observations and feelings.
So while the materials may have changed, the impulse has always been with us.
To make a mark.
To keep a memory.
To understand ourselves.
To turn a feeling into something we can see.
Art journaling belongs to that same old, human tradition.
It is not something reserved for “proper artists.”
It is not something you need permission to do.
It is simply another way of saying, this is where I am today.
So, What Is Art Journaling?
Art journaling is a creative way of using a journal, notebook, sketchbook or small book as a place to explore thoughts, feelings, ideas and inspiration through colour, words, images, texture and mark-making.
It might include paint.
It might include stamping.
It might include collage.
It might include scribbles, doodles, torn paper, quotes, colour washes, little drawings, stickers, leaves, scraps, or simply a word that means something to you.
Some pages may feel thoughtful.
Some may feel playful.
Some may feel peaceful.
Some may feel unfinished.
And all of that is allowed.
The journal is not there to judge you.
It is there to hold the moment.
What Art Journaling Is Not
This is the bit I really want beginners to know.
Art journaling is not a test.
It is not about creating a perfect page.
It is not about having expensive supplies.
It is not about being able to draw.
It is not about knowing colour theory.
It is not about producing something worthy of a gallery wall.
It is not about being deep, poetic or endlessly emotional.
It is not about sharing your private thoughts with anyone.
And it is definitely not about comparing your page to somebody else’s.
Your journal can be quiet.
It can be colourful.
It can be messy.
It can be neat.
It can be full of meaning, or simply full of colours you fancied using that day.
There is no single right way to do it.
What Will Be Expected of Me?
Nothing scary, I promise.
You will not be expected to arrive with ideas already planned.
You will not be expected to know what you are doing.
You will not be expected to share anything personal.
You will not be expected to “perform” creativity.
This session is designed as a gentle introduction, especially for beginners.
The idea is to help you understand what art journaling can be, to give you time and space to try things out, and to show you that a journal page can begin very simply.
You will be guided.
You will have materials to use.
You will have room to ask questions.
You will have permission to experiment.
And you will take home a small token journal so that, if you feel inspired, you can begin your own journey at home.
You will also receive a stamped image that you can use to practise colouring or painting and perhaps add to your journal when you are ready.
Why Do It?
Because life is busy.
Because many of us spend so much time doing what needs to be done, that we forget to make room for what gently feeds us.
Art journaling offers a small pause in the middle of all that.
It gives your hands something to do while your thoughts soften.
It gives your mind somewhere to wander.
It lets you play without needing a reason.
It can help you notice what you are drawn to, what colours soothe you, what words keep coming back, what little sparks of inspiration are waiting to be heard.
Sometimes a journal page becomes a record of a feeling.
Sometimes it becomes a reminder.
Sometimes it becomes a little act of self-care.
Sometimes it is simply thirty quiet minutes where the world can wait.
And that is enough.
You Don’t Have to Be “Creative” to Begin
One of the biggest myths about creativity is that some people have it and some people do not.
I don’t believe that.
I think creativity is something we all carry in different ways. Sometimes it is loud and obvious. Sometimes it is tucked away quietly, waiting for a safe little space to come out again.
Art journaling can be one of those spaces.
You do not need to know where the page is going.
You only need to begin.
A colour.
A word.
A stamp.
A torn edge.
A little shape.
A line across the page.
That is enough to open the door.
A Gentle Beginning at Wickwood Cottage
Our Introduction to Art Journaling session on Saturday 21st June is intended to be small, gentle and welcoming.
There will only be five places, so it can feel calm and personal rather than overwhelming.
It is for beginners, but all are welcome.
My hope is that you leave feeling less afraid of the blank page, more connected to your own creative spark and perhaps with a little feeling of:
Oh… I can do this.
Because you can.
Art journaling is not about making something perfect.
It is about making a little space for yourself.
And sometimes, that little space is where the magick begins.
Until next time...