So most of us buy cute journals with the best intentions, only to let them collect dust on a shelf because… well, what do you even do with it? Write your deep thoughts? Doodle a flower? Scribble and hope for the best??
That’s where art journaling comes in.
Art journaling is basically giving your journal permission to be messy, colourful, and totally personal. It’s like a diary, but with doodles, collages, paint splatters, sticky notes, and maybe even that sticker you’ve been “saving for something special” (this is that something special, by the way).
Here’s the best part: it doesn’t have to look like the Pinterest-perfect spreads you’ve been scrolling through. Nope. An art journal is where you get to play, experiment, and just dump your brain onto a page in the most creative way possible. Think of it as self-expression meets stress relief, with a side of glitter if you’re into that.
You can make it fun by:
Treating it like your personal playground. No right, No wrong, No rules.
Mixing things up. One day a messy collage, the next day a moody watercolour wash.
Adding little pieces of your life. Ticket stubs, to-do lists, a coffee stain (yes, it counts).
Letting go of “perfect” and leaning into “this feels fun right now.”
Basically, it’s not about making “good art.” It’s about making a space where you can breathe, play, and maybe even surprise yourself with what ends up on the page.
After all that is said and done, your art journal is yours and yours alone. It doesn’t need an audience, a theme, or approval. All it needs is you showing up with a pen, some scraps, or a splash of paint. So crack open that “too-pretty-to-use” notebook, start messy, and let it become the most honest, creative corner of your world. Who knows? You just might find that in between the doodles and splatters, you’re also piecing together little bits of yourself.
