An image contains a thousand words right…. And sometimes it's just too difficult to find the right words let alone string them into a sentence. That's where art journaling can come in, if you're anything like the creative folks here at MYO you’ve fallen in love with journals you’ve seen on Pinterest but when you come making your own, well meh. It just doesn't look or feel the same as those perfect journal spreads you’ve seen online. We’ve all been there but being creative isn’t about the final product, it's about the journey, not the final destination.
What is Art Journalling?
For those who don’t know, Art Journaling is the process of being creative in a little sketchbook, by following a prompt or going freestyle! Paint, draw, write or collage, it doesn't matter, remember it's all about the journey. It essentially is a creative way to document moments in your life or process emotions. There is no need to create something perfect or aesthetically pleasing, rather just be expressive and make a creative mess on the page.
Why is good for us?
Carving out time be creative is hugely beneficial to us humans, it allows our busy brains to meander and process information in a natural fluid way. We enter a flow state when we really get into the creative process allowing us to be fully present and switch off from the day-to-day noise. What's not to love about that? Being creative not only increases positive emotions but also helps us realise stress and anxiety.
History of Art Journaling
Although art journaling seems like a new concept, we’ve been documenting and processing our emotions like this since the beginning of time. Sure, our cavemen ancestors didn’t have a rant about their boss in a moleskin journal, but they did document hunts, festivals and much more on the side of caves #cavejornalling. Who knows, someone in the far future could find your journal and base a whole period on it! If that’s not motivation we don’t know what is.
We know it can be daunting getting started so we have created some step-by-step guides to get your creative mojo flowing. Head over to our socials to see videos of us creating some example spreads later this week or to see the guides click here. We have made these with basic materials so everybody can get involved.
Don’t forget to tag us in your journal spreads.
Remember you're a creative legend!