How to Start an Art Journal

Art journaling is an  interesting and fun daily practice that helps us reflect and ponder upon our life experiences creatively by combining multi-media techniques like doodles, writings, images, paintings and scraps. The journals serve as an all-in-one space to explore your imagination through visual story-telling by depicting your emotions, thoughts and memories on the page with a creative twist. 

1. Finding thought-provoking prompts can spice up the process

Art journal prompts could surround ideas like identity, relationships, feelings, surroundings, vacations and anything you like! To kickstart your journey, here are some prompts that could inspire your creativity. 

• What are you grateful for? Reflect upon the people, things and moments in your life that have made you feel loved and cherished. 

• What are some of your favorite things? What are the facets of your character and personality that make you unique? You can in4clude special elements like photographs, little notes and stickers to add personality to this page. The page can be filled with your favorite colors, snippets of your favorite lyrics or quotes and even plane or concert tickets or nature scraps. 

• Who do you hope to be in the future? Pick colors and materials that reflect your aspiration and try various compositions and techniques to convey your ideas. This could also be like a collage or a ‘vision board’ to serve as a physical manifestation of your goals. 

2. Journalling for self-reflection and evaluation

With your journal, you are empowered to experiment with materials, textures, shapes and art techniques like mandalas and mind maps to discover what represents your inner ideas. Thus, you are able to review your experiences through various creative lenses, which can encourage self-discovery and confidence. You might be able to find hidden strengths and uncover deeply-rooted desires. 

3. Journaling for elderly

Art journaling could be a particularly beneficial pastime for seniors who can greatly benefit from habitually designing journal records of their experiences. Documenting experiences can strengthen the minds of elderly, preserving their memory and improving recall.  Adding the practice into a daily routine has also shown to reduce stress and boost sleep. Stress is a common mental health problem among seniors and artistic expression can decrease the mental burden, providing an effective tool for the elderly to feel supported and uplifted.  

When making an art journal, you have the reins to customise it to your preferences, pick any media you like, choose colours that spark joy and enjoy your creative, introspective journey! 

Written by: Sangeetha

03/2024

References

Lisa. (2023, October 18). The Art of Journaling for Seniors: Benefits, prompts, and tips. Blakeford Senior Life. https://blakeford.com/the-art-of-journaling-for-seniors/

Pan, P. (2014, October 29). The power of art journaling: 3 reasons to start an art journal and Enjoy it every day - sae alumni association europe. SAE Alumni Association Europe - Connect - Learn - Succeed. https://alumni.sae.edu/2014/10/29/the-power-of-art-journaling-3-reasons-to-start-an-art-journal-and-enjoy-it-every-day/  

West, D. (2023, March 27). 5 tips to help you start and stick with a journaling practice this summer. The Art of Education University. https://theartofeducation.edu/2017/07/document-summer-journaling/  

Wright, K. W., & Wright, K. W. (2023, August 16). 20 Art journal ideas to Try. Day One | Your Journal for Life. https://dayoneapp.com/blog/art-journal/