“[A sacred place] is an absolute necessity for anybody today. You must have a room, or a certain hour or so a day, where you don't know what was in the newspapers that morning, you don't know who your friends are, you don't know what you owe anybody, you don't know what anybody owes to you. This is a place where you can simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be. This is the place of creative incubation. At first you may find that nothing happens there. But if you have a sacred place and use it, something eventually will happen.”
Joseph Cambell
For many years now, ever since I was a teenager, journalling has been a space for me in which I can truly be myself. I write down all my thoughts and experiences, nothing is too mundane, whiny or weird, I write everything down to get those thoughts onto the page and out of my brain. I’m not trying to be eloquent, although sometimes (though rarely) I am. Most days it’s a long incoherent ramble and I almost never read it back. Then why do it you might ask? Ryan Holiday from the Daily Stoic describes journaling as ‘purging the mind of agitation’ and Julia Cameron from the Artist Way says that writing three pages of stream-of -consciousness ‘gets us to the other side: the other side of our fear, of our negativity (…) and above all they get us beyond our Censor’. As artists, our inner critic can be the thing that keeps us from creating and by letting that critic speak its mind in our journal, we can essentially download that negativity and put it away for the day.
Benefits of journaling
There are many different health benefits to journaling. It can help with depression and anxiety, reduces stress, it can improve your memory and it can even boost your immune function. For me journaling helps me process my thoughts, it helps me figure out what’s going on inside my mind. Sometimes I won’t feel like journaling at all but when I start writing, stuff will pop up out of nowhere. Things that have been bothering me subconsciously, like a mean comment from someone, but it also happens that I find an unexplored crevice in my brain where ideas are hiding.
“Morning pages map our own interior. Without them, our dreams
may remain terra incognita.”
Julia Cameron, The Artist Way
Different ways of journaling: Morning Pages
In the Artist Way by Julia Cameron, writing ‘morning pages’ are part of the basic tools of her method for cultivating creativity. Morning pages are essentially three pages of longhand stream-of-conciousness writing, written in the morning or before you start working. This has been my preferred way of journaling ever since reading the book and doing the exercises, as it clears my mind before starting the day’s work.
Visual Journaling
My favourite journals by far are the ones in which I included drawings, old tickets and other bits and bobs. Visual journaling is more a way of documenting life and other than my morning pages, these journals I do tend to pick up and read back. There was a time when I almost religiously kept a visual journal, but since I’ve started working as an illustrator, it has gotten less and less visual. This is probably because I’m drawing a lot more now, but I do regret not having done more visual journaling when I was living in Cambridge, or when I was on holiday with friends. I love looking back through these journals, the drawings feel really free and not precious. I’m going to try and find my way back to this kind of journalling.
Art Journaling
Personally I don’t have a lot of experience with art journaling, but I see it as the visual cousin of morning pages, focused on your art practice. Where morning pages are about purging your mind through writing, and visual journaling is a way to document your life through drawing and collaging, art journalling a visual stream-of-consciousness method in which you have free rein to put everything on the page that comes to mind, in whichever method you fancy. It can be figurative or completely abstract, you can add words, poetry, collage. Whatever floats your boat.
Evening reflection
This year I started journaling in the evenings as well. When rearranging the furniture in my bedroom I found a forgotten journal in which I reflected on the day I had had and noted down the things I was grateful for. I found some really lovely entries about days I spend out walking with my uncle, who sadly passed away two years ago. This made me realise that I wanted to keep track of the small, beautiful moments, as not to lose them. When writing about my uncle in that old journal, I had no idea how precious those entries would be for my future self. It was a beautiful reminder to keep looking for the connection and beauty in the every day.
There are two ways I like journalling in the evening. Number one is with the prompts by Dr Rangan Chatterjee, host of one of my favourite podcasts Feel Better, Live More.
What have you done to make someone smile today?
What made you smile today?
What have you learned?
What are you grateful for?
The second list of prompts are from a ‘What’s in my Bag’ video with Emma Watson in which she talks about her journaling practice. Her questions are;
Three things that were fun or joyful
Three moments of kindness (that you’ve done or done to you)
Three things that you did well or that you like about yourself (affirmations)
December last year I bought myself a daily journal from Leuchterm and I’m pretty proud to say that I haven’t missed a day so far. These five to ten minutes before bed have become a lovely little ritual in which I go over the day, it helps me wind down and get ready for bed.
Tips to start journaling
Make it easy. If you’re struggling to fill three pages, start with one and work up the pages from there. Finding a set time that works for you also helps creating a routine.
Do whatever feels right to you. None of these methods are set in stone, try them out and see what works. I like writing in the morning when my head is clear but if you’re an evening person who’s brain starts working after midday, write in the afternoon or evening. If you hate writing, draw, paint or collage and go for the Art Journal.
Your journal is yours and yours only. Nobody will ever have to read it if you don’t want to. Write about everything, all the weird things, petty thoughts, fears, hopes. It’s your space.
If you decide to try out one of these journaling methods, or if you have a preferred method of journaling, please share them with me in the comments.
Thanks again for being here and see you in the next one!
X Maris
Links:
Evidence based benefits of journaling
Ryan Holiday from the Daily Stoic on journaling and on the evening review
Art Journaling by Daisy Yellow
Morning Pages by Julia Cameron
Rebecca Green’s stunning visual journals from Japan, the South of France and Christmas
Love the Joseph Campbell quote. I used to write my feelings in a sketchbook all the time but that was years ago. Thankyou so much for this lovely post that reminds me how helpful it can be!💙
And LOVE the journaling cat image!