Four Ways Art Journaling Will Change You.

And Some Crazy Drawings From My Sketchbook Journal.

Oct 03, 2024

In this post, I’m going to talk about the benefits of art journaling, show you some sample pages from my own journal, and maybe try to convince you to try art journaling yourself. You don’t have to be an artist to practice this meditative and enjoyable activity — it can be done by everyone!

Art Journaling: What Is It?

Art Journaling is an activity that combines drawing, doodling, writing, collage— or any kind of intentional mark-making for the purpose of self expression. “Art Journaling” is just a fancy way of saying you keep a daily visual diary, or sketchbook.

Jumping right in, here are 4 benefits of keeping a visual journal:

Boosts Creativity
Encourages Introspection and Reflection
Improves Focus
Reduces Stress and Anxiety

1. Boosts Creativity

Creative thinking is something everyone can use, right? What if I told you your ability to problem-solve and think things through more efficiently will improve by keeping a daily visual diary?

I hear you resisting: “But I can’t draw!”

To that I say it doesn’t matter! The thing is, everyone knows how to draw simple lines and symbols, and that’s all it takes. The thing to remember is that keeping a visual diary is not about what the finished result looks like, it’s about the process and personal exploration. Of course, if you do enjoy drawing, then by all means, draw! But it’s not mandatory.

A sample page spread. The dialogue? Overheard bits of conversation.

What I’ve found is that when you ask someone to pick up a pencil and make simple patterns, or ask them to jot down what type of day they’ve had, they instantly become quiet, and more focused. You could almost see the wheels turning in their head. They’re free associating and making connections. Whether it’s with words, or visual doodles, this is the start of the creative process that artists always talk about — what I’m here to tell you is that it’s not just for artists and writers. Expressing yourself with pen and paper is for everyone, and making it a daily habit (even for 15 minutes) will exercise your mind, and give your creative muscle some tone.

A page from Journal. As you can see, you don’t have to know how to draw. This simple exercise can get your mind in a state of flow. It could be a warm-up to something, or it could be something in and of itself. No Rules!

2. Encourages Introspection and Reflection

I often see my art journal as a deep cavern where I can pour out my brain when it’s had enough, or when I just want to unwind, play, and let go. I sometimes call it my playground, or my “mind outside of my mind” (yes, I’m out of my mind, ha ha). My journal is a place to draw, jot down ideas, document life, be crazy, bitch, vent, complain… (Someone once caught a glimpse of my journal and said that it looked like “visual venting.” I really love the sound of that, “visual venting” —ha!)

Whether it’s venting, or some other form of expression, just think of all that mindful stuff you throw down on the page — thoughts, moods, memories. Now consider how the process encourages you to be right there, in the moment.

There can be no doubt that introspection and reflection is a natural outcome of keeping a daily journal.

Using colour, doodles and words to express a bad day… or a bad week! I make a lot of messes like this. It’s a pretty ugly page spread. But again, it’s not about results!

3. Improves Focus

Try this: turn everything off. Find a comfy spot. Pick up a pencil and paper and draw five circles. In each circle write a word that describes your mood, or fill the circle with simple doodles (arrows, triangles, curvy lines, anything). There are no rules. You can fill them with a shopping list, anything to get you to start the process. Don’t worry about what it looks like. You’re not making a masterpiece and no one will see it. Keep filling the circles and what you will find after a bit of time is that your thoughts will quiet down, and you’ll feel a sense of stillness. This is your mind focusing on the moment. Now think how it would change you as a person if you did this mindful exercise every day. Would it help you in other areas of your life where you need to focus? Would it make you more aware, or thoughtful?

Jotting down where I am, what I see, ideas for possible future “Velia” comic stories— this is a typical page spread. And yes, did you know butterflies are only beautiful on the outside? When you get to know them, they’re nasty little jerks. Honest.

{Last May I taught an art journaling workshop at my old high school. This is the “mind map” I created in preparation for it. A mind map is visual thinking on paper. This exercise really helped me to focus, and to organize my thoughts before planning the workshop. It’s funny that the same high school where I used to get in trouble for doodling hired me to basically teach doodling!}

4. Reduces Stress and Anxiety

Drawing, doodling, writing— any form of deliberate mark-making engages areas in your brain that work together to put your mind in a state of flow.

Flow is that blissful place you’re transported to when you’re so engaged in an activity that you forget your surroundings, and time seems to stop. It is meditative, to say the very least.

Sometimes flow is referred to as “the zone” or “being in the zone.” However we label it, research tells us it’s good for us.

Visual venting? A place to play, doodle, write— wherever the mood takes me. I blurred out the private parts… *sorry, no can see!* Top left: don’t you wish you had a “guitar bike”?

So— not into yoga, or breathing exercises? (Breathing exercises make me dizzy, like I'm about to pass out.) (With Yoga classes there’s the fear of farting.) If you’re looking for something truly engaging but also massively fun, try making some scribbles, smash some colours together, and make some deliberate marks— it will relax you. It will change you. And you don’t have to be an artist to do it!