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Why Your Morning Routine Isn’t Sticking (and What to Do About It)

Last updated on April 24th, 2022

Why Your Morning Routine Isn’t Sticking (and What to Do About It)

You started full of hope and inspiration. But now, less than seven days in, you’ve missed two. How did that happen?

9 Ways a Humble Pencil Can Silence Brain Chatter

Last updated on April 12th, 2022

9 Ways a Humble Pencil Can Silence Brain Chatter

Ever sit down to do something and suddenly your mind is off on a trail like a dog after a bunny? 

To Doodle or Not to Doodle? Science says doodler’s brains are smarter and sharper.

Last updated on April 12th, 2022

To Doodle or Not to Doodle? Science says doodler’s brains are smarter and sharper.

Do you ever look down to see that you’ve doodled all over the margins of your meeting agenda, then quickly hide it so that no one else notices?

Think on Paper (12 Creatives Who Will Inspire You)

Last updated on April 12th, 2022

Think on Paper (12 Creatives Who Will Inspire You)

Want to unlock your own ability to think on paper? These 12 brilliant creatives can inspire and show you how

8 Ways to Visionboard without Cutting Up a Single Magazine

Last updated on April 12th, 2022

8 Ways to Visionboard without Cutting Up a Single Magazine

Does the idea of creating a vision board sound silly? What if it wasn’t about cutting out a photo of a yacht from a magazine?

10 Reasons You Should Trade Your Dayplanner for a Sketchbook

Last updated on April 12th, 2022

10 Reasons You Should Trade Your Dayplanner for a Sketchbook

Have you had the experience of feeling like you failed when you invested in a system that you completely abandoned by March? What if the problem isn’t you?

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cathy.hutchison

Cathy helps people
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boost creativity
and solve problems
by journaling with sketchnotes. 🖌
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CathyHutchison | VisualJournal
1 cappuccino later. #urbansketching #sundaymorning 1 cappuccino later. #urbansketching #sundaymornings
My favorite part of #urbansketching is when the ba My favorite part of #urbansketching is when the basic idea is captured then I can add the ink. People move. Pencil is a good place to start!
One of the things I’ve enjoyed about carrying a One of the things I’ve enjoyed about carrying a notebook everywhere is that l can capture things during times when I would otherwise be scrolling. 

It takes me from consuming to creating. 

I drew this woman while waiting for a music and meditation program to start at the library last night. 

This morning, I finished the sketch at Starbucks. You don’t have to be able to draw to carry a notebook. Random notes and doodles also put you in creation-mode. And who knows? If you do it long enough you might pick up some skills. (That’s what happened to me.) #urbansketching #yourvisualjournal #carryanotebook
This book! I read The Buy Nothing Get Everything This book! 

I read The Buy Nothing Get Everything Plan at the intersection of: 

+ Feeling overwhelmed by how much plastic I use (and learning the severe limitations of plastic recycling.) 

+ The extreme cost of alternatives like toothpaste that comes in tablets, biodegradable plasticware, etc.

This book is SO PRACTICAL! Not only did it connect me to the Buy Nothing app which has resulted in some great gifts with people in my neighborhood, but it also reminded me that our grandparents didn't use all this stuff. (Commercials changed the way we live.) 

This book reminded me that: 

1) My mom brushed her teeth with baking soda as a child. (I put some in a diner-style sugar dispenser with peppermint essential oil and the cleaning results are pretty great.) 

2) Homemade salad dressing is easy and WAY more delicious than what comes in a plastic bottle.

3) Tons of things can be repurposed. (And Amazon doesn't need to be my first move.) 

I highly recommend downloading the free @buynothingapp and grabbing a copy of this book. (I first listened to it on my library's app, then decided to buy a copy so I could mark it up and use flags on the pages where I want to implement the ideas. 

#sustainability #plasticfree #artjournaling #yourvisualjournal #booksofinstagram
This is the most complex #urbansketch I’ve compl This is the most complex #urbansketch I’ve completed to date. Saturday, my @starbucks was crowded. I started with a quick pencil sketch, but the reality is that the scene kept moving. People standing there are amalgamations of those who came and went. 

It's interesting the decisions you have to make to simplify what's there so the drawing communicates, but still remains authentic to the scene. (ie. there's a lot of stuff missing behind the counter) I'm deeply enjoying this practice of drawing everyday scenes. 
#urbansketching #urbansketchers
#yourvisualjournal #artjournaling
Ever hear something that resonates so much you hav Ever hear something that resonates so much you have to write it down in your #journal word for word? #artjournaling
I'm finding that the more digital my world becomes I'm finding that the more digital my world becomes, the more satisfying it is to touch pens and paper. It's part of why I'm enjoying practicing #urbansketching.

The thing about urban sketching is that you learn it by doing it. I have a small pouch of pens and #watercolors with me all the time, so when I had some wait time at the Arboretum I tried to capture what was right in front of me. It became the backdrop to a #journal entry.

#yourvisualjournal
I carry my notebook with me everywhere and capture I carry my notebook with me everywhere and capture whatever feels significant or particularly charming. Because it is such a hub I keep my calendar here as well. It gives me a visual overview of the month and the doodles make me smile when planning. #journaling #yourvisualjournal #bulletjournal
Wine and I are not friends. (Yes, I know. Shocking Wine and I are not friends. (Yes, I know. Shocking.) 

However, I do enjoy wineries (= sitting on patios in beautiful locations talking with friends.) 

So, this weekend, I went with my wine friends which gave me the chance to practice #urbansketching in new locations. 

I find I keep focusing on the people and ignoring the scenery. By far to me the best part of any “place” is the people who are part of the fabric. 

It’s been fun exploring this type of #visualjournaling
Sometimes when faced with a whole #journal page it Sometimes when faced with a whole #journal page it’s easier to draw a smaller canvas to work in. Plus botanical #doodles are fun. #artjournaling #yourvisualjournal
I love capturing moments in a conversation in my j I love capturing moments in a conversation in my journal. This page was captured while sitting around Melanie’s kitchen table drinking tea.
Yesterday I went out solo for lunch to practice mo Yesterday I went out solo for lunch to practice more #urbansketching. This is such a fun challenge trying to build the skill.
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Disclosures

Some links on this site are affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The author receives a  small (really small) commission if you happen to buy something.  Funds are used to support journaling supplies & four crazy sweet Aussies who bark for treats every time I come in the door. (To be fair, I have a pattern of giving in to them.) I write about all kinds of journaling, and if Bullet Journaling is your thing, I’m here to support you. But if you want to go deep, go to the original source–Ryder Carroll, who created the system, and started it all at bulletjournal.com. I use the method daily which is why I started writing about it here.
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