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Your Visual Journal

Journaling + Sketchnotes + Bullet Journal Ideas

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Peek inside a Journal

Want to see how others journal? Get inspired by looking inside someone else's journal and learn about their practice.

Peek Inside a Journal | Cathy Hutchison of YourVisualJournal.com

Last updated on December 10th, 2022

Peek Inside a Journal | Cathy Hutchison of YourVisualJournal.com

Look inside Cathy Hutchison’s journal (the creative spark behind YourVisualJournal.com) and learn about her personal practice.

Peek Inside a Journal | Elizabeth Ghekiere of ElizabethJournals

Last updated on October 21st, 2023

Peek Inside a Journal | Elizabeth Ghekiere of ElizabethJournals

Elizabeth Ghekiere of Elizabeth Journals shares a peek inside her personal journaling practice.

Peek Inside a Journal | Kathrin Jebsen-Marwedel

Last updated on October 21st, 2023

Peek Inside a Journal | Kathrin Jebsen-Marwedel

Kathrin Jebsen-Marwedel shares a peek inside her personal visual journaling practice.

Peek Inside a Journal | Renee Alexis of Draw Paint Color

Last updated on August 14th, 2021

Peek Inside a Journal | Renee Alexis of Draw Paint Color

Want to peek inside Renee Alexis’s journal? She gives you a look inside her personal practice.

Peek Inside a Journal | Shelby Abrahamsen of Little Coffee Fox

Last updated on April 12th, 2022

Peek Inside a Journal | Shelby Abrahamsen of Little Coffee Fox

Want to peek inside Shelby Abrahamsen’s Bullet Journal? She shares pages and some advice.

Peek Inside a Journal | Michelle of Seaweed Kisses

Last updated on April 12th, 2022

Peek Inside a Journal | Michelle of Seaweed Kisses

Michelle Marie of Seaweed Kisses shares the inside of her journals and tells us about her journaling practice.

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cathy.hutchison

Cathy helps people
simplify complex info
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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