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Peek Inside a Journal | Renee Alexis of Draw Paint Color

Last updated on August 14th, 2021 • Peek inside a Journal

It’s so fun to peek inside other people’s journals.

Renee Alexis is an introvert who has been in love with art since she was a kid. She’s also part of the group behind DrawPaintColor.com a site dedicated to helping people create more art.

If you are curious how others visually journal in their own practice, check out Renee’s story below:

Renee Alexis reading a book with a journal beside her.

When did you start journaling? 

I had been journaling since I was in my teens. It’s my way of processing my thoughts and releasing pent-up emotions. I’m not a very vocal person so when I was growing up, the only way I could express what I feel is by writing them down in my diary and I haven’t stopped doing that ever since.

Open journal on desk

How has journaling impacted you? 

Keeping a journal has helped me in many ways. For one, it has helped me understand myself more. It keeps me sane. It grounds me as I learn how to reflect on what I did. And it also reminds me to always practice gratitude. Keeping a journal allowed me to record the moments I wanted to remember and for all the years I’ve journaled, it feels like these old notebooks are, in a sense, slices of me.

Tell us about your personal set up. What type of journal and tools do you use?

When I was in high school, I just use any available notebook for my diary and an ordinary ballpoint pen, but when I discovered the beauty of bullet journals back in 2016, I switched to dotted notebooks. My favorite is the A5 Limelight Dotted Notebook and I’ve used it for 2 years now. As for other tools, I have a bunch of sign pens, brush pens, colored pencils, and now I’ve branched out to using watercolors. Slowly, I’ve accumulated a lot of supplies over the years just for journaling and that includes stickers and washi tapes!

When do you find time to journal?

I update my bullet journal almost every day but I make the spreads on weekends when I don’t have any work. I journal whenever I want to, there’s no specific routine really, I just reach for it whenever I want to write something down.

Open journal on desk that says "decide for yourself what it means to be happy." namjoon, lights

How often do you go back through old journals?

Not very often. I go back to them when I’m in the mood to read through what I’ve written in the past. Sometimes I revisit an old journal after a year to see if I have changed. Journaling definitely lets me see the progress I made through the years because I can say that the person who wrote those entries years before is no longer me anymore.

“Grab a notebook and a pen and just start. The rest will fall into place.”

Renee Alexis

What advice do you have for people just getting started? 

Don’t overthink about it and just start. Grab a blank notebook and a pen, and just start. The rest will fall into place. There are really no rules to follow here and that’s the beauty of journaling, you are not limited.

Use your journal as much as you want. Write down what you feel, write down your goals, write down your plans, your aspirations, your to-do list. Remember that your journal is your safe place where you can be honest and raw. You can use it however you want, you can be as creative or as minimal as you prefer.

Renee Alexis with her journal and laptop

Where can people connect with you to learn more? 

I share art tips over at Draw Paint Color and it’s perfect for beginners. It’s a new blog and I will soon be sharing my journal here, too.

As for socials, I am active on my personal Instagram – @renalexis01, it contains random stuff but I sometimes post about my journal there.

About Cathy Hutchison

Cathy Hutchison helps people get more joy, meaning, and freedom in a world of demands through the practice of visual journaling.

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cathy.hutchison

Cathy helps people banish overwhelm,
boost creativity 🎨
and reconnect with their ♥️
through visual journaling. 🖌
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CathyHutchison | VisualJournal
I'm coming to the end of my first #journal for 202 I'm coming to the end of my first #journal for 2023. About to break out journal #2. 

I choose a single color for the year so that it is easy to see which journals are for which year on a shelf.

Looks like it will be a 3 journal year. #leuchtturm1917 #blankpages #bulletjournal
When you use #sketchnotes to capture ideas in a me When you use #sketchnotes to capture ideas in a meeting it creates a rich #notebook of the ideas that matter to you. 

Most of us rarely review the handouts given to us, but notes we create for ourselves can have real value as reference.
Do you know about the #artomat? They reclaim ant Do you know about the #artomat? 

They reclaim antique cigarette vending machines to dispense art. Artists create art the size of a cigarette box or smaller. 

While the tag gives you a clue about what's inside, it's never the whole picture and I LOVE the element of surprise. 

While in Santa Fe last week I scored this gorgeous linoleum print "Up and Away" by @meganwassomartnique. 

It's currently in my office doing a wonderful job of making me smile each time I look at it.
During the week, I hastily scribble random ideas i During the week, I hastily scribble random ideas in my journal.

One of my favorite things is hanging out at @starbucks on the weekend to go back through the pages at a slower pace and embellish the ideas with #doodles and watercolor crayons. 

This week, I heard the phrase “love is the medicine” and it resonated. Hard. 

I feel so much fear sometimes when I hear the dialog of politicians or even friends on Facebook. 

So often we act as if love has no power. But it changes lives. 

It interrupts the pattern of treating people as ordinary and cares for them as extraordinary. (It can also make you feel extraordinary in sharing that kind of love.) 

The best part is that it is accessible. Every single one of us can show love and receive it. There have been so many times that love has changed everything for me. I want to create more of that. 

#visualjournaling #artjournaling #sketchnotes #yourvisualjournal #journaling #love
When you are taking notes on a podcast, workshop, When you are taking notes on a podcast, workshop, lesson, or course with #sketchnotes, your brain manipulates the information making it more "sticky" and improving your retention. 

It's a skill that has paid big dividends for me. (And guess what! It can be taught and learned because someone taught me!)
Simple can be beautiful. A small doodled flower. A Simple can be beautiful. A small doodled flower. An underline of color. Your #bulletjournal can be as elaborate as you like, but our lives are complex. #Simplicity feels good.
#Sketchnotes help me manage my focus and stay enga #Sketchnotes help me manage my focus and stay engaged in meetings.
I love the A5 size journals because they can go ev I love the A5 size journals because they can go everywhere with me! #journaling #leuchtturm1917 #yourvisualjournal
This morning I received an email from @songdance.c This morning I received an email from @songdance.co with a link to a song. I had no idea how much I needed to hear these words. #journaling #yourvisualjournal #bulletjournal #artjournal #neocolor2
Making my inner 7 year old happy with sealing wax. Making my inner 7 year old happy with sealing wax. #journaling #stationery #artjournaling #sealingwax
I bought something that I wanted SO BAD when I was I bought something that I wanted SO BAD when I was seven years old. 

I realized that now that I'm a grown up I could just buy it. 

On Amazon. 

#sealingwax #journaling #artjournaling #yourvisualjournal
I love learning about the authentic fascinations o I love learning about the authentic fascinations of the people in my world. The obscure hobbies they love. The ideas they just can't stop thinking about. The things they pour time (and money) into for no reason except that it gives them joy .

As you jump into 2023, I highly recommend purchasing a #notebook that you can take with you everywhere to feed this part of your life . Write down your inspirations. Capture ideas. Develop thoughts by reviewing them periodically. (And definitely scribble doodles in the margins--that's an important part.)

Engaging a #journaling practice--whatever that looks like for you--can give space for the quirky, beautiful, creative part of you to grow. And as it turns out, #visualthinking in a #journal is my personal, random fascination.

#yourvisualjournal
#bujo #bujoideas #journaling #artjournaling #sketchnotes #bulletjournal #dotjournal #leuchtturm1917
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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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