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Your Visual Journal interviews Shelby Abrahamsen of Little Coffee Fox

Peek Inside a Journal | Shelby Abrahamsen of Little Coffee Fox

Last updated on April 12th, 2022 • Peek inside a Journal

Have you ever wanted to peek inside someone else’s Bullet Journal?

Want to peek inside of someone else’s journal? Check out this one! I know I love to. I’m so curious about how other people use the method, and it’s fun to “see” how other people think on paper. Plus, it’s a great place to find inspiration and prompt myself to try new things.

See inside a journal! Shelby Abrahamsen of Little Coffee Fox

But even more interesting is learning how people actually journal. What do they use? When do they journal? Are they consistent? What does it mean to them?

I’m a big fan of Shelby Abrahamsen, and I might have geeked out just a little bit when she agreed to answer questions about her process and show us some of her spreads.

If you haven’t heard of Shelby before, she’s a blogger at Little Coffee Fox, where she shares tutorials and inspiration for people who want to get organized through Bullet Journaling. She’s a great source of resources, and fun to follow on social media!

If you too have been curious about how other folks who journal approach their practice, check out Shelby’s story below:

Shelby Abrahamsen of Little Coffee Fox

When did you start journaling? 

I have been journaling on and off my whole life, but I finally made it a consistent habit about four years ago.

How has journaling impacted you? 

Journaling has helped me in a number of ways. I feel more confident about who I am and what I believe in. Through journaling, I now value my time, mental health, and abilities more than ever before. And I now feel more able to be creative, express myself, and share my true passions with the world.

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

My personal set up is in a sort of transition right now, so I’m testing out lots of things!

At the moment, I use an Erin Condren Life Planner for all of my day to day to-do lists. I use a collections journal for all of my random lists, mind maps, and project planning. I use my iPad and Apple Pencil along with the Goodnotes App to keep my business notes and planning. And I keep a Morning Pages journal separately to write in every morning, as well!

Do you journal daily? Usually when?

I try to journal on the week days, but I usually don’t bother on the weekends. I write in my Morning Pages journal most mornings and I keep up with my to-do list most days. But some days (or weeks) just end up getting away from me and I don’t really do much in any of my journals! When that happens, I just pick it back up and don’t worry about the time missed.

How often do you reflect on what you’ve written? Do you go back through old journals? 

I like to think that I’d go back and read old journals, but I rarely do! Maybe once a year I’ll pull an old journal off the shelf to flip through it, but that’s pretty much it.

“My best advice for anyone getting started is to not get wrapped up in perfection.”

Shelby Abrahamsen

What advice do you have for people just getting started? 

There are no awards for the most perfect page. I’ve been leaning on my motto “Done Not Perfect” for years now, and it remains true to this day. Push through mistakes, fear, insecurities, and doubts to get a page done. Even your most messed up, mistake-ridden pages will help you make progress.

Where can people connect with you to learn more? 

Peek Inside a Journal:Shelby Abrahamsen of Little Coffee Fox
Shelby Abrahamsen of Little Coffee Fox shares a peek inside her journal.

You can always check out my site – LittleCoffeeFox.com – to see what new tutorials and inspiration are being published. If you’re into bullet journal printables or hand-lettering worksheets, I’ve got a whole library full of them for free! You just need to sign up here and you can get access to all those resources here: https://littlecoffeefox.com/resource-library-sign/.

Special Offer: Wish your journals looked more like Shelby’s?

I reached out to Shelby for this interview because I took her Brush Lettering 101 course and deeply enjoyed it. It was the perfect balance of great information with concise delivery. (I’m super-impatient when it comes to learning things. Fast and clear is a win!)

I had actually tried brush lettering before, but could never quite get there. Shelby’s practice techniques were genius! I ‘m getting great results—even as a lefty!

You can go through the course in one session, or break it up. I did it all at once sitting at my favorite coffee shop, and it was well worth my time and money.

Here’s the best part!

Shelby is giving YourVisualJournal.com readers a special offer: register for the class, and receive $10 off with the code: visualjournals

How awesome is that?!

Below is the first journal page I created after taking the course and practicing just a little bit. Brush lettering is super fun!

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Got inspired by a question asked by @narratologybiz on Basecamp this morning. I keep thinking about it. Also I took @little_coffee_fox’s brush lettering course this weekend so it was a great opportunity to practice. . . . #yourvisualjournal #sketchnotes #journaling #creativejournaling #bulletjournal #bujo #journal #journaling #bujoinspiration #bujolove #bujoinspire #bulletjournaljunkies #showmeyourplanner #dotgrid #brushlettering101

A post shared by Cathy Hutchison (@cathy.hutchison) on Aug 26, 2019 at 5:59am PDT

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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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mina

    10/04/2019 at 7:16 PM

    With planners & journals, there’s always a part of me that says “I wish I could see inside a successful person’s planner, I can’t be doing this right” & it’s so nice to see some pages are minimal, some pages are cluttered, designs or types of books can change over time & it’s not a fail. It’s just life moving by.

    Reply
    • Cathy Hutchison

      10/04/2019 at 8:59 PM

      Mina, I love it that you took the time to share this!

      Reply
  2. Marguerite Miller

    09/19/2020 at 10:22 PM

    I can’t wait to get started. Thank you so much for the encouraging words.

    Reply

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Cathy helps people banish overwhelm,
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CathyHutchison | VisualJournal
One of my favorite tools for visual journaling is One of my favorite tools for visual journaling is watercolor crayons. Here, I'm using #neocolorII by @carandache with an #aquabrush. To do this, you have to use a water resistant pen. I'm using a #pittartistpen by @fabercastellusa. #yourvisualjournal #artjournaling #journaling #watercolor
Playing with Posca markers in my pocket sized expe Playing with Posca markers in my pocket sized experimental journal. #yourvisualjournal #artjournaling #posca #arteveryday
Ten years ago, I started carrying a notebook with Ten years ago, I started carrying a notebook with me everywhere. I began taking notes, capturing insight, managing to-do lists, and working through ideas in a combination of words and doodles. 

This practice became a game changer for me. My notebook is my ally in living an intentional life. 

The sheer volume of information we process and decisions we make at a rapid pace is daunting. Getting things out of my head and in front of my eyes creates clarity. 

If this idea intrigues you, check out YourVisualJournal.com. It’s a passion project for me to share this practice with anyone who wants to try this out.

#journaling #yourvisualjournal #bujo #bulletjournal #dotgrid #leuchtturm1917 #notebook #sketchnotes
This year at BFF weekend we created #fairyhouse s This year at BFF weekend we created #fairyhouse s to leave at one of the trails in the hill country. We had so much fun creating then placing them
I was playing with ideas for my new course. #yourv I was playing with ideas for my new course. #yourvisualjournal #sketchnotes
The doodles on the edges of this page are inspired The doodles on the edges of this page are inspired by a mural in the Starbucks I was sitting in. The quote is from Benjamin P Hardy--and I love it that I made a mistake in the middle of it given the quote! ​​​​​​​​
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Creativity is risky business. It requires vulnerability and courage--with a high probability of mistakes and failures along the way. #yourvisualjournal #artjournal #artjournaling #watercolor #watercolorjournal #arteveryday #journaling #journallove
This was a great little book that shares the proce This was a great little book that shares the process of developing ideas. #yourvisualjournal #booksofinstagram #journaling #journal #sketchnotes
I got inspired by @oshupatterns through her @domes I got inspired by @oshupatterns through her @domestika course to play with #poscamarkers. It was so fun to use paint pens in this way. They dry fast and layer well. Super fun! #yourvisualjournal #journaling #artjournaling
When using watercolor crayons and an aquabrush it When using watercolor crayons and an aquabrush it helps to use a water resistant pen. I go through a lot of @fabercastellusa Pitt Artist Pens #journaling #yourvisualjournal #sketchnotediary #sketchnotes
I love my Mother's Day present! Thanks @bethutch ❤️#neocolor2 
There's something about a new set of crayons that is magical! (Plus if you see my most recent post, you can tell that I'm working with pieces parts big time!)
I'm re-reading @gregorymckeown 's Essentialism. I I'm re-reading @gregorymckeown 's Essentialism. I totally forgot about the chapter on our inner childq. So good. ​​​​​​​​
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#journal #journaling #journalingideas #visualjournaling #dailyjournal #journallove  #handwriting #penandpaper #journalcommunity #dotgrid #yourvisualjournal #artjournaling #artjournal #watercolorjournal
Today I misread my calendar and got to my meeting Today I misread my calendar and got to my meeting spot an hour early. The angels must have known how much I needed to just sit and journal. ♥️ What a gift of unstructured time ​​​​​​​​
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#journal #journaling #journalingideas #visualjournaling #dailyjournal #journallove  #handwriting #penandpaper #journalcommunity #dotgrid #yourvisualjournal #artjournaling #artjournal #watercolorjournal
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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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