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Your Visual Journal

Journaling + Sketchnotes + Bullet Journal Ideas

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Want to learn to journal visually? This blog will teach you how.

How to Start a Visual Journal

Want to know how to start a visual journal? While it’s easy to get overwhelmed when looking at what others are doing, the process is actually crazy simple.

As you try things, you will morph the process over time so that it exactly fits your unique life and style. But, if you are new to visual journaling, here are some basic rules for beginners:

5 Simple Steps on How to Start a Visual Journal

5 Simple Steps to Start a Visual Journaling Practice. We've broken this down to make it easy and simple!

1. Use a notebook you can keep with you all the time. 

For some people that is 8.5 x 11, for others it is the size of a passport or something in between. 

Try a few different things in cheap versions until you find what works for you. The magic of visual journaling is in what you capture. Having an easy-to-carry notebook helps you capture more.

2. Trust what interests you.

Journalers can get hung up on what to write. How do you overcome that? Trust what interests you.

Write down a quote that feels significant, memories from the day, tasks to be completed tomorrow, mindmap that project, scribble the incomplete fragment of an idea you had, track a habit you want to add into your life… It doesn’t matter if it feels disjointed. Our thoughts are disjointed. Put your thoughts on paper so you can engage your eyes in processing them.

A good rule of thumb is if it plays in your brain more than once, it matters. Write it down.

3. Write most of your words in black ink, and save color for the embellishments.

We’ve been trained to see text in black ink by years of reading books and blog posts. Our brain recognizes black text as information to process. Also, the contrast between black ink on white paper helps our eyes. So, make it a practice to write most of your words in black ink and save color for headings, borders, drawings and callout boxes.

The color piece is important. Color engages our emotions. So add color to your pages, even if you do it later when you are reviewing them.

4. Put a header on each page of your journal.

Give each of your pages a headline–even if it is just one word. Just like in a magazine, make it bigger than the other information on the page. Not only will this help you navigate as you review your journal later, it also makes the information more “sticky” to your brain.

5. Give yourself permission to create bad drawings.

Scribble lame stick figures, draw a flower, doodle something random, throw in some arrows, clouds, borders and things. Making your visual journal visual helps your eyes process the information and makes it more memorable. These small doodles and drawings are important (so stop judging your skill.) This isn’t about art, it’s about thinking on paper.

And that’s it! Do this for a few weeks and you’ll start to notice a few things:

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  • You become clearer on what you want (and what you don’t want).
  • You get a better sense of where you are spending your resources of time and energy.
  • You plan steps to get to where you most want to go.
  • You start to feel more organized and in control of your life because you can “see” it.

Want to get even more ideas?

Here’s a list of posts by category so you can dive deeper into what interests you.

  • Art Journaling
  • Bullet Journaling
  • Digital Journaling
  • Faith Journaling
  • Gratitude Journaling
  • How to Journal
  • Journal Prompts
  • Journaling Supplies
  • Motivation and Inspiration
  • Peek inside a Journal
  • Planners and Planning
  • Sketchnotes
  • Travel Journals

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cathy.hutchison

Cathy helps people banish overwhelm,
boost creativity 🎨
and reconnect with their ♥️
through visual journaling. 🖌
Get the free Quickstart guide 📗 here

CathyHutchison | VisualJournal
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
I just did my 2022 annual review—a practice I le I just did my 2022 annual review—a practice I learned from @michalroots . 

As one part of this, I wrote the sentences that jumped out at me from my 2022 journals as I went page by page. It left me with a sense of what the year was about and gave me an appreciation for the incredible beauty of friends, creativity, inspiration, and big ideas. 

I also looked at my vision board to see what happened, and what didn’t. For the things that didn’t happen, I gave some heart time to figure out the level that I actually want them (and learned it was low.) The things that happened had a lot of desire behind them. (It was an interesting thing to observe.) 

If you want to take Michal’s course, DM him for the link. I found it a valuable process that I will continue going forward.
#journaling #yourvisualjournal #artjournaling #bulletjournal #bujoinspiration
Do you create a #visionboard each year? The latest Do you create a #visionboard each year? The latest post at YourVisualJournal.com dives into how to create one in your journal. #journaling #artjournaling
Happy thanksgiving 🍁 Happy thanksgiving 🍁
Brush markers make my heart happy. #brushmarker #t Brush markers make my heart happy. #brushmarker #tombowdualbrushpens #bulletjournal #bujo #yourvisualjournal
Brush markers are easy to use, and putting a few d Brush markers are easy to use, and putting a few doodles at the bottom of your todo list makes it more engaging for your brain. This whole thing was quick to draw. (Mostly circles, a rectangle, and a few lines.) Coloring in with #brushmarkers was fast and easy. 

#yourvisualjournal #bulletjournal #artjournaling #sketchnotes #tombowdualbrushpens
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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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