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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
simplify complex info
boost creativity
and solve problems
by journaling with sketchnotes. 🖌
Get the free Quickstart guide here

CathyHutchison | VisualJournal
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.
Lately I’ve been practicing #urbansketching in m Lately I’ve been practicing #urbansketching in my visual journal. It’s a fun challenge and can be done with a brevity of supplies.  #artjournaling #journaling #leuchtturm1917
Holiday morning means time to journal at Starbucks Holiday morning means time to journal at Starbucks ♥️ #yourvisualjournal #journaling #artjournaling #artjournal
This year, BFF Weekend was held @lynettesug's brot This year, BFF Weekend was held @lynettesug's brothers house at Lake Tahoe. This area remains one of the most beautiful places I've ever experienced. I tried to capture it in my journal. 

Of course, a favorite part (besides just getting to be with these women) was sitting on the deck watching birds come to the feeder. There were Stellar Jays, Juncos, and--what I drew--a Mountain Chickadee. 

#traveljournal #yourvisualjournal #journaling #artjournaling #leuchtturm1917 #watercolorjournal #watercolor
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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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