Journaling can be hard

Sometimes we sit down to write and the words flow like a river from the pen. Other times, we go to write in our journals and it's as if our brain shuts down. Maybe we're thinking about our busy day - maybe it feels like watching Netflix would be easier - but the inspiration just isn't there.

Here's a quick list of 5 beautiful design techniques to spice up your pages and bring back that inspiration!

1. Add Some Color

Photo credit: u/NinaMJ

Pick yourself up some colored pencils and unleash that creativity. A change of pace can help new ideas flow and a touch of color makes it even more fun to flip back through your journal later.

2. Write Between The Lines (Or Go No Lines At All)

Photo: u/branches26

Rules? What rules? with a blank journal you can definitely get creative with how, where, and why you write. Sometimes doing a normal activity (like writing in your journal) just a little bit differently can help remove writers' block. This one is perhaps a little easier with blank journal pages, which you can find here.

3. Take Notes

Text: u/darahjagr

I always like to be learning something, whether it's the newest way to improve our website or cool journaling techniques like bullet journaling. I find that taking notes as I'm reading really helps me to remember the subject matter, but here's my tip: Include illustrations. They can be simple, like the planets shown above, or elaborate, depending on how much better you are than me at sketching ;) Taking the time to illustrate what you are learning further cements the idea and also makes you more likely to flip back through your notes, refreshing the concept.

4. Ditch The Pen

Design: u/levimills

We all love nice pens, especially fountain pens, but there are so many ways that one can fill up a journal that it's worth trying different things. The painting above is a combination of ink and watercolors. Another cool options is to try sketching with charcoal to create a very rustic look for sketches.

5. Mix It Up

Design: u/steveok

Steveok's scanned pages above are a perfect example of mixing media in a journal. He uses ink, paint, and pencil together with a variety of page layouts to create a journal that is classic, clean, and begs to be admired.

Go Forth and Create!

Journaling is all about finding an outlet from everyday life that can be both calming, exciting, and stress relieving. Going beyond the usual text-on-a-page approach can be a great way to keep the fire alive in times when we're feeling lazy.

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The Wanderings Crew