So many women have come to me saying they feel the pull towards art journaling, but they’re waiting until things settle down. Or until they can save up for some supplies. Or until they can heal their bodies. Or until their kids grow older. Or until… whatever the excuse may be.

But ya know what? Art journaling doesn’t require any of those things.

Think you need a ton of supplies?

How about making a journal out of a few paper bags and some markers? Or cereal boxes and craft paint? Or how about an old book? One of my favorite ways to journal is with a $1 composition notebook and crayons.

Just because the majority of art journals you see online are covered in high quality paint, gesso, glue, glitter, and the works; doesn’t mean yours has to.



image from tumbler

Short on time or always busy with the kids?

I’ve been known to make messes along side my daughter, or limit my journaling to just 10 minutes a day. (It’s totally do-able! And I share that process in my e-course Roots.)

When it comes down to it, if it were a matter of life or death, I’m sure you’d be able to muster up a few minutes of your time. So perhaps the real issue is accepting the importance of art journaling or time to yourself. You can hear my thoughts on this and other tips on making time for art journaling here.



image by gina sekelsky

Struggling with your health?

I know this is a toughy. (And I can’t really speak from experience.) But there are many journal artists who create in bed or on the couch when they’re limited or in pain. Samie Harding shares some tips here on what she dubs “couch-art”.



image by samie harding

I think the key here is to just keep it simple. You might be limited, but studies have shown that putting limitations on your creative projects actually increases your creativity! So if you have one working hand, you can do this. (Heck, you don’t even need hands!)

In fact, everything you need is already within you. (More on that HERE.)

And as the saying goes… where there’s a will, there’s a way.

So, dig deeper.

What’s the real excuse here?

Could it be fear? Fear of failure or that you’re not good enough? If you listened to my story, you’ll know that’s totally what happened to me when I fell in love with the idea of art journaling. I spent over a year watching youtube videos and flipping through pages of magazines, learning techniques I would never try.

It paralyzed me with fear. Fear that I wasn’t worthy of doing it myself. That I would fail, and never be able to create such beautiful work as they could.

Long story short, it wasn’t until I was able to move past these fears, put the focus back on myself, and start having fun that I was finally able to develop a fulfilling art journaling practice.

I’ve shared many tips in the past about how to overcome these fears. But the very first, most important step in moving past any fear is to simply acknowledge the fear and show yourself some compassion.

Start by being honest with yourself.

What is your fear? What’s holding you back from starting an art journal today?

Take a moment right now to practice courage and share your answer in the comments below.

And remember… these fears? Are simply that. A feeling that you can work through. (You’ve got this!) And that feeling of not being good enough? Is totally wrong. You are good enough, because you are whole. In fact, you are full of infinite possibilities.

Still feeling stuck in starting that art journal? Why not delve into it with a supportive community and me as your guide. In my 6-week online e-course ROOTS, you’ll develop your own transformative art journaling practice as we let go of comparison and open ourselves up for self-exploration. Check out the information page HERE.



