Journals: Moving Beyond Words
This is the first in a new weekly series on journaling tips and ideas.
Journals have always been a place to express one’s self. Journals bring to mind a notebook with thoughts and contemplations on a day or an event. But this papery place of revelation has moved into new dimensions, with pages of color, texture, and even buttons, ribbons, and found objects.
I have always enjoyed journaling, especially when I travel. I also like creating nature journals. In my journals I have found a way to combine my interests – writing, painting, and crafting – into fun and colorful records of my experiences. Taking a break from researching my new book, I have been working on journal ideas, including the altered book format, using parts of an old book to create a new journal. In these photos, you will see a journal created from my notes and experiences during a project at the Manassas National Battlefield Park.
If you are someone who has found journaling boring, try adding some new elements to your pages. Both art journaling and nature journaling have become increasingly popular, as evidenced by the number of publications – print and on line – that illustrate many techniques and media. These resources offer a plethora of ideas and tutorials. You should also check out Pinterest under art journaling and nature journaling.
As many of my friends and readers know, I love studying old journals. Samuel James Reader, a pioneer diarist in my book Hope Amid Hardship: Pioneer Voices from Kansas Territory, and subject of a blog post last August, caught my interest with the colorful watercolor sketches in his diaries. For him, it gave him another way to express his feelings about his new life in the Kansas frontier. He also occasionally wrote in French and shorthand. For researchers, these elements give insight into his personality.
Adding art to your journal gives you new ways to express your experiences and to spread your creative wings – maybe by sketching, painting, or just adding some color. And, for writers, it’s a fun way to move away from your manuscript for a time and create a new, but related project.
