Hello and Happy New Year to you. I hope that January has started off well and that 2024 treats you kindly. It's been a bit cold and grey here, but perfect for some cosy journaling time at my desk.
I know lots of people start off a new year with the intention of either starting a journal or committing to journaling on a regular basis. In this post, I will be sharing some of my pages from this month so far, in the hope they give you some inspiration for your own journal pages.
This year I am using a Hobonichi again, for all my planning and tasks. It's a great way of keeping organised and staying on top of everything that needs to get done, along with everything that I would like to get done. I also use some time every evening to add a few lines of journal writing and reflect on how my day has been. I find this helps me to quickly pick up on anything that needs adjusting, rather than carrying on down the wrong path for a week or two. As an added extra, I often like to use these pages to practise my watercolour, lettering or sketching skills.
Another of my favourite journals to keep is a daily journal, which I keep in my Travelers Notebook. This is where I record quick snippets from my day. It only takes a few minutes to fill out each evening, so it's really quick and easy to keep up with. I often include photos from days out or thoughts about the week on my right-hand page.
When I have a little more time on my hands, or lots of thoughts swirling around in my head, I like to indulge in more expansive reflective journal writing. I find that it helps to bring me more clarity around any issues I'm facing and is also another wonderful way to get creative.
One of my favourite things about January is that the weekly lessons on Wanderlust start up again. These art journal pages are from week two and I went in a slightly different direction from the teacher, but still used plenty of the taught watercolour brush stroke techniques and splatters to bring life to one of my happy places in my art journal.
On Patreon this year, we are tackling a different theme or topic each month. During January our focus is on handwriting and lettering, as it's such a lovely skill to enhance your journal pages.If you have a particular creative area that you would like to work on, then bringing it into your daily journal practice is a great way to develop your skills. I created these handlettered ephemera pieces during our latest Patreon livestream and I can't wait to use them in my journals. I will write a whole blog post on lettering and handwriting very soon.
Another of my favourite things about January is the Junk Journal January collaboration hosted by Meg Journals in association with Get Messy Art. It's a free community project and it's never too late to join in. A different creator shares a video on YouTube each day of the month, tackling one of the prompts provided. The videos are always available for inspiration at any time of the year. I really enjoyed adding some cheerful photos and stitching to my junk journal pages above.
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I really hope this blog post has provided you with some new inspiration for your journal pages this year. Each month on Patreon I share journal prompts and exclusive video content to help guide you through a more personal form of journaling. You can find out more about it here.
I will leave you with a YouTube video that I released as part of the Junk Journal January collaboration. I really hope you enjoy it, Helen x