Art Journal January 2024

I don't know about you, but for me January felt like a very long year. Between the political chaos and intense winter storms there were times that I was starting to lose hope and optimism. On the days when I just didn't have the motivation or inspiration to paint, I played in my art journal.

Even if you think you can't draw or paint, having an art journal is so therapeutic. Some days I literally just smoosh paint around on the pages and it makes me feel better! The thing about art journals is that they're just for you, there's no pressure to 'be good' or produce anything. It's just about doing what feels good.

I usually limit myself to 20 minutes, no more than half an hour and I also use a limited palette of 3-4 colors. I highly recommend getting yourself a little journal (I use an 8x8" journal that I buy from Amazon - I'm not an affiliate so I don't receive any compensation, just wanted to share). The paper is strong enough for acrylic paints. You can also use colored pencils, crayons, pastels, watercolors or even just a pencil or pen. It's also a great place to keep quotes that you come across, recipes, ideas for your garden or ideas for that book you've been wanting to write!

If the term art journal seems a bit daunting because you don't think of yourself as an artist, call it your creativity journal. We're all born as creative beings, each and every one of us!

Here are a few pages from my art journal over the past month. As you can see, some really are just paint smooshed around on the page!

I hope these will give you some inspiration to start you own journal!

Peace, Love and Light,

Melissa