How to release your inner creativity with creative journal ideas

Top view of wooden tray with paper notebook, old photos, candle and spring flowers on white bedding. Relaxing, or working, or writing diary or blog in bed at home. Accompanies the blog post on  creative journal ideas

There are so many different creative journal ideas for you to choose.

In fact there is no limit to the variety of creative journals that can be created.

Creativity is whatever you choose to make based on thoughts and ideas you have had.

So noone else will be creative in the same way that you are creative.

Sometimes, though, we need a boost, a little nudge to help us on our creative adventure.

Which is how this post will help you. It will give you a nudge in your particular creative direction.

Starting your first journal

If you haven’t done any form of journaling at all then check out the posts on the site that help you take your first journaling steps. Posts such as:

Getting started on your journaling adventure

7 easy prompts to start journaling

What should my daily journal look like?

Map background with hat, journal and a hand holding a pencil. Accompanies the blog post on creative journal ideas

Losing our creativity as adults

We all need creativity in our lives in one form or another. For many of us ‘growing up’ and becoming adults has led to an end to our creativity. The ‘seriousness’ of life has taken over and creativity has been shown the back door.

So now, as an adult you might be a very creative person, but your 9-5 job or your life as it currently looks doesn’t satisfy that creative yearning within you. In which case, creating a creative journal may be just what you need to feed your inner creative goddess (or god).

Or you may be on holiday and want to try something new. You’re inspired by all the colour and variety that surrounds you and want to capture it in some way.

Or you may be very creative with so many ideas running round your head that you just have to get them out of your brain! You just want to create some art but need some help to get going.

Whatever it is, we have the right creative journal ideas for you so read on!

What does creativity mean to you?

Creativity can, and does, mean anything you want it to mean! So think about what creativity means to you. What kind of creativity appeals to you? Either that you would like to do or that you currently practice. This is one way you can start your exploration of a creativity journal, by journaling about what kinds of creativity appeal to you.

Do you want to write

draw pictures

paint

doodle

do whatever you want whenever you open your journal

collage

paint nature

Create pictures of your dreams

Draw your pets

Art watercolour mixing board. Accompanies the blog post on creative journal ideas

Finding and releasing your creativity

For some people your creativity may have been locked away many years ago. You may say things like, ‘Oh I’m not that creative’ or ‘I’d love to be creative but I don’t know how.’

But we are all creative.

We all have brains and minds and hearts.

We are creative beings.

If you think you are not, it could be that your creativity was supressed or not allowed to develop as you were growing up.

Some people don’t value creativity.

If they can’t see a straight line to it earning money, it’s discounted.

This is such a huge mistake.

Creativity is life!

It’s so much more than money earning potential.

For creative inspiration go back to your childhood

What did you used to do as a child that you loved but no longer do? How did you like to play? How can you bring that sense of play back into your life as an adult?

Making space for creativity in your life

Starting a creative journal will make room for creativity in your life.

Where will you be when you start your creative journey?

Do you have an area in the home that you could dedicate to being your creative spot?

It doesn’t have to be an entire room, it could even be the end of a table. Just finding somewhere where you go can really help your creative process.

The two, the creativity practice and the place, get linked in your brain. So whenever you go near that physical place your brain will start to prepare to be creative. Which is very cool.

How to start a creative journal

You could use the above list to make a start on your creative journal. I’ve given you some creative journal ideas above, but that’s only a start to the kind of creative diary you can keep.

It is useful to have a starting point for creating your creative journal and as I’ve just said above thinking about what you currently practice or would like to practice is the perfect starting

Whatever the reason, or none at all, here are a few creative journal type ideas to inspire you into taking action.

Story journal

Dream journal

Mind map journal

Book/music journal

Colouring journal

Photo journal

Bullet journal

Tracking journal

Art journal

Video journal

Nature journal

Vision board journal – create the images, write the copy

Creative ways of making your journal more interesting

Here are some ways of making your journal look more interesting if you are starting to think it looks to boring, or doesn’t have enough ‘you’ in it….

Create collages

Add custom hand lettering to the page

Write out quotes

Decorate your pages (eg with washi tape and scraps of paper)

Pockets and tags

Magazines cut outs

Woman in a gingham dress with a pen writing in a journal. Accompanies the blog post on creative journal ideas

Making mistakes is all part of the creative journey

Learning to make and accept mistakes is a vital part of creativity.

All creativity involves: mistakes, a mess, dead ends and starting again.

Wanting it to be perfect first time is hugely unhelpful. In fact it could be a way of your brain stopping you from making any start at all.

It just won’t be perfect first time. So don’t be afraid of making the first daub, dollop, pencil mark, or sketch. It’s work in progress.

A creative journal is work in progress.

Are you ready to start creating and to journey through your work in progress?

Where will you go?

How will you start?

What will you say

or draw

or describe?

Good luck! We hope you find all our resources useful.

For more blog posts on the subject of journaling types and varieties you may also like:

How to fit different types of journaling into your life

How to organise a journal for the life you want

How to transform your life with 144 thought provoking journal prompts

Finally, let me tell you a little bit about Wardrobe Journaling. It is the process I have created that helps you understand yourself better through journaling and through thinking about the clothes you wear and your own unique personality. There are lots of Wardrobe Journaling blog posts available on this site. There is also the entirely unique Wardrobe Journaling course. If you want to take a step further into your own self development and self care this is a great, gentle but powerful course to take.

Have a great day!

Sarah

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