I love to journal, and I do so in quite a few different ways. Each one plays a different role in my creative process and spiritual growth.
1. Visual journaling I love art journaling, in addition to keeping a simple handwritten journal. I find that visual journaling challenges me to express my thoughts in a completely different way. It’s a great place for me to explore collage ideas, as well, and it’s the perfect place for me to take risks with my art without worrying too much about the end result.
2. Prayers and prayer lists In my day-to-day journal, I keep prayer lists (which include notes here and there that I can refer back to when I’m praying throughout the week), as well as complete handwritten prayers, where I write everything that’s on my heart and share it with the Lord.
3. Gratitude lists/things I want to remember In both my handwritten journals and art journals, I enjoy keeping lists of things I’m thankful for, things I’m currently loving, and memories I don’t want to forget.
4. Inspirational quotes, lyrics, & scripture I enjoy collecting quotes, lyrics, and scripture selections that inspire and encourage me. I save these in both my handwritten journals and my art journals.
5. Creative brainstorm ideas I have a journal that I use specifically for blog/art/and creative writing ideas. It’s tiny, so it’s perfect for tucking into my purse. I’ve also used this journal to take notes during inspiring church messages.
In the past, I’ve also kept journal lists of books to read/books I’ve read. I’ve gotten away from doing that, but it was a lot of fun during one season when I was doing a lot of reading and wanting to keep track of everything I was reading and how it impacted me.
I love paging through old journals and giving thanks for all the Lord has done. It’s such a great way for me to keep track of hopes and dreams, favorite memories, my growth, and both the beautiful and bittersweet parts of my journey.
If you don’t keep a journal, I recommend giving it a try. If you’re not a big writer, try keeping a visual journal and pasting in little snippets from your everyday life. If you already keep a journal, think about fresh ways you can record your thoughts and ideas, your hopes and dreams, your memories, and what inspires/encourages you.
a place to dwell 
Great suggestions. I especially like the gratitude journal one. A great way to remind you of all the good stuff in life.
Excelllent post…I think its really cool that you keep journals of lists. Again great post and great blog!
love your journal pages and your photos! i’ve never been really big on journals, but i consider pinterest my new “journal” hub for ideas. plus then i don’t need to print anything out! of course, i can imagine it’s nice to flip through old books.
Thanks for reading, everyone! :)
Tokyohamster: I’m a big fan of Pinterest, as well. It’s a great resource for saving inspiration and ideas.
so inspired to start journaling. you do beautiful work but you make it look so easy ha!
Aw, thank you! It’s definitely relaxing and rewarding, I think. If you start a visual journal, please let me know/post your pages. Would love to see them! :)