Journaling: A Simple Way to Clear Your Mind and Build Your Creativity
Last week I had a brief exchange of messages with someone who wanted to know how I use my journal, not just what journal I use. That’s a great question!
I journal every day, almost without fail. Sometimes it’s short and sweet — today I did X, Y, and Z. Today I had a fight with my husband. Today I talked with my son/daughter about whatever. Today’s weather was great/lousy/hot/cold.
You get the idea.
Some days I write more extensively. If something interesting happened, if I’m trying to work out a scene in my book, if I’m feeling a certain way, I’ll write more. And some days, I write a lot. For example, when I was in Panama last winter, I filled a lot of pages describing people I’d met, places I’d been, and things I’d done.
Some writers use their journals for Morning Pages. If you’re not familiar with the concept, Julia Cameron came up with the idea. As she describes it, it’s “the bedrock tool of creative recovery.”
Basically, it’s 750 words (three handwritten pages) of stream-of-consciousness writing about “anything and everything that crosses your mind.” MasterClass says it’s a “cathartic, ritualistic writing process that clears your mind, builds confidence, and creates a path for greater creativity.”
I’ve done Morning Pages from time to time (although I do them at bedtime, not in the morning, but that’s just me). I’ve also used my journal for writing prompts, or for practicing descriptions. “The camellia bush next to my porch looks like. . .”
I also use my journal to track my abysmally small amount of physical activity. “I walked around the lake twice today. It was a pleasant 75 degrees or so, and sunny. There were lots of people out.” On days when I do get out and walk, or whatever, I’ll record my heart points and number of steps. These numbers I circle with a colored marker so they stand out, making it easy to see how often (or seldom) I engage in healthful activities.
Sonia Simone, content marketer and creative person extraordinaire, suggests using your journal as your personal, portable art studio. “Art,” in this case, can be, you know, graphic, representational art or the art of stringing words together.
I use a bullet journal, but I’m definitely not one of the people who turn them into works of art. Pinterest and Instagram are full of examples, like this and this. Just search for #bulletjournal or #bojo.
Whatever/however you use your journal, it should be personal and private. For your eyes only (unless you’re one of those fancy bullet journal types who likes to show off).
What I’m Reading
I’ve just finished the most recent book in Estelle Ryan’s Genevieve Lenard collection. The Namatjira Collection is 16th in the series.
Compared to previous books in the series, I found this one disappointing.
Dr. Genevieve Lenard is non-neurotypical. In the first book of the series, The Gaugin Connection, she’s a reclusive loner. She works for a high-end insurance company analyzing data, which includes her deep knowledge of body language and facial expression. As the series progresses, she starts to gather people around her, and becomes more open to many things that would have previously sent her into an autistic shutdown. She and her ever-enlarging team develop a reputation for solving art crimes.
Each book focuses attention on a particular artist, some well known, like Gaugin, and some not so well known, like Namatjira.
It’s an interesting series with an intriguing protagonist, but this one felt, well, shallow. Superficial, compared to its predecessors. Still a worthwhile read.
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Notable Quotes
I wondered if there was something in the water around here. It seemed the older women got, the crazier they got. It made me look forward to growing old at Charleton House.
- Mulled Wine and Murder by Kate P Adams
This is a nice technique for snark — make a statement, then say something completely unexpected about it. It reminds me of when my brother-in-law was recounting a rather harrowing tale about a sailing trip he took with his wife and two children. They had to be rescued by an old fishing boat somewhere between Florida and the Dry Tortugas. He finished giving us play-by-play descriptions of the boat trouble, the building storm, and his worries that his kids wouldn’t live to grow up.
When he was all done, he looked around at all of us, raised his glass, and said, “Good times!” It still cracks me up when I think about it.
I was paddling up to the last day of term with great energy – this is a particularly poor metaphor, however, as, in reality, I am an abysmal swimmer.
- The Mystery of Mistletoe Hall by Benedict Brown
These types of language games are frequent in this book series, the Lord Edgington Investigates mysteries, which is unique in that the narrator is a schoolboy. I wrote about the first book in the series, Murder at the Spring Ball, here.