Keeping an art journal can be much more than a creative practice. It can become a place to collect ideas, experiment without expectations, work through creative blocks, document your growth, and even process the experiences and emotions that are difficult to put into words. Artist and lifelong maker Ann Tudor shares the unexpected benefits of art journaling she has discovered over the years—and why you don’t need fancy supplies, artistic confidence, or a perfectly finished page to begin.
Who would have thought that keeping an art journal could have so many benefits, not only for your creativity but for your mental health as well?
I bought a thick journal filled with graph paper probably 20 years ago. I didn’t think of myself as worthy of an “official” art journal. I wrote quotes in it, jotted down ideas, and even did rough sketches of things I wanted to try. My very first business logo is in that journal.
I never showed it to anyone.
It wasn’t pretty or colorful. I used pen and pencil, but I still pull that journal out every few years. Now I have quite the collection, and I’ve realized that the simple act of keeping one has benefits I never expected.
Why Keep an Art Journal?
There are so many benefits to keeping an art journal, and I honestly don’t think I realized most of them until years later.
Create With No Expectations
An art journal is your special place to draw, paint, write, design, or simply make marks on a page. You never have to show it to anyone.
There is something so freeing about creating when there are no expectations and no pressure to make something “good.”
An Art Journal is a Place to Keep Your Ideas
Ideas have a way of showing up at the most inconvenient times.
You might have an idea pop into your head but not have the time or bandwidth to do anything with it. Instead of hoping you’ll remember it later, put it in your journal. Sketch it, write it down, or make a quick note so you can come back to it when your schedule allows.
Inspiration When You Feel Stuck
Your journal can also become one of your best sources of inspiration. Whenever I feel creatively stuck, I like to flip through old journals. Sometimes I’ll find an idea I forgot about. Other times, something completely different catches my eye and sparks a brand new idea.
Creative blocks don’t seem nearly as overwhelming when you have pages of inspiration waiting for you.
A Visual Diary
One of my favorite things about keeping a journal is that it quietly becomes a record of your life.
I’ve started putting dates in mine so I can remember what was going on at the time. Looking back, I can see different seasons of my life, what I was creating, and sometimes even what I was thinking.
An Art Journal Helps You Notice More
Keeping a journal has a funny way of changing how you see the world.
You begin noticing how the sunlight streams through a window, interesting color combinations, textures, or flowers growing along your walk.
You probably don’t think much about those moments at the time, but when you sit down with your journal, they somehow find their way onto the page.
It Documents Your Growth
Sometimes it’s hard to see how much you’ve grown because you’re creating every day.
When you flip back through old journals, you can actually see your progress. It is a wonderful reminder of how much you’ve learned, and it gives you confidence to keep going.
It Encourages You to Play
As adults, I think we sometimes forget how to play.
This is the place to experiment, be silly, make a mess, and let your inner child come out.
Not everything has to become a finished piece of artwork.
An Art Journal Quiets Perfectionism
So many of us are afraid to make mistakes or let people see that we aren’t perfect. An art journal is one place where being perfect isn’t the goal.
It is a place to express yourself honestly and leave behind the need to have everything done “right.”
A Meditative Practice
When my mind feels full and I need to reset, I can sit down with my journal and simply doodle.
Giving my hands something to focus on helps quiet my mind. Before long, my racing thoughts slow down, and I can begin making sense of whatever has been swirling around in my head.
Creativity Becomes Easier
The more often you use your journal, the easier creativity seems to come.
Ideas begin showing up more freely. Making becomes more natural, and getting into that creative flow doesn’t seem quite so difficult.
The Most Surprising Benefit of Keeping an Art Journal
For me, the most surprising benefit of keeping an art journal was how much it helped me process
grief.
My husband passed away very suddenly a few years ago. During that time, I found myself filling an entire journal with simple, repetitive marks and shapes.
I wasn’t trying to make art.
I wasn’t trying to make anything beautiful.
I was simply making marks on paper.
Later I found out that what I had naturally been doing is called neurographic art.
Whether that’s what it was or not really doesn’t matter.
What mattered was that those pages helped me process emotions that I couldn’t put into words. Sometimes our hands know exactly what we need before our minds do.
Give Art Journaling a Try!
If keeping an art journal feels a little foreign to you and you’d like some direction, I may be able
to help. I offer an Easy Doodle Art Lesson to get you started, and I also have a Sketchbook Kit
available, although that certainly isn’t necessary.
In fact, I’d encourage you to start with what you already have. Don’t go out and buy an expensive journal with amazing paper if you’re just getting started. Grab an old notebook you already have and a pen or pencil.
Try a 30 Day Art Journal Challenge
Set aside 15 minutes each day to open your journal and do something on the page for 30 days.
Don’t make it a big production.
Remember, there are no expectations.
This is just for you.
Just play.
Ready for a Bigger Challenge?
If you’ve been keeping a journal for a while, challenge yourself to a 100 Day Project.
This isn’t for the faint of heart, but I can tell you from experience that it can be incredibly fulfilling.
There is an official 100 Day Project, but I’ve also done them on my own.
Every day I sat down and filled one page with whatever I felt like creating. Doodles, drawings, watercolor, collage, markers, colored pencils, ink. Whatever I felt like that day.
I even used watercolor on regular paper, which made the pages warp.
That was alright.
This was for me.
By the end of those 100 days, I had a journal filled with ideas, marks, doodles, and experiments. During that time, I also created a tremendous amount of artwork and even used bits and pieces from those journal pages in finished paintings.
I’ve also started a 100 Day Challenge and not finished it.
And guess what?
That’s OK. I still add to that journal whenever I think about it.
Did I fail?
Nope.
Eventually, I’ll have 100 days’ worth of creativity in that journal. They just weren’t created on 100 consecutive days.
One Last Thought
If there is one thing I hope you take away from this, it’s that an art journal doesn’t have to be beautiful.
It doesn’t have to be filled with watercolor or fancy lettering.
It doesn’t have to look like something you would post on Instagram.
It just has to be yours.
Years from now, you’ll flip through those pages and remember ideas, different seasons of your life, little victories, hard days, and moments that shaped who you were becoming.
So grab a notebook.
Open to the first page.
Then see what happens!
