#visual journaling

summer 2025 in my midori notebook. twsbi eco-t + taccia sabimidori ink

Images of clothes I’d like to wear, makeup I want to try, and places I hope to see.

I pinned them gently into a vision board.

I don’t know if it will work—

but I’ll keep returning to it, quietly updating as I grow.

今日、雑誌を切り抜いて、ビジョンボードを作ってみた！✨

とりあえず、自分が着てみたい服、やってみたいメイク、行きたい所を切り抜いてみたよ🩵

果たしてこのビジョンボードの効果はあるだろうか…

定期的にアップデートしよう！

Today’s practice

Spring Florals & Physical Media (on Instagram) by Marisa Renee

aka- Art Journaling, Illustrated Journaling

Come visit our journaling community here on tumblr: “Journal With Us!”

“I redirected my journals toward the inner worlds of imagination and often to what was just below the surface of awareness…” - Cathy Malchiodi PhD

Visual journaling is a common method for those who wish to express themselves through visual art, some finding it easier to do than through written language. This method incorporates any mediums of visual art—collages, drawings, doodles, abstract works—as opposed to, or along side, writing.

It can be a creative and un-oppressive way to record moments of your life, or to deconstruct and process through major life experiences as a reflective practice.

Materials:

Materials are tailored to the individual and what you wish to draw with. This could be a pencil pouch with colored pencils and markers, or maybe for the bold just a black pen will do. I recommend a simple pencil, eraser, and pen, to start with. I used a cheap pack of crayons, which is quickly becoming my favorite medium to use!

How To:

There are different ways to practice visual journaling, one of which involves recording daily moments through your art. This can be done by taking your journal and materials with you to record your day as it happens: say, doodling your coffee trip as you sit at the cafe. Another suggestion is to take pictures throughout your day so you may draw it at a later time. You can even do this by memory, which is a great way to exercise and strengthen your memory; and while this technique might not lead to the most accurate of doodles, it does make for some interesting and fun art.

Another way to engage with visual journaling is through prompts, whether they be prompts you choose or create. For example, a prompt might have you describe your favorite place. You can do this by creating art of that place through a general sketch of the location, or a comic based on a memorable moment in that place.

Experiment with visual journaling. Challenge yourself to think outside the box. Don’t just draw what you see, try to create art that invokes what you are feeling. Create art that is abstract, colorful, monochromatic, or strange. Don’t limit yourself to skill level and realism, this is your journal and should foremost be meaningful to you.

Helpful Exercises:

What’s your relation to color? Think about the color wheel and all its hues, do you associate some colors with certain emotions?

Experiment with patterns and shapes. These elements are a great way to convey tone and mood. For example, I tend to use busy colorful patterns and shapes with sharp angles to represent anxiety or anger.

Draw a loved one, or yourself, from memory. OR, draw things that may represent the person of your choosing.

Try creating short poems or passages after an abstract art piece. This is great way to exercise communication by transforming a visual language (your art) into a written language.

Articles:

Visual Journaling

Visual Journaling as a Reflective Practice

A Guide to Starting a Visual Journal

Videos:

A guide to art journaling!

Let’s Visual Journal- Studio Vlog

How I Visual Journal in a Daily Agenda

Self Care Through Visual Journaling- 5 Easy Prompts

My art therapy journal entry for today! 🦋

So wonderful so lovely

The flaps ! v