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Express Your Creative Side

Last week, I wrote an overview of using bullet journals as a way to tell your story (Is Bullet Journalling For You?). Today I’ll share a few ways that you can use them as creative tools. Here are few ways to make your journal uniquely yours.

A Journaling Evolution

Original bullet journals tended to be super simple hand-written systems for keeping track of tasks, appointments, ideas and random thoughts. It began as an organizational tool and that is what it remains for most of us. But it is so simple and flexible, it can also easily become a creative canvas.

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Plan Ahead

Take some time at the beginning of the week or month to layout and decorate your pages. That lets you add elements and still have beautiful pages on days when you have less time If, for example, you love to draw or paint, take out your markers or watercolours on the weekend and create elaborate backgrounds for the pages you will fill during the rest of the week.

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Use Colour and Fonts

Many creative bullet journalers use their notebooks as more than a tracker, turning them into an art journal with expansive and colourful weekly or monthly spreads to track appointments. Many people also explore lots of colours and writing tools and play with pretty hand-drawn fonts for their daily headers.

If you enjoy drawing or calligraphy, you can implement those skills into your journal. In addition to keeping track of your day, you can take a few minutes to doodle, add a little drawing or try out a pretty new font.

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Add Dimension and Texture

Decorate your pages with paper collages, stickers, washi tape and other embellishments to create dimensional pages that are as beautiful as they are practical.

You can even turn your bullet journal into a scrapbook not only captures what you need to do, but also what you’ve done. Attach pictures, ticket stubs and other mementoes within its pages. Keep it for yourself or share it with your loved ones down the road. Your bullet journal will become a memory capsule.

Remember the Cover

Don’t forget about the creative opportunities of cover pages. Decoupage a collage, quilt a fabric cover, use a piece of reclaimed leather, create custom stamps for a printed design, or find other ways to give your journal a unique personal touch. It might be the only part that you choose to share with the world, making the cover a unique opportunity to make a more public statement.

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Find Inspiration

For inspiration for your creative journal pages look no further than the internet. You’ll find a thriving community of fellow artsy bullet journallers on YouTube and Instagram. Try new techniques and join the fun. It’s easy, fun and inexpensive.

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Make Your Journal Your Own

How creative you get with your journal is entirely up to you and the mediums you use are almost endless. If you find it fun and helpful, go for it. Don’t be afraid to experiment. You can’t ‘mess up’ because it is your creative space. Maybe it will go differently than intended and not be exactly as you pictured. Go with it. It’s a journal and not about perfection. After all, what better place is there to be yourself and play? Happy creating!!

Banner photo by Bich Tran from Pexels

Pencils photo by Jess Bailey Designs from Pexels

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Getting Creative With Bullet Journalling