Art journaling is not about being an artist.
It’s not about having the perfect sketchbook or knowing how to blend paint.
It’s about showing up on the page as you are, without judgement.
It’s about making space for your feelings to move through you, with colour, with marks, with quiet attention.
At Positive Mental Artitude®, I see art journaling as an invitation.
A gentle way to reconnect with yourself.
To listen in.
To express what words can’t always hold.
What Is Art Journaling?
Art journaling is a creative practice that blends visual elements (like colour, texture, doodles or collage) with writing, observation and emotion. Some people use it to process thoughts. Some use it to track their mood, plan gently, or record sensory moments. Some just need to make a mess on the page and feel lighter afterwards.
There is no right way to begin.
You might pick up a brush.
You might tear paper, scribble a word, or blend chalk with your fingers.
You might simply start with the question:
“What do I need to release right now?”
Why I Journal with Colour
For me, colour is a language.
When I can’t quite articulate what I’m feeling, I can usually paint it.
Sometimes it’s layered and loud.
Other times, it’s quiet and fragmented.
Either way, the act of making gives the feeling somewhere to go.
Art journaling can help navigate grief, anxiety, chronic overwhelm and creative burnout. It offers a soft structure when the world feels chaotic. It’s a nervous system support tool that doesn’t demand an outcome.
How to Begin Your Own Practice
Start simple. Use what you have. Choose curiosity over perfection.
Here are a few ideas:
Open a blank page and choose one colour that matches your mood
Write one sentence and decorate around it
Try “journaling in layers”, colour first, words second, collage last
Use your non-dominant hand to draw how your body feels
Write a quote you needed to hear today, then illustrate the feeling behind it
There’s no need to finish. There’s no need to share.
Just sit with the page and see what arrives.
Make It a Ritual
Art journaling becomes most powerful when it’s treated as a practice, not a project. Light a candle. Play music. Give yourself 10 minutes without interruption. This is not about being productive. It’s about becoming present.
Positive Mental Artitude® exists to remind you that creative living is available to everyone.
You don’t have to be an artist. You just have to begin.
Let this be your gentle entry point. Your permission to feel.
Your invitation to make something that makes you feel more like yourself.