I believe many of you who frequently engage in drawing have experienced the feeling of being stuck in a creative rut. When you're sitting in front of a blank canvas, unsure of what to draw, creating a creative journal might just be your secret weapon to break through this barrier! And it's not just for artists who draw – this method can be used by anyone in various artistic fields, such as animation drawing, video production and photography. Creative Journal is truly your best friend in these situations!
What is Creative Journal？
Creative Journaling involves jotting down your own ideas and techniques for creation. Anything you want to pursue can be included! Crafting creative notes is a relaxed yet effective method that helps unleash the sparks of creativity within you. Try jotting down various themes, colors, emotions, and objects, and then represent them in your notebook using drawings, text, stickers, and other methods. This form of note-taking not only documents your thoughts but also serves as a treasure trove of inspiration, ready to ignite your creative flair at any moment. There aren't strict rules, but if you're looking for a reference on what I personally do, here are some things I set for myself.
Category 1 | Recording Your Thought
After visiting exhibitions, I make sure to jot down the artworks that captivated me with their uniqueness and charm.
Category 2 | Idea Bomb
I will draw out the ideas that comes up with my mind.
Category 3 | Scrapbooking
You can collect any free materials that you can access to and use them to create a new theme of artwork. This can help you to practise on the composition and color matching.
Category 4 | Learning Something New
Make a fascinating note for the new knowledge you just learn.
The essence of creative journaling is freedom. I've experimented before by spontaneously pasting all the reflective sheets I had onto the same page. Honestly, I didn't know what it could lead to, but I quite enjoyed the outcome.
4 Major Benefits of Creating Creative Journal
Benefit 1 | Open Your Mind
Creating creative notes can help you see things from different perspectives, breaking through the blind spots of your usual thinking and sparking diverse creative inspirations. Most of the time, what you end up with is different from what you expected, and that's where the most intriguing aspect of creative notes lies!
Benefit 2 | Record Your Creativity
When you suddenly have a great idea but worry about forgetting it, creative notes become your best tool! Jot it down quickly, refer back to it anytime, and ensure you don't miss any creative sparks.
(Btw, it is understandable that it's not always possible to take notes and jot down sketches on the spot. Just jot it down on your phone for now, and later, you can think about how to expand upon it in your creative notes.)
Benefit 3 | Stress Release
When you're feeling stressed about drawing, you can relieve your emotions through creative notes. We all understand that when there's a lack of inspiration for drawing, it can be frustrating. However, forcing yourself to draw when nothing's coming out can make your mood even worse. In such moments, engaging in simple creative activities, like cutting and pasting, can significantly uplift your mood!
Benefit 4 | Train Your Aesthetic
"Why collect various materials from everywhere? I have a printer at home. I can just Google the images I want and print them out."
Nonono, the process of collecting materials from different places allows you to explore a wide range of sources. Materials distributed locally can be heavily influenced by the purpose and atmosphere of the location. Additionally, the paper quality and color schemes used in each piece are also vastly different.
In other words, the primary goal of collecting materials isn't to find images that match your "desired image," but rather to obtain visuals and color combinations you hadn't previously imagined. Furthermore, when collecting images from different sources, the sizes, art styles, and color palettes aren't consistent. This is where your ability to unify the theme through selecting appropriate images and arranging them effectively comes into play!
How to Start Your Own Creative Journal?
Step 1 | Choose a Notebook
Choose any notebook you like as the dedicated tool for your creative notes. There are no specific requirements; the most important thing is that the paper color should not be too distracting or the style too prominent. Also, avoid notebooks with large patterns that might limit your flexibility when creating various kinds of artworks in the future.
Step 2 | Collect Materials
Collect various free distributed publications, promotional leaflets, newspapers, and such from around. Then, consider how to use these materials for a variety of collages. Once you've found your style, you can actually start collecting only the materials that are useful to you during your gathering process.
Step 3 | Start Journaling
Now it's time for you to unleash your creativity! At the beginning, you might not be entirely sure what you're doing. But as you continue, you'll discover the creative notes you want to make!
My Creative Journal looks lame, what should I do？
In my opinion, when it comes to creating creative journal, it's important not to have overly specific goals. If you're constantly fixated on making something incredibly creative, the results might end up lacking that true creativity. Trust me, pick a theme, regardless of whether it seems interesting or creative. Just start. Once you begin making collages, you'll gradually understand how to develop a theme effectively, and along the way, you might unexpectedly come up with some fantastic content.
Here's a bit of videos that share my Creative Journal, which you might find interesting to look at. I hope you can find your own inspiration!
