✍️ The Artful Journal

Word of the Month: Shine 🌟

🌞 Prompt: "Let Your Light Shine" 🌞 With the arrival of longer days and summer vibes, it's time to let your inner light shine! This month, think about what makes you feel bold, bright, and full of life. Whether it’s your creativity, your spirit, or your joy, what part of you is ready to radiate? Celebrate the lightness and energy of summer, and bring that energy into your journal.

Inspiration for Your Journal: 

✨ Use vibrant colors like sunny yellows, electric blues, and radiant pinks to capture the warmth and brightness of the season. 

✨ Incorporate elements that reflect summer fun—think sunshine, fireworks, beach motifs, or playful patterns. 

Word of the Month: Bloom 🌸

🌿 Prompt: "Awaken and Bloom" 🌿 This month, we focus on the idea of awakening to your fullest potential. Reflect on what parts of you are coming alive in new ways. What’s emerging in your life that shows the strength and beauty of your inner potential? How are you stepping into new versions of yourself—whether that’s through your creativity, mindset, or self-expression?

Inspiration for Your Journal: 

✨ Create layers that symbolize personal growth or awakening—use soft textures or even abstract shapes that suggest inward expansion or a shift in perspective. 

✨ Focus on rich, bold colors that represent inner strength or calm—deep purples, calming blues, warm pinks, or fiery oranges. 

Word of the Month: Growth

🌿 Prompt: "Growing Into..." 🌿

Growth can take many forms—personal, creative, emotional, or even the literal growth of nature around us. This month, reflect on what growth means to you. Are you stepping into something new? Nurturing an idea, skill, or mindset? Watching the world bloom around you?

Inspiration for Your Journal: 

✨ Use layers to represent different stages of growth—collage, paint, or texture to build up your page. 

Hey everyone! I’m Jesse. Growing up, if there was an art class, I was probably in it—painting, ceramics, cartooning, graphic design, you name it. But no matter what I tried (creative scatterbrain and all), I always found myself going back to my sketchbook. It’s where I would fill pages with collages, drawings, and whatever inspired me at the time. It traveled everywhere with me, from road trips to late nights at Barnes & Noble, spending hours sketching coloring, and even designing tattoos on the patio. I always go back to collages with ephemera and a mix of text, paint, or pencil. No rules, just enjoying the process. :)

Lately I've been focusing on using up my vintage ephemera stash and my mountain of craft supplies. Why "save" it? Use the good stuff, enjoy it.

Looking forward to being here with others who love creative journaling too!

Welcome to The Artful Journal! 📖✨ This is a creative space for lovers of paper, junk journals, and all things ephemera. Whether you’re a seasoned journaler or just starting out, this is the perfect place to share your projects, swap ideas, and find inspiration from the world of paper arts.

What’s your latest journal creation, and what types of ephemera or techniques are you excited to use next? We can’t wait to see your beautiful pages and share in the creative process together!