Ten Ideas for Creative Journaling

Being your family's memory keeper means telling the stories of your daily life for future generations to look back on. Journaling is another piece of that puzzel—but sometimes it can be hard to get your words down on paper. The teachers at Big Picture Classes have compiled ten ideas for creative journaling to help get your stories told. Learn how to use a planner to record your memories with Jen Marie Randall in Journaling in Your Memory Planner. Use interactive elements to keep a story secretly tucked away in Hidden Journaling with Jamie Leija. Use the prompt of thankfulness to spark ideas for journaling with Jamie Pate in Days of Gratitude. Explore these ideas and more to tell in-depth stories in your projects! 

Reach a little deeper and tell more of the stories that are tapping on your heart.

Digging Deeper | Adding Meaningful Journaling, Candace Perkins

This is my passion and my goal as I create. When I create, I don’t only want to make beautiful spreads, I want to document and express the facts and the feelings of my life. I want the photos and products to be supported by a strong foundation of words. This is why we document! This is why we capture our memories—so we don’t forget. These moments will pass all too quickly, and as we look back, we will want words to support our photos and add context, depth, and emotion to the memory.

Use a planner to record your everyday stories. 

Journaling in Your Memory Planner, Jen Marie Randall

I absolutely love writing down little bits of memories and telling larger stories with more detail. Memory keeping is my absolute favorite project to work on. Since January 2016, I've used a planner to document the year, as well as keep track of my busy life functionally, too. In this class, I'm going to share some ideas, inspiration, and techniques to gain more space in your planner for journaling. In each lesson, we'll take a closer look at how you can add interesting items to your memory keeping planner or functional planner to write down your priceless memories.

Hide your words.

Hidden Journaling, Jamie Leija

What is hidden journaling exactly? For me, it's journaling that isn't immediately visible to the viewer of the page. It's words that are tucked away for some reason or another. The touch of secrecy and the layers (literal and figurative) are what appeal to me about this technique. Also, journaling tends to be the last thing I add to a layout, which causes all kinds of high jinks on my pages! Too often I'm left trying to figure out where to put the words. Hidden journaling has saved me from a scrape or two, which is why I'm so excited to share it with you!

Create a habit of writing down your stories every day. 

Journaling Daily, Theresa Doan

I take the time to write down something every day. It may be just one sentence or a few sentences. It may be something I did that day, just a thought I had, or something that I'm grateful for. I combine my planning and scrapbooking with my journaling. It captures everything that's going on in that moment—from my schedule to my feelings, big events and small chores.

Tell your stories.

Journal Your Story, Kim Jeffress

My philosophy on this is simple—write it down! When you combine your words and photos on a scrapbook layout, the full story is there never to be forgotten. That is why I scrapbook! In this five-lesson class, you will see how I have combined photos and journaling in five different ways to make my scrapbooks just a little bit more special. I'll share five creative ways that I add journaling to my pages.

Focus on what you're thankful for. 

Days of Gratitude, Jamie Pate

Did you know that if you were to write down three gratitudes a day—just three a day—that at the end of the year you would have more than a thousand? Imagine the bounty that a book full of daily gifts found would do for your soul. A book brimming with just a couple little things you noticed along the way.

Document your stories with a new twist.

Have I Told You the Story Of..., Becki Adams

Do you ever find yourself saying phrases like: "There was that one time..." "Have I told you my favorite story about...?" "Have I told you about the time I...?" "Have I told you the story of...?" If the answer is "yes," then this is the class for you! It's time to get those stories documented and in your albums. In this class, we'll go through six quirky topics you probably don't have documented in your scrapbooks.

Show your personality through your journaling. 

Creative Journaling, Lisa Morefield

Writing is my favorite part of scrapbooking. I love documenting the clever things my kids say and all the little moments I might otherwise forget. And hearing my children giggle as they read funny stories about their toddler days is quite rewarding. Scrapbook journaling is not only great for adding information to your layouts, it’s also an opportunity to be creative and show your personality. I’m excited to share with you my favorite tips, exercises, and ideas for improving and adding creativity to scrapbook journaling—from writing about everyday moments to reporting what happened at an event. Writing is lots of fun!

Find a story you want to tell, and then build a layout around it.

Start with the Story, Tracie Claiborne

Stories matter, because they keep traditions alive. They’re the foundation of our very existence. Without stories passed down from generation to generation, we wouldn’t know who we are, where we came from, or how different life is now than in the past. You may think your own stories don’t matter, but they do to someone, even if that someone is only you when you’re older. Our memories fade, but the written page is forever.

Journal your conversations.

Pocket Prompts | 21, Pepper Tan

A great conversation is my favorite thing to capture in Project Life® journaling. Perhaps you can share a little more about what was being discussed. There are several types of conversations you can document: text message or email conversations, face-to-face conversations, phone conversations, conversations overheard. 

For even more journaling prompts, be sure to check out the Pocket Prompts series! Each month, a new teacher shares five new journaling prompts, as well as five photo prompts and their process for putting together a pocket page spread.

Are you feeling inspired to journal in new and creative ways? Join the BPC teachers in the classroom and start telling your stories in your projects today! Remember, as a member of Big Picture Classes, you get access to our entire library of classes. Sign up now and start exploring!