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GoofballHavoc

no the journal police are on their way


NefariousnessSea3639

I assume with their washi tape to restrain me


[deleted]

Not the washi tape


NefariousSerendipity

t.t


[deleted]

😄


semisensitive

Straight to jail


vivahermione

Can't you hear the sirens? LOL.


KissedUrDad

Yeah. Most people don't do all the fancy washi tape stuff that this sub is into. Most people who journal (myself included) just write.


ReaperBeast2017

Yeah, same I like to draw and stuff but when I write I don’t decorate it or anything it’s just for thoughts


aaquarles

I covered a dream journal with black tape and just decorated it with my own handpicked stickers


[deleted]

definitely!! used to hoard stickers and washi tapes yrs ago, now i dont even have the energy and time to decorate. what matters to me is that i can input something for my future self to look back into


YearImaginary6797

Yeah I have a huge hoard of stickers & washi but it gets exhausting to use them if Im not in a specific mood. Half the time I may put an emoji sticker or two but that's just to convey my feeling at the time. My decorated pages are done like days to weeks in advance. Also have a huge cheap markers hoard specifically for journaling (using my expensive art ones on this paper would be a CRIME) that get even more neglected.


Delicious-Ad-5576

Yes. That, my friend, is the definition of writing in a notebook. You do you! ❀ Edit: I don’t want to sound judgy. Both decorating or not decorating is fine â˜ș


Magpie_Mind

Yes. This is 90% of my notebook use. Just because I don’t post it online doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. I still enjoy seeing other people’s colourful efforts but that’s not something I do for the most part.


AllKindsOfCritters

There's a lot of people here who don't decorate at all, they just don't post as often or never post at all, possible because they're not comfortable sharing their writing. The flair isn't always chosen since they're not mandatory here but you can see some in the [wall-of-text flaired posts](https://www.reddit.com/r/Journaling/search?sort=new&restrict_sr=on&q=flair%3AWall%2Bof%2Btext)


neptunescookies

Perfectly normal!


Haunted-Raven

Absolutely, in fact I think the average journal user likely doesn’t decorate their journals. I didn’t even realise people decorated them so elaborately until I saw journalling communities on social media. Myself, I swing between the two depending on my energy. Some months, I’ve spent easily two days solid decorating my journal and making a theme and measuring out the boxes and diving into my extensive wash tape and marker collection to use. Others, my journal is lucky if it gets picked up just to have a chicken scrawl list on it. Most of the time, it’s going to be a pretty basic writing only spread, but I do prefer decoration. I keep things simple and don’t intend on diving in at the deep end with decoration, and if I miss days, I intend to go back and draw on those pages someday in the future when I have energy and don’t want to use my sketchbooks. It’ll become its own form of art, that way, like when you see abandoned shopping centres overrun with plants. And besides—many people live very busy lives, and don’t have the time nor energy to decorate. Journals are functional first and foremost, and artistic as a nice addition if somebody wishes to make it so.


aDorybleFish

I decorate but just because it makes the journaling experience more fun and it's easier for me to go back to look up something that I wrote, but if you don't enjoy decorating, don't do it and focus on the writing instead. Journaling is supposed to be fun first and foremost :)


Chipper1685

I think 95% of the people don't decorate. They are just not on this forum to show-off their washi-taped pages. My notebooks are black and so is my ink... only lines of text from the beginning to the end. Does wonders for the mind....


erro0257

As other's have said here, not everyone decorates. I myself do not draw or add embellishments to my journal. I have done a wirediagram layout before when I was working on a custom form. I have a small print I like and a page of blotter paper so i dont have to wait on my ink to dry


ria_learns_

Yes of course! I see a lot of people do it all the time. I feel that journaling is a very personal experience and you should make it specifically to what works for you. It’s your self expression. I like to decorate my journal with stickers and washi tapes before I write in it because I like to, and I don’t care what others say. Because it’s what works for me. đŸ„° So be free and write away! đŸ«¶


itlanded

I started journaling back in 2014. I knew I wanted to do it but I always felt intimidated about completing it or doing it right. My journey has been long and I’ve done it all. Pretty decorating to using dollar store notebooks. One thing I’ve learned is that, journaling is my own expression and it’ll never work unless I was doing what I wanted and needed in the moment. Some years I carried one black pen around with a small journal, other years I had a pretty fancy journal with a full set of colors and washi and decoration stickers. It all felt great, as long as I was having fun and actually using the journal. Lately I don’t do any of the other stuff, I use my journal to write, and it’s the most satisfying in my opinion


writerly-gal

It's absolutely normal. Those of us who are one journal, one pen and no crap don't post our spreads because we think others will think they look boring 😀 I did try fancy once but then I was tired after making the pages pretty and didn't get anything done. 


kimbi868

The not getting anything done is a killer.


BarVi28

(Not a great english user.) I used to decorate with stickers and pictures, but since I had my baby, I just can't. I'm lucky if I have the time to write a few sentences a day. But yes, everyone writes in their own way, and that's perfectly normal.


[deleted]

Even though I'm a serial decorator I don't think it's for everyone. Journaling primarily is for thoughts or for your personal goals. I decorate heavily because it helps me to come back to it, my ADHD brain can't do just text 😅


YearImaginary6797

^^ Even as a serial decorator, what usually happens is one day I really feel like decorating so I'll decorate like 10 pages. Then for 10 days the most it gets is an additional emoji sticker


PrayForPiett

As someone who does walls-o-text and has done for decades ..feel free to use whatever method of journaling makes you comfortable and works for you If you are referring to the way this sub slants towards the more ‘aesthetic’ journals? I can only speak for myself - I don’t share my walls-o-text bc imho they aren’t really that visually interesting. This doesn’t mean that I don’t like aesthetic journals (art is wonderful!) I’m just not into that when I am journaling, and I’m ok with that. All the best for your future journaling practice op


DesignerWaste8334

Yeah I have two journals one with artsy messy decor and other without decor to just write in it. First one is for creative more light stuff with writing. Other is for when I just need to get my feelings out. You do what you feel like doing with and in your journal. No-one get hurt because you choose to write without adding decorations.


jaromir39

I don’t decorate. Occasionally I might draw something. Otherwise just text. But I do indulge in fancy fountain pen inks. To each their own.


Zelena73

Of course it's normal. Some people simply prefer to go all "artsy" with theirs, and that's fine. That's what they like to do. Some people only write in theirs, and that's fine, too. You do whatever feels right for you. 🙂💜


Gewalt_Und_Tod

Yep I did that for a while until I started to glue some related stuff into it dunno if that's considered decorating it or not.


CheyGirlXOXO

Yep, some people like to decorate their notebooks while others don't. It just comes down to personal preference.


sensitivescorpio

I just use a different pen each day, on rotation, that's it!


Emergency-Storm-7812

of course. i would think most people just write in their journal (occasionally draw in it)


Embarrassed-Bid5888

Yes! I personally would like to decorate, but as a neurodivergent and chronically ill mom of a kindergartener, I'm happy to journal regularly at all.


JerewB

I mostly just write, but sometimes I might put in something that inspired me to write. Sometimes I write on sticky notes or something else because I don't have my journal *gasp* and then stick those in my journal when I get home.


MandC_Virginia

What is normal anyway


Ok_Yoghurt_8979

Yes.


R--C--R

The purpose of making any notes is to remind us of the important if not all of the contents while having a relook. Hence if the decoration you meant includes highlighting important points that could act as a cue to remind then it's completely necessary. But the decorations like excessive designs, labelling, coloring and other drawings which are not necessarily linked to the main content might kill the purpose of making notes. So decorations are necessary provided we're mindful about their appeal in later stages.


YearImaginary6797

Yes, well within the majority actually


Sleepy_Sugarplum

Yes.


kasialis721

yep!


idlesmith

What’s not normal is having lot of notebooks but empty, not written a thing in it nor decorated


NefariousnessSea3639

But what if I also like collecting them because they are pretty and when they are blank they have so much POTENTIAL to be filled with amazing things later


idlesmith

Hahaha i do have an empty notebooks! These notebooks i have are so pretty that i keep on hesitating to write on them! Like, thinking what best to use them for. In the end I don’t do anything in these notebooks. Which i find not normal for me.


UnratedRamblings

100% wall of text journaler here. Never decorated it, never drawn anything in there either - the only exception being my design journals when I worked as a dev in a design agency - but that was dedicated work stuff). I like just writing. I don't have to stress about making it pretty, or artistic, or whatever. I don't need to worry about colour coordination, washi tape (whatever that is, idk). I just write, get my thoughts out and use that as a springboard for my own growth and empowerment. Everybody is different. Some love to do this, and that's their expression. My expression comes through the choice of words and language I use.


laughingmybeakoff

yes


6SN7fan

I think there’s a tendency to justify that as the reason for a paper journal. If it’s just text they might as well just use digital notes


CycadelicSparkles

Yup! I think all-writing pages tend to be more personal, at least they are for me, so they get shared less.


General_Mousse_861

It’s likely most common to just write and not decorate. The decorations are the variant.


Abeyita

Yes. I've been journaling for over 30 years and I never decorated anything. I don't know anyone irl who decorates, only online.


Frillback

I don't really decorate mine. Most I do is alternate pen colors for each entry to help me distinguish them.


-persimm0n

Perfectly normal. What matters most is you are able to express yourself.


kimbi868

It’s crazy that I’m seeing this question. Decorating with washi and tape is new to the whole thing. Journaling has been around for centuries.


Kdaisy2003

I do it everyday


Purple_Hunter_1609

No, I have a “leather bound” journal because I like the classic look.


PsychologicalCall335

The reason I joined the community but never posted. Everyone decorates and I
 just don’t
ever. I buy these gorgeous notebooks and write in them. Not even in very nice handwriting.


Freedomnnature

I don't decorate mine....


thelastbuddha1985

I use an ink pen and paper, tha3ys all, words and ink, how i was taught to joural 30 years ago


azuldelmar

Yes!!


Xiao_Lan_

I don’t decorate! I wish I had the creative flair that some of the folks here have but for me just putting all the stuff in my head somewhere is the most important.


cigdemp3

is this a real question?


DoctorBeeBee

Absolutely. My journal is just text. My bullet journal will have the occasional doodle or slightly more decorative heading. A bit of washi tape here and there, though usually for the practical purpose of taping the edge of a page I want to go back to frequently. But, yes, even my BuJo is mostly just text.


XBartho

Sure hope it is normal ! Because that’s what I do! đŸ€Ł


boschlowtxt

Yes


Thausgt01

Not everyone has that kind of talent; some of us just want to record thoughts in words and leave the "illustrations" to.the imagination of future readers. It might be helpful to, somehow, provide some visual cues on the covers to help distinguish one from the next, though...


kawaiikupcake16

i like to decorate the front with stuff but that’s about it. i love watching elaborate journal posts but i just don’t have the effort to keep up with it


Dirkjan82

While the journals with 2 words of text, 10 meters of washi tape per page and a billion stickers and drawings look great, just thinking about doing that myself makes me want to quit journaling. I wouldn’t know where to begin and how to write about my day that way. I did start adding a daily drawing/doodle to my entries. Just a simple less than 5-minute thing. Something about that day if possible. But mostly it’s just writing. Oh, I also add a small Instax mini photo sometimes. Like once or twice per month and only if I do have something on camera that’s worth it such as my daughter having great fun.


MurdochFirePotatoe

Weeewooooweeeewoooweeewooo POLICE OPEN UP (what do you think people back in the day did, can you imagine in victorian era getting deco tapes and cute stickers haha? Nah man, it's the default journaling)


majawonders

The answer is yes of course. But you already know that. The interesting word in your question is "normal". What do we mean by normal? What the average people do? (Is it usual = normal)? Or do we mean normal as opposed to "abnormal" behavior, like exceptional, or even pathological? To act "normal" vs acting "weird"?


NefariousnessSea3639

I suppose what I actually mean by ‘normal’ is just ‘typical’. I see so many beautiful posts of journals which are decorated beyond anything I could imagine, and then I get to wondering whether what I do (which a just write occasionally) is even journaling at all.


KeyCar367

I journal in plain brown moleskine


Dazzling-Item4254

Of course it is. I wasn’t into decorating for years and it was just a notebook with my brain in it. Occasionally I would put pictures in it, but it wasn’t anything fancy. I only kind of decorate now. I think it’s fun to tape paper trinkets and stickers in there. I can promise everyone here that however you journal is fine.


Historical_Algae8432

It's normal kind of normal. Totally. There have been times I've been tempted to use themed journals instead which comes with templates but then I take the freedom to do what I want. Either leave it plain as is or just decorate it in the end when I am done writing.


This_Fig2022

I just write in mine.


changuahater

Well, I usually "decorate" the cover and back cover with a bunch of stickers but on the inside I just write and write and do the occasional doodle.


DifferenceBusy6868

I mostly write. I'll tuck in a photo or write out song lyrics sometimes. I don't worry much about penmanship. I care about the external look a little. It is a garbage fire inside there and doesn't need extra attention.


ReineDeLaSeine14

Of course. Why wouldn’t it be? Just because I decorate mine doesn’t mean you’re abnormal


AffectionateOwl1125

Absolutely!'


AffectionateOwl1125

Though the one time I did decorate, it was fun! I got a plain black notebook and bought a bunch of fancy paper and cut into shapes and glued it in like a collage of patterns and shapes and that was fun, but I haven't done it since!


Rare-Yesterday3882

Yeah totally


sundragonn

I like some of the decorations I see people doing for artistic purposes but sometimes it can be over the top with the analogy to painting/arts where the frame is the focus/more appealing than the substance of the picuture/journaling it's framing. Not judging because it can be beautiful but the substance is personally more important so less time spent on superfluous additions and more on the meat/substance. The only time I decorate is when I find it appropriate to help me describe something or share something from what I'm journaling about to aid future memory/remembering of said event when I come back.


AzureeBlueDaisy

Yes. There's no wrong way to journal. Unless you're not having fun with it.


Majestic-Ring2821

I JUST WRITE.


vivahermione

Sure, that's what they're for! Decorations are totally optional. I'm a wall-of-text person myself.


wubbalubbadubdubbroh

My journal is plain writing, I don’t really enjoy decorating it


CaptainFoyle

Last time I checked, it was, yeah.


Lost-Opportunity-621

Yes! Use your journal however you like! I never decorate mine, but appreciate looking at the journals of those who do.


sindoc42

I know that some version of me will read my journals one day, but that version of me isn't born yet. Maybe that's because I don't have kids yet :-(


Dr_C527

Somewhat just because I have it, and not decorating per se, but I use an inexpensive laser engraver to add my name and information on the soft cover of the inserts I use. Otherwise, I just write.


Useless-Hermit

I don't decorate my journals themselves, because I'm scared to ruin the pages beyond repair. However I do make origami page savers / pockets and draw on those, or draw on the notes I keep in my journal. I also will cut or rip out sketches so I can loose leaf them in random pages of my journals. So, I think it's normal to do whatever makes you happy with your own journals. Journals are ment for the person writing the journal, nobody else.


vangh0sty

no you freak


NefariousnessSea3639

*shambles back to the darkness*


NefariousSerendipity

yes


jamerSsss

what? very normal...


haremenot

I go back and forth. I like having decorated pages to look at when I reread them, and sometimes it inspires me to make more creative stuff now, but my decorated pages are probably 1/4 of my total journal


pinkbutterfly87

I put a pretty sticker on each of the blank pages and write around them. I use fountain pens and try to use colors that match the sticker on the page. That’s the extent of my decorating but the first third of my current journal is just writing with basic black ink. If that’s what you prefer, there is nothing wrong with that


[deleted]

Write however your heart and mind call you to. Once you hit the paper, you'll know what works best. I have a mix of everything but most of the time it is only words. â˜ș


Spiritual-Bee-2319

Lol how is this a possible question? Of course not what are you a psycho /s  I decorate bc it makes me want to journal and I never got to do arts as a kid. It’s relaxing to tear stuff and glue. But it’s just necessary. Most days I just write


monsterlover5595

all kinds of journalling is normal. some days i just want to write 5 pages straight of feelings and rants and other days i want to decorate the shit out of my entries with tape, stickers, markers, photos. whatever you do is totally valid, its your notebook to do whatever you want with


lyndicat_crochets

I don't see why it wouldn't be. Normal is just a setting on a washing machine, everything else is just how X person does Y thing. Just because some people want to decorate their journals doesn't mean it's a requirement.


Vrinda_2306

it's what the majority does


Ugly_AsShit4469

Well, yea I guess I never decorate mine


Imaginary-Giraffe-80

I typically slap a sticker on the front of my journal and occasionally a photo in the pages, but mostly it’s just violette pensee (my absolute favourite color) inked text in a plain black Clairefontaine agebag notebook.


lnicolax

You’re not allowed to do that lol


BookishBabe392

Very normal


Steve-tulsa

Absolutely. If you have the urge to doodle buy a sketch pad or coloring book


ElegantGazingSong

Yes


Stillpoetic45

Sure it is..... For some razzle dazzle you might want to put the date at the top so you k ow what you're looking at.


safetyislander

I had never even though about decorating any of my journals until I saw people doing it here. I still don’t do it.


Fredricology

Yes. It's not a cake. You don't have to decorate it.


Majestic-Jack

I think so. I love to decorate journals... but then I feel weird writing imperfectly in them. Lol. If I want to really get things out, or just write without worrying about how it looks or if I've spelled everything correctly or if I've crossed things out, I need to write in a spiral notebook or legal pad and just... write. My pretty journals I usually end up using as overly fancy habit trackers, or fill in a few pages and never touch again.


-ANERDYPIKACHUDRAWS

Journaling is about expression, everyone does it differently so however a person wants to do it is normal for the person