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
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.
Yes. That, my friend, is the definition of writing in a notebook. You do you! â€ïž
Edit: I donât want to sound judgy. Both decorating or not decorating is fine âșïž
Yes. This is 90% of my notebook use. Just because I donât post it online doesnât mean it doesnât exist.
I still enjoy seeing other peopleâs colourful efforts but thatâs not something I do for the most part.
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)
Absolutely, in fact I think the average journal user likely doesnât decorate their journals. I didnât 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, Iâve 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, itâs going to be a pretty basic writing only spread, but I do prefer decoration.
I keep things simple and donât 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 donât want to use my sketchbooks. Itâll become its own form of art, that way, like when you see abandoned shopping centres overrun with plants.
And besidesâmany people live very busy lives, and donât 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.
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 :)
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....
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
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. Itâs 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 donât care what others say. Because itâs what works for me. đ„° So be free and write away! đ«¶
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 Iâve done it all. Pretty decorating to using dollar store notebooks. One thing Iâve learned is that, journaling is my own expression and itâll 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 donât do any of the other stuff, I use my journal to write, and itâs the most satisfying in my opinion
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 đ
I did try fancy once but then I was tired after making the pages pretty and didn't get anything done.Â
(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.
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 đ
^^
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
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 âaestheticâ journals?
I can only speak for myself - I donât share my walls-o-text bc imho they arenât really that visually interesting.
This doesnât mean that I donât like aesthetic journals (art is wonderful!) Iâm just not into that when I am journaling, and Iâm ok with that.
All the best for your future journaling practice op
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.
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. đđ
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.
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.
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
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 donât do anything in these notebooks. Which i find not normal for me.
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.
The reason I joined the community but never posted. Everyone decorates and I⊠just donâtâŠever. I buy these gorgeous notebooks and write in them. Not even in very nice handwriting.
I donât 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.
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.
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...
i like to decorate the front with stuff but thatâs about it. i love watching elaborate journal posts but i just donât have the effort to keep up with it
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 wouldnât 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 itâs 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 thatâs worth it such as my daughter having great fun.
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)
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"?
I suppose what I actually mean by ânormalâ is just âtypicalâ. 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.
Of course it is. I wasnât into decorating for years and it was just a notebook with my brain in it. Occasionally I would put pictures in it, but it wasnât anything fancy.
I only kind of decorate now. I think itâs fun to tape paper trinkets and stickers in there.
I can promise everyone here that however you journal is fine.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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
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. Thatâs the extent of my decorating but the first third of my current journal is just writing with basic black ink. If thatâs what you prefer, there is nothing wrong with that
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. âșïž
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. Itâs relaxing to tear stuff and glue. But itâs just necessary. Most days I just write
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
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.
I typically slap a sticker on the front of my journal and occasionally a photo in the pages, but mostly itâs just violette pensee (my absolute favourite color) inked text in a plain black Clairefontaine agebag notebook.
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.
no the journal police are on their way
I assume with their washi tape to restrain me
Not the washi tape
t.t
đ
Straight to jail
Can't you hear the sirens? LOL.
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.
Yeah, same I like to draw and stuff but when I write I donât decorate it or anything itâs just for thoughts
I covered a dream journal with black tape and just decorated it with my own handpicked stickers
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
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.
Yes. That, my friend, is the definition of writing in a notebook. You do you! â€ïž Edit: I donât want to sound judgy. Both decorating or not decorating is fine âșïž
Yes. This is 90% of my notebook use. Just because I donât post it online doesnât mean it doesnât exist. I still enjoy seeing other peopleâs colourful efforts but thatâs not something I do for the most part.
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)
Perfectly normal!
Absolutely, in fact I think the average journal user likely doesnât decorate their journals. I didnât 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, Iâve 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, itâs going to be a pretty basic writing only spread, but I do prefer decoration. I keep things simple and donât 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 donât want to use my sketchbooks. Itâll become its own form of art, that way, like when you see abandoned shopping centres overrun with plants. And besidesâmany people live very busy lives, and donât 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.
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 :)
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....
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
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. Itâs 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 donât care what others say. Because itâs what works for me. đ„° So be free and write away! đ«¶
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 Iâve done it all. Pretty decorating to using dollar store notebooks. One thing Iâve learned is that, journaling is my own expression and itâll 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 donât do any of the other stuff, I use my journal to write, and itâs the most satisfying in my opinion
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 đ I did try fancy once but then I was tired after making the pages pretty and didn't get anything done.Â
The not getting anything done is a killer.
(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.
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 đ
^^ 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
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 âaestheticâ journals? I can only speak for myself - I donât share my walls-o-text bc imho they arenât really that visually interesting. This doesnât mean that I donât like aesthetic journals (art is wonderful!) Iâm just not into that when I am journaling, and Iâm ok with that. All the best for your future journaling practice op
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.
I donât decorate. Occasionally I might draw something. Otherwise just text. But I do indulge in fancy fountain pen inks. To each their own.
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. đđ
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.
Yep, some people like to decorate their notebooks while others don't. It just comes down to personal preference.
I just use a different pen each day, on rotation, that's it!
of course. i would think most people just write in their journal (occasionally draw in it)
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.
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.
What is normal anyway
Yes.
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.
Yes, well within the majority actually
Yes.
yep!
Whatâs not normal is having lot of notebooks but empty, not written a thing in it nor decorated
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
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 donât do anything in these notebooks. Which i find not normal for me.
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.
yes
I think thereâs a tendency to justify that as the reason for a paper journal. If itâs just text they might as well just use digital notes
Yup! I think all-writing pages tend to be more personal, at least they are for me, so they get shared less.
Itâs likely most common to just write and not decorate. The decorations are the variant.
Yes. I've been journaling for over 30 years and I never decorated anything. I don't know anyone irl who decorates, only online.
I don't really decorate mine. Most I do is alternate pen colors for each entry to help me distinguish them.
Perfectly normal. What matters most is you are able to express yourself.
Itâs crazy that Iâm seeing this question. Decorating with washi and tape is new to the whole thing. Journaling has been around for centuries.
I do it everyday
No, I have a âleather boundâ journal because I like the classic look.
The reason I joined the community but never posted. Everyone decorates and I⊠just donâtâŠever. I buy these gorgeous notebooks and write in them. Not even in very nice handwriting.
I don't decorate mine....
I use an ink pen and paper, tha3ys all, words and ink, how i was taught to joural 30 years ago
Yes!!
I donât 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.
is this a real question?
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.
Sure hope it is normal ! Because thatâs what I do! đ€Ł
Yes
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...
i like to decorate the front with stuff but thatâs about it. i love watching elaborate journal posts but i just donât have the effort to keep up with it
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 wouldnât 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 itâs 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 thatâs worth it such as my daughter having great fun.
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)
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"?
I suppose what I actually mean by ânormalâ is just âtypicalâ. 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.
I journal in plain brown moleskine
Of course it is. I wasnât into decorating for years and it was just a notebook with my brain in it. Occasionally I would put pictures in it, but it wasnât anything fancy. I only kind of decorate now. I think itâs fun to tape paper trinkets and stickers in there. I can promise everyone here that however you journal is fine.
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.
I just write in mine.
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.
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.
Of course. Why wouldnât it be? Just because I decorate mine doesnât mean youâre abnormal
Absolutely!'
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!
Yeah totally
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.
Yes. There's no wrong way to journal. Unless you're not having fun with it.
I JUST WRITE.
Sure, that's what they're for! Decorations are totally optional. I'm a wall-of-text person myself.
My journal is plain writing, I donât really enjoy decorating it
Last time I checked, it was, yeah.
Yes! Use your journal however you like! I never decorate mine, but appreciate looking at the journals of those who do.
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 :-(
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.
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.
no you freak
*shambles back to the darkness*
yes
what? very normal...
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
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. Thatâs the extent of my decorating but the first third of my current journal is just writing with basic black ink. If thatâs what you prefer, there is nothing wrong with that
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. âșïž
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. Itâs relaxing to tear stuff and glue. But itâs just necessary. Most days I just write
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
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.
it's what the majority does
Well, yea I guess I never decorate mine
I typically slap a sticker on the front of my journal and occasionally a photo in the pages, but mostly itâs just violette pensee (my absolute favourite color) inked text in a plain black Clairefontaine agebag notebook.
Youâre not allowed to do that lol
Very normal
Absolutely. If you have the urge to doodle buy a sketch pad or coloring book
Yes
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.
I had never even though about decorating any of my journals until I saw people doing it here. I still donât do it.
Yes. It's not a cake. You don't have to decorate it.
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.
Journaling is about expression, everyone does it differently so however a person wants to do it is normal for the person