Todd Sumamno
Having a safe space, an outlet, if you will, where you can share your inner desires or secrets or even your goals is one of the greatest things we as humans can ask for. It does not have to be another person; you can share all of yourself in a journal. The benefits of journaling offer you surprising gifts. For starters, your journal will not judge you; instead, you might end up judging yourself for your journal entry, documenting what you did two nights ago. Another benefit is that you have a place where you can safely express yourself in any way you may choose.
While many people believe that journaling is the ultimate tool (besides therapy) to deal and cope with mental health issues, journaling can also offer a great escape into your imagination and other worlds, which in turn leads to some interesting things. Before we look at just how journaling can transform our world creatively, let’s look at some key benefits.
What is journaling?
Remember when you were a tween, and your parents bought you a gorgeous Moleskine notebook engraved with your name, and it even had a lock on it. It was all the rage to keep a diary filled with messages to your crush, how you felt about your parents and siblings, the latest in popular culture, and some interesting notes on friends. Essentially journaling is the act of recording your thoughts onto paper to help you to better process and understand them. You can call it a diary or a journal or even just a notebook. It’s all the same thing and serves the same purpose.
The benefits
If you have been journaling since you were a child, you might have noticed how your writing has changed (and improved, hopefully) from the sweet, innocent concerns of life and love to the all-out worry about life and love. And since adulthood presents a range of challenges and rewards, journaling can help you to manage the different types of stress you experience daily. You can also improve your mood through positive self-talking and affirmations with journaling as well.
How to get creative
Getting creative is never easy; artists, writers, producers, directors, and graphic designers can tell you how difficult it is to get into a creative mode, but once it hits you, it’s like you can take on the world. And while we might think that creatives are the only ones who need to get creative, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Many professionals in other industries and CEOs need to get creative or simply just clear up their minds to allow a creative space. This is where journaling comes in.
So how can you make journaling work for you and take your creativity to the next level? First thing’s first, establish your reason for keeping a journal. Do you simply wish to put pen to paper to jot down your thoughts and feelings every day (this is great, but journaling isn’t only about this), or are you looking to set some goals and achieve them? Right, let’s help you with this.
An important lesson here is to remain focused and not concentrate on too many things at the same time. For example, you are working as a musician, and your next gig is a month away, but you are yet to plan your songs for the concert. Now the daunting task of figuring out what your fans want to see you perform should have begun long ago, but as time edges closer, you begin to panic. A great way to overcome this is to write down exactly what you plan to do. Start at the beginning. Use your journal as your guide.
So how can you get creative? It’s simple; you need to record exactly what you envision in your journal, the atmosphere of the event, the crowd, the songs, etc. You also need to record your goals for each entry. Once this is done, look at ways in which you can do things differently. Your journal is essentially having a conversation with yourself without judgment from anyone else. Often you might find that you are not getting what you need out of a simple plan, but if you are writing it in your journal, you can truly unlock ideas you’ve never dreamt of before because it is free from judgment. Always add a reflective moment to whatever you are writing. Firstly, this will help you to understand your goals first, and secondly, it will help you to understand why you are doing what you are doing.
How to do it
Getting into a creative space can be a longer process for some than it is for others. And for this reason, having a step-by-step guide can help you to focus so that you only write what you need to.
- Write as often as you can, i.e., daily: This is not easy. But a great tip is to write down an important thought as soon as it comes and then to unpack it later during the day when you have a moment.
- Easy, peasy: While you should focus on both the negative and positive aspects of your life, do keep it simple. Don’t write your entire business plan in your journal; rather, make notes on how you want your business plan to look, how it is tracking, and how it helped you to secure the bag.
- No pressure: You must write what feels right for you. Don’t put pressure on yourself to keep it serious. Instead, accept when your journal entries will be more lighthearted and fun, this adds to the fun, creative part as well.
- Use it how you see fit: You are not obligated to share your journal with a single soul. And you can use it for whatever reason you like, don’t allow anyone to tell you differently.
