Journals and Papers

It’s called, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), winter blues, or winter and seasonal depression. At this time of year (January) it can affect some people. Reader’s Digest suggests, “Feeling tired, irritable, or down in the dumps this time of year? It’s estimated that 15% of Canadians experience these symptoms of winter blues.” It comes from a lack of sunlight, less activity and the urge for most people to stay indoors and escape the cold, leading to less socializing.

There are many ways to combat the blues, and one choice might be to use a journal and do some writing. When depression hits, it can feel as if you are in a dark tunnel, with little light. You may hold feelings in and find it hard to express your thoughts to loved ones. By writing in a journal you are free to express thoughts, and if kept private, there is no repercussion.

If you are suffering from the winter blues, pick a time of day when you feel most relaxed. Every day pick a word or phrase (or simple thought) that has been going through your mind. You will be creating a word web, which will help you define your thoughts.

Open your journal and write a word or phrase in the middle of the page, then circle it. This can be the first word that comes to mind, or something you have been thinking of for awhile. From the circle, draw a line out from it in any direction and write a word or phrase which relates to the one you just wrote (whatever comes to mind). Then circle it. From this word, draw another line in any direction and write an additional word related to the one you just wrote, circle it and continue from that theme until you have no more word choices.

When you have exhausted your train of thought on that theme, go back to your original word in the center of the page and draw another line from it, selecting another feeling associated with the word. Continue on creating a web of words that reflect your current thoughts and feelings. Some of these extended words could also join to ones you have already circled if they are related. Take a look at your word web and if you see a theme, write a few paragraphs about what you have discovered.

Why would this help? By creating the wheel spontaneously with words and feelings that pop into your head, you can see a pattern or flow of where your thoughts and emotions are at the time of writing, and you may be able to change to happier feelings based on what you discover.

Here at Journals and Papers, we often wonder that if children were allowed to write outside the lines in school what kind of creative adults would every child become. Most people prefer a lined journal. We’ve heard comments that if they had a blank journal, their writing would be messy, all over the place, they can’t write straight. We wonder at this logic and the creativity that it squashes. We can be creative individuals if we aren’t constrained to boxed, lined, circular, or rectangular drawn out spaces, which suggest we write inside of and not to go outside of the lines already drawn for us.

Is it the intimidation of a blank page, staring at us, clean and pristine that somehow gives us a sacrilegious notion that we shouldn’t muck it up with plain old meanderings. There is a solution to that. Buy a blank journal, and on the first page, write a title page, such as, “This Journal Belongs To…”, or “Property of …”. And also add a date. Now that the first page tainted with ink, it should be easy to turn to the second page and place some form of graphic upon it. Is it still hard to write on the blank page staring at you? On the second page then, use a photograph, or cut-out a picture, quote or text from a favourite magazine. Place that on the second page. Then on the third facing page, turn the journal on an angle and add some text that goes from the bottom left corner (which if angled is on top now) across to the right corner. There are no lines to constrain your creative efforts on this blank-paged journal.

You can write across the page, down the page, corner to corner, around the outside edges, ending in the middle, or from the middle out, from bottom to top, top to bottom, or side to side. The creativity is limitless, and you would be surprised the type of thoughts that you could be unleashing by not staying to what we grew up with - staying within the lines, and writing neat and tidy-like.

This post is not intended to be tongue-in-cheek, but rather a light-hearted look at other ways to journal creatively within the pages of a blank journal.

There are many different types of journals that writers can keep. What if you simply don’t want to write all the time? Perhaps you are an artist, or if you don’t want to call yourself an artist, maybe you love designing and creating new things. Why not combine your love of writing and creation into an art form, and make pages relevant to the thoughts and ideas you wish, and incorporate them into a journal?

I found a lovely site, called, ‘Keeping an Art Journal’, which explains art journaling and blogs about different workshops and ideas. After looking at several sites, and doing some research, I would define art journaling as, “Creative expressions on paper or in bound book format, which include any medium which the artist combines into a message that is preserved and recorded, expressed uniquely from the artist’s perspective.”

Sounds easy enough - go for creativity, and as with all journaling, remember there is no one to judge or grade you. If you have an idea or message that you want to express, simply gather paper or a bound book. Then, take whatever medium you would like to use to draw, sketch, paint, collage, scrapbook, glue, photograph, etc., and place your idea creatively on the page.

Examples of art journals can be collages combined with words or quotes, photography embellished with poems, or fabric and paint illustrations. Words may not even belong on your page if the concepts you are expressing don’t need them. If you are new to art journaling, start with a few simple concepts and progress slowly. Look up ‘art journal’ in your web browser and see many different types of samples. Here is another site ‘Art Journal Everyday‘, which also explains art journaling.

If you are looking for great journals/sketchbooks and paper to help you with your art journal pages, Journals and Papers has specialty paper which will accept different mediums. Check them out at: Journals and Papers.com

How do you relax?

For some a day of relaxation might include time at the spa, or fitness center. Some people enjoy taking part in a nature adventure, walking, spending time with friends and family, reading or doing a craft to help them relax.

How do you express your feelings?

Most people express their feelings verbally, by talking to friend, venting with a partner, arguing or laughing. Others express their feelings non-verbally by being creative, doing an art or craft, such as painting or sewing. Some use exercise and the intensity level changes depending on inward feelings.

There is another way to find peace within your lives.

What if you can’t express you feelings verbally, aren’t a very creative kind of person and don’t enjoy exercise? What if you have some heavy emotional baggage and can’t vent or relax about it? This is where journal writing can be helpful. It is a perfect way to reflect and release emotions that could be suppressed and hidden and may even be unconscious to the writer until exposed through the journal writing process.

Meaningful journaling allows the writer to learn more truth and insight about themselves and what is happening in their lives at any given moment in time. They can express private aspects of themselves without fear of reprisal or hurting someone.

Try keeping a journal to help you relax and find inner peace within. As you continue learning about yourself through the journal writing practice, you will most likely find that your journal becomes a best friend, one that you feel you should visit from time to time. Like any friend, if you don’t visit them often enough, you feel a sense of loneliness.

Today, take time to sit with your friend (your journal). Open your heart, let your emotions flow to the page and you will create peace within.

Journals and Papers, the Canadian online site for quality leather journals and fine papers for the creative mind, is pleased to be the first online store in Canada offering fine Italian stationery, journals, notepads, and artist drawing paper from ROSSI 1931, a company producing fine Italian stationery since 1931. “The secret of ROSSI’s great success is their mixture of love for the Italian tradition and attention to quality and technological innovations.” For information on the company’s history visit ROSSI’s website.

Journals and Papers, one of Canada’s online purchasing sites for leather journals recently updated their product line with stock from ROSSI 1931. Leather-spine journals from the “Alfabet” and “Scrittura” collection of notebooks and gift items are skillfully crafted following the famous tradition of the Florentine handicraft of papermaking. ROSSI’s most popular decorated papers are used in the production of these handmade journals and writing paper notepads (featured on the site under Fine Writing and Artist Papers).

For those journal writers looking for blank writing journals, the new decorative paper notebooks with a leather spine and elastic closure are popular. Journals and Papers is pleased to offer a free ruled template that can be used in these blank journals for writers who simply must have a lined guide for writing.

Journals and Papers also wish to meet the needs of the digital printing client who requires digital stationery by offering ROSSI’s self program kits. Medioevalis Digital Stationery for inkjet or laser printing is a combination of old and new world technologies. Put this elegant printable stationery through your printer, and after printing simply fold the paper slightly on the line and carefully tear off the border, thus creating a soft deckle edge.

Patricia Atchison, owner of Journals and Papers, is excited to bring in – “for now, a sampling” of items from the ROSSI line and explains, “I am excited to feature ROSSI’s products, and can see adding many more new products to the store in the future. ROSSI has some exciting and elegant materials for journal writers, creative artists and those who love to write on fine stationery.”

Visit: journalsandpapers to see the items for sale from ROSSI 1931 and other great writing products, including Cavallini & Co., Ted Gilmer handmade leather journals, and Compendium inspirational gift journals.

Writer’s block is a nasty affliction, almost like bottled up tears that just won’t come. You know you have to cry, but are either too mad, or upset to let go and do it. The key here is blockage and trying to figure out why the words won’t come.

Free Fall Writing is one tool a journal writer can use who is experiencing writer’s block, which can come from wanting to censor or edit as we are writing. The inventor of the ‘Free Fall Method of Creative Writing’ was well-known Canadian author, W.O. Mitchell. To practice the free fall method of writing, writers must tune out that internal editor, which is nagging them with thoughts of what and how to write. Forget the editor, and write whatever thoughts come to mind. Be sure to take into account sensory information and memories. The trick is to keep writing, leave the editing and read-back until the end of the writing process.

To practice free fall writing, but not knowing where to start, try looking at pictures, or headlines. If you are on the internet look for a picture with similar subject matter that you are writing about. See if the picture triggers thoughts and just start writing what comes to mind. Don’t sensor yourself.

Free fall is a great idea and wonderful tool to use in most cases of writer’s block. But creativity can still be diminished by those thoughts and feelings that are dragging us down and upsetting us. In this case, it can be just as easy as putting down your journal and going for a walk, doing meditation, letting go, relaxing – simply leaving your writing for another day.

Well, I’ve purchased an iPad. And is it cool! The apps are as varied as the number of flowers in a flowerbed. Whatever you’d like can be downloaded to do many things. As a fiction and journal writer, nothing would do but to search out applications applicable to journal writing and publishing.

I found a couple: virtual notebooks and day timers that I downloaded. One is like an online scribbler, entries are flagged by dates. I found it easy to switch on the iPad, open the app and start writing. I can even email a copy to myself. It was fun, but it reminded me of something - and that was work.

I work on a computer all day, typing. The iPad is fun because it can be held on my lap and I can look up games, things to do on the internet, and read a book. But to keep a journal, to me is not quite right. It is great to jot notes, but I miss the personal feeling that comes with holding a pen and writing my inner most thoughts in a beautiful hard cover leather journal.

I feel electronic devices with journal writing applications have their purpose and are fun to use, but they can’t replace the real thing – like reading a book, or writing in a book. I hope that with the influx of new electronic devices that writers over time don’t forget the joy of pulling out a favourite, dog-eared journal, chewing on the end of a pen, and writing from the heart.

Are you having trouble coming up with topics when you go to write in your journal? For some people who are used to keeping a journal, coming up with topics is easy. For those who are new to keeping a journal, or would like to write, but just don’t know what about, try using a newspaper or magazine headline for a prompt.

I just opened a magazine to a random page, and read the headline: ‘Summer Fun… There’s no time to waste like the present’. Right away I thought of family fun at the beach, things I enjoyed on our day out, a memory that made me smile and my entry started to flow.

Another one jumps out at me: ‘Serious Party Girl’. Well, perhaps not much any more, but boy do I remember when.

The advertisements too offer a special way to get any kind of prompt. It may work better too if you remove some of the title, e.g. ‘Joy is powered by passion, not fuel.’ in a BMW advertisement. Take off the end, and you are left with a great prompt, ‘Joy is powered by passion.’ What passion has given you joy recently?

Don’t discount photos either. Go through a magazine and clip out some of the photos that capture your attention at first glance. Keep a file (you can always collage a journal page later) so that you can pull out a picture anytime you are looking for something to write about. When you look at the photo, start writing what you feel right away. You’d be surprised what comes out.

If you are having trouble looking for ideas to journal about, they may just be a fingertip away as you search a favourite magazine.

I’ve been noticing recently that retired seniors are coming up with activities they can do, which are meaningful, creative and a lot of fun. Some of these activities are off-chutes of others, such as scrap booking and taking journal writing to a new level.

I’ve met one lady who wanted to take photos of me at my home-based business office. We both live in a rural area, and “just for fun – and something to do”, she was taking pictures of local businesses, printing them, adding business cards and brochures, and notes about the business and compiling it all into a scrap book page. One thing to note here is that in the country, not all businesses of the norm. Some are quite different and encompass anything from ranching to knife carving to taxidermy. Once her project is finished, she’ll have a memory book full of interesting businesses and people she met along the way. (In the future, it can always be donated to the local library.)

Not knowing what to do with his time when my Father-in-Law retired, he decided to continue his computer work, but made a shift from business to personal writing. His days are always busy and sometimes it’s hard to keep up with all he does. So everyday at night or during the day he writes a few paragraphs about his activities and people he was with. He adds such things as ticket stubs, cards, receipts and photos. He’s not even six months into his daily journal and he has already filled up a 3 inch binder full of writing and collectibles from his activities. He loves doing this, as it is an activity that again lets him interact with others, not to mention his children love it too. Now we get to know what keeps him so busy!

I am sure there are many other ideas on how seniors are keeping journals. Please comment on them and share your ideas here on this blog.

Hope is something we conjure up in deep times of sadness and grief. Hope comes from within, an awakening, a desire, something to believe in. Hope moves us forward, gives us a sense of purpose. Hope is anticipation of a better time to come.

When we journal, we sometimes journal for hope, especially if we are going through a rough time. We journal to write words we believe in, words to give us comfort. A journal becomes a cane in times of hardship. We can lean on it; use it for support and strength.

If you have cancer, or know of someone who is suffering from the disease, or are survivors, the Hope Every Day Journal by Compendium is a delightful gift for the journal writer. It features uplifting, meaningful quotes on every two-page spread that give hope and inspiration.

With every cancer battle, there also come many success stories. Explain first steps taken, fears that are faced and conquered, healthcare workers who have helped. Write about friends and family who have stayed with you and provided support. This small gem of a journal is a wonderful tool for wellness and to track a powerful journey of hope.