Starting a Bullet Journal

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In the past couple years, this new trend of "bullet journaling" has exploded. I see it all over Pinterest, and as a creative, I instantly became intrigued with this new thing that many people are adding to their daily routines. I have tried to start a bullet journal before but became intimidated numerous times and failed to complete my first spread. I always thought that a bullet journal had to consist of a crazy amount of spreads that tracked every single part of your daily life (e.g. water intake, mood, exercise, sleep, habits, chores, etc. etc. etc.).

All of these things are very important and are great to keep track of it all in one place, however, as someone who is constantly on the go I knew that if I were to start some spreads that consisted of all these "trackers," I would not keep up with it, so I was okay with keeping my journal as simple as possible.

Before we go on any further, what exactly IS a bullet journal? Well, according to bulletjournal.com, "The Bullet Journal is a customizable and forgiving organization system. It can be your to-do list, sketchbook, notebook, and dairy, but most likely, it will be all of the above. It will teach you to do more with less." Awesome. So it can be whatever you want it to be! And the whole purpose of it is to boost your productivity.

So how should you start? Well, here is what I did...

Here are the supplies I purchased from Amazon to use in my bullet journal:

• Mechanical Pencil

• Dotted Notebooks

• Washi Tape

• Ink Pens

• Mechanical Pencil

• Small Transparent Ruler

As a newbie, I knew that I did not want to over complicate my bullet journal so I created spreads that I knew I would use or reference back to throughout the year. I purchased notebooks that had dotted paper opposed to lined, blank or grid paper because the dots would be a great guide for me to layout my spreads without being too visible and distracting from my journals contents. I also had ink pens, washi tape, and a small transparent ruler on hand. Feel free to use your favorite supplies to create your own bullet journal.

To come up with the layout of my bullet journal, I simply thought of the goals, projects, and habits that I wanted to work on throughout the year. This way I knew exactly how to utilize every page of my journal to help me track and achieve year-end goals.

Here is exactly how I laid out my first bullet journal in a simple format:

Cover Page: Inspirational Quote

I feel as though this is a great way for me to start out any sketchbook or journal. It takes away the fear of messing up on the first page and it sets the tone of the whole sketchbook. In this case, I simply searched my Pinterest boards for an inspirational quote and found "Everything will work out." Very fitting to start off a bullet journal. And lastly, I bought these adorable cactus stickers from HaNaCoOL's Etsy shop.

Spread 1: Index / Master Key

This spread is very straightforward, however the further along I got to laying out my bullet journal, the more I noticed that this spread wasn't crucial and did not serve much purpose for it to be in my bullet journal. I initially included it to be where I would write in the key for the symbols used throughout the journal, but because I am including keys on each spread for the symbols that are used on those pages, I feel as though this master list isn't always necessary for me to include. I do, however, have an Index where I keep track of the order that my spreads are in, and I am currently trying to figure out what to add onto the blank page.

Spread 2: Yearly calendar / 6-month and 1-year goals

Having the calendar spread out on one page really puts timing in perspective for me. A year to some people seems like a really long time, but once they get to the end of it they say that it has flown by. Well, it has flown by because one year really is not a long time!! This is a great way for me to light the flame under my butt and start on the next project sooner rather than later. I also included a list of goals I want to accomplish at the 6-month benchmark, as well as what I would like to complete at the end of the year.

Spread 3: Brain Dump / Social Media Trackers

Art, photography, and traveling are my passions and hobbies, and one day they will be my full-time career. In order for that to happen nowadays, it is helpful to have a decent following on social media. So in order to stay updated with the growth of my platforms, I am keeping track of how many followers I start with at the beginning of each month. I also have included a "brain dump" page to jot down any ideas that come to mind so I do not forget about them later.

Spread 4: Monthly Spread

This is a great way to start off the month because you can add so many layers to this spread. For this month, I have the monthly calendar where I mark dates of when I will make my social media posts, along with goals that I set for myself to reach in April, Notes/To do's, as well as a column for me to write down any important dates to remember that would not fit in the calendar layout.  

Spread 5: Week 1 Spread

I stuck with simplicity for the design of my first weekly spread since it was my first time creating a layout for a bullet journal. I included a "side bar" on each page to include an April thumbnail calendar reference, weekly goals, blog post and video ideas.

What I plan to include for the future

In the current state of my art career, I am still figuring out what I would like to do in order to grow. I have an idea, but I am someone who needs to have tasks and lists written out in order for me to feel organized, which is initially the reason why I started bullet journaling (hopefully it continues!! 😬). To take it a step further, I am going to incorporate a Habit Tracker to keep my daily chores and assignments in check to help my art career flourish. 

My initial thoughts on bullet journaling

Overall, I really enjoyed planning out the layouts and catering my bullet journal to my needs in order to be the most productive I can be. I hope that I can continue on with this and I am looking forward to delving deeper into the world of Bullet Journaling!!

In the comments below, tell me what you do in order to be productive?

 

10 Ways to Get Out of a Creative Rut

(This blog post may contain affiliate links. If you click on one of my affiliate links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission for referring you. This comes at no additional cost to you. Please note I only offer resources that I have used and strongly recommend!)

There are many different artists out there who have their own ways of doing things, but all artists have at least one thing in common: they all run into creative 'ruts' or 'blocks' where they have a difficult time coming up with new ideas that haven't already been done before. It is frustrating for all, specifically for me because I always end up questioning if I am actually capable of coming up with creative and original ideas. 

I compiled a list of different activities you can do to give your mind the break it deserves from all of the stress it might be experiencing:

1. Go for a run

Getting in a good sweat sesh always helps me wind down and calm my mind. Lately, I feel like I have been overwhelmed and underaccomplished with the goals that I have set for myself for 2018 - a couple of times I have been in full panic mode and unable to focus on getting one thing done, leading me to jump from task to task and never completely finish anything. When I start to panic, breaking a sweat and running it out usually helps my brain reset itself.

2. Watch a movie

Movies are a way to briefly escape the real world and see a story from someone else's point of view. This can help your mind go to different places and result in coming up with new concepts that may even lead you to a new series or project idea. 

3. Read

Reading goes along the same lines as watching a movie, except it may even be better because when you read a story, everyone imagines it differently. This may lead you to create new ideas that are more original even though it stemmed from a novel. 

4. Flip through magazines

Flipping through magazines is one thing that I love to do when I can't seem to fill a blank page in my sketchbook. It seems as though it is a "lazy" way to get something on the page and get inspiration flowing when you are not feeling 100%.

5. Hang out with some friends

Some of the best work that I have produced has been inspired by some of my closest friends, even if they are not artists or creatives. Or, just go to your local coffee shop to work and strike up a conversation with someone there. 

6. Go shopping

You need a break. Nuff said.

7. Go to a concert or listen to music

Music always gets my creative juices flowing. The melody and the lyrics help me imagine what the song would look like on a canvas or in another art form

8. Go out to dinner and have a drink

Food is fuel, and so is a glass or two of wine or a whiskey sour. I find that whenever I go on a  neverending grind of producing art, I do not treat myself to a night out with friends or just a night of watching Netflix. So it is always nice to get out of the four walls that I am constantly locking myself in and let a little loose. 

9. Travel

Every city and every country has a different culture. Granted, it is a bit harder to just drop everything in your studio and go to a different part of the world but I have started to plan and brainstorm a new city or country I would like to visit every year or two. It gives you something to research and something to look forward to.  

10. Look at what is in front of you

Sometimes inspiration can hit you from things that are sitting right in front of you. Whether that is a plant, a cup of coffee, a house, a park, or a monument. Your surroundings can be the biggest influence on your creativity and next project. So put your phone down and look at what is in front of you. 

Now tell me what you do when you find yourself in a rut?

10 Facts About Me

(This blog post may contain affiliate links. If you click on one of my affiliate links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission for referring you. This comes at no additional cost to you. Please note I only offer resources that I have used and strongly recommend!)

Hey there, welcome to my very first blog post! If you do not already know me, my name is TJ and I am an artist, designer, photographer and now a new blogger! Hopefully, you are not too harsh with words when it comes to critiquing writing and grammar - said subjects were not my strongest skills in my high school and college days... although I will gladly take constructive criticism from those willing to give it!

For many months now, I have been interested in starting a blog of my own to not only improve my writing skills but to also step out of my comfort zone of avoiding any attention and criticism from the internet world. I came to realize that putting this off is not going to help me grow in the way that I would like, and that I can also create content that is useful and enjoyable to others!

Nerves set aside, I thought that a "10 Things About Me" blog would be a great way to kick things off and for you to get to know me. Well, here we go!

1) MY PASSION FOR ART AND DESIGN STARTED WITH THE PRINCESS DIARIES. 

It all started when Mia Thermopolis stormed up to her tower when she didn't want anything to do with the royal throne. I was about seven years old when the movie came out and automatically fell in love with the old fire house that Mia and her mom lived in. 

My dad has a creative side and always has some sort of project going on around the house. I turned to him after I saw Mia's tower and I said, "Dad, you can build that for me!" He told me to draw up a floor plan, not thinking that I would figure out what that was at seven years old. An hour later I brought him a piece of craft paper with gel pen markings indicating the space from a top view. Surprisingly he was able to read it, and from that day on I would draw up floor plans of my dream homes for fun. I'm sad to say that I never got that tower built in my room.

2) I BACKPACKED AROUND EUROPE AND GOT STRANDED IN THE MOUNTAINS OF NORWAY.

Trolltunga, Norway, 2015

Most details of this experience will have to wait for a future blog post, but long story short I thought that my friend and I were not going to make it home from this hike! Thankfully we ran into some hikers who were so kind and offered us help with the proper gear, food, dry clothes, and shelter.

An eight to ten-hour hike turned into a twenty-four-hour experience... The hikers who legitimately saved us were from Milan, Norway and Little Rock, Arkansas, one of which has a prosthetic leg that led our group back to the camp grounds. 

The only regret I have with this experience is that I did not take the hikers contact information down. They were an amazing group of people and I would have loved to keep in touch with them!

3) LATELY, I HAVE HAD A HARD TIME GRASPING INSPIRATION AND COMING UP WITH IDEAS FOR CONTENT.

It's a bummer when this happens, but I am learning that it is okay and normal to find yourself in a rut. Since graduating college, it has been a while since I have created something of my choosing. I work an 8-5 job, and sometimes 8-5 turns into a thirteen or fourteen-hour workday in addition to my hour and a half commute. On those days, I end up coming home and going straight to bed to do it all over again, which is where I get away from working on my own stuff leading me to a creative block. 

Lately, I have been easing back into my work to gradually get my creative thinking back. Even if I do a ten-minute sketch, that is still better than no sketch. 

4) WHEN INSPIRATION DOES HIT ME, IT USUALLY COMES FROM MUSIC. 

I usually get inspiration not so much from the lyrics but from the instrumental part of the song. I think it is because I was a music student in an orchestra growing up and that was the only part of the song we would play. Music tells stories even without words, and with me being a visual person I always picture some sort of animation or graphic that goes along with the melody.

5) I PLAYED THE VIOLIN FOR TEN YEARS.

Playing off of my last fact, I was a violinist for about ten years growing up. My great-aunt, cousin, and sister all played the violin so naturally, I followed in their footsteps. It has been about five years since I picked up my violin but every now and again I feel nostalgic and miss the feeling of playing. 

6) THE FIRST ART CLASS I EVER TOOK WAS DURING MY SENIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL AFTER I DROPPED OUT OF CALCULUS.

This is classic. I feel like everyone has a story similar to this where they dropped out of something that they should have taken to pursue something they were interested in to end up loving it and wanting to make it into their career. Back at this time where I decided to take a failing grade and drop the course, I really felt like I was making a horrible mistake. The Calculus course was going to knock off one of my college credits before I even started college, but looking back on it now makes me happy that I decided to do that. That class kick started my art hobby and later became one of my passions.

7) MY INTEREST IN SCENIC AND TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY PEAKED ONLY TWO YEARS AGO.

I have always appreciated a photo that was taken well and looked like something that I would frame and hang up in my house. It wasn't until I traveled internationally for the first time when I became interested in being the person behind the camera. By this time, I was going into my senior year of college and had a few years of design education under my belt where I knew how to use programs like Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator. These are the computer programs that photographers frequently use to edit their work, and they are ones that keep me interested because there is something new you can learn every day from them. 

8) IF I WERE TO CHOOSE A DIFFERENT CAREER PATH, I WOULD WANT TO WORK IN CRIMINOLOGY OR FORENSIC SCIENCE.

This is obviously a field that is completely opposite of being an artist and designer, but my favorite documentaries, shows, and movies to watch are usually very morbid. I have always been intrigued with the psychology of a criminal's mind and how crimes are investigated.  

9) I HAVE HAD A PIECE OF ART STOLEN, AND I WASN'T REALLY UPSET ABOUT IT. 

St. Charles 'Chair-ity' Art Festival, 2015

A couple of summers ago, I participated in a charity event where local artists painted adirondack chairs for a city nearby my home town. These chairs were put on display around the city's river walk and then later assigned to locations at local shops and restaurants. While my chair was on display near the river walk, it was unchained and stolen from its location. It could have been thrown into the river for all I know, but thinking that it was actually stolen is kind of a compliment!

10) IF I COULD LIVE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, IT WOULD BE IN BARCELONA.

Barcelona, Spain, 2015

I left my heart in Barcelona. It is such an amazing city with an artistic vibe and lovely people. I was there for a month and wish it were longer. The only Spanish course I had taken previously was in grade school where all I remembered to say was rojo and mi llamo Taylor. By the first couple of days I was there I learned how to order my meals in Spanish and some basic food vocabulary. I am someone who always struggles with learning a foreign language, but found that it is much easier to learn when you are living like a local.

What are some fun facts about you? Let me know in the comments below!