100 Days of Journaling

Last week I finished a 100 day project, quietly, just as I had been working on it. I decided during the spring that I wanted something to get me back in the groove of sketching and journaling, so bought a new journal and away I went.

I also bought The Book of Alchemy, Suleika Jaouad’s latest book, to use as inspiration and help me along. Although I’ve finished the 100 days, I haven’t finished the book as I didn’t take it with me on various trips since I was trying to pack light. That being said, while I do enjoy writing prompts, I didn’t love this book and most days read the prompt but then did whatever I felt like. What stands out in this book is Jaouad’s writing itself, her introductions to the sections are outstanding. I should also note that if you’ve subscribed to Jaouad’s newsletter, that’s where the prompts come from, so you’ve likely read many of them.

I’m most proud of the fact that I did this every day and I’ve kept going, albeit in a bit of a different form. For most of the 100 days I wrote, but since they ended I’ve been doing some drawing spreads inspired by a trip I took last week and Samantha Dion Baker’s Draw Your Adventures and it felt good to be drawing and documenting life in that way.

I also put no pressure on myself as far as the journaling went, if I wrote a sentence, it counted. And a few days I wrote very little. Going forward my goal is to be in the journal/sketchbook every day in some way and that may be writing, it may be doing some drawing, it may be collage, we’ll see where it goes. I’m proud I got through it, proud that I started processing life things via writing, and proud that I documented my most recent trip via drawing. I’m realizing that making, sketching, and writing, mostly when it’s just for me, is enough and exactly what I need. I do share a lot of what I do, but I also love having a spot that’s just for me.