I love to journal. It’s always been something I do to put my thoughts on paper and clear my mind. It’s especially valuable during this unprecedented point in our history with the coronavirus. We have more time on our hands than usual to grow, and journaling is one way I do that.
For years, I would write a page or two about what I was learning and how it was impacting my life. It was a great exercise, but I wanted to be more focused on my thoughts and growth.
Three years ago, I noticed how a friend of mine was always drawing pictures to convey what he was learning. I found it intriguing as it was always focused on one or two specific thoughts which were very simple. Although, I’m not artistic by any means, I do love being creative, so I decided to give it a try. I have been using the tool of art ever since and it has impacted me more than I ever expected. I wanted to share with you a few thoughts and hopefully help you grow more through journaling! Don’t worry if you’ve never drawn before. Just give it a try and start small. I also found buying a journal with dots or graph paper is extremely helpful.
FIND THE FOCUS
As you’re reading or listening to content, find something that jumps out to you. It can be a verse, a lyric, a quote, or an image. Read enough to understand its context, and then stop. Write it down and begin to think about what it means. But don’t stop simply by putting words on paper.
FOCUS ON THE DETAILS
Once you’ve found the focus, you can focus on the details. This is where the creativity will help you immensely. Whatever your focus is, begin to draw that scene. As you think about each word of your focus, you will force yourself to recite it over and over in your mind. The more you can break it down and detail it in your drawing, the more you will grasp the lesson to be learned.
AN EXAMPLE POST
Below are a few from my experience, but here is an example of how I would approach my journal each day. Let’s use the example with the chess pieces. As I’m reading, “In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day” by Mark Batterson, I come across a quote saying,
“You have no idea what your next move should be, but God already has the next 200 moves planned out. Some of his moves won’t make sense. We just need to trust the Grand Master.”
I would think on that quote and develop a word picture and begin to draw. In the book, he used an example of chess, so I find a picture of chess pieces and draw them. As I’m drawing, I’m constantly thinking about these quotes and what they mean to me in my current situation.
“God wants you to get where God wants you to go more than you want to get to where God wants you to go.”
I think through ways I can take these lessons and apply them to my life. With every detail, I allow myself to focus deeper and deeper into the lesson. I always like to write the source down as well in case I ever want to go back and read it again.
One of my favorite times to write is when I’m outside listening to worship music and God speaks to me through a lyric. Music is so powerful and oftentimes I am able to use vivid word pictures to help make God’s word come alive. Give it a try yourself!
It’s nothing fancy or deep, but rather simple. Drawing your journal allows you to spend more time thinking about something, which allows your mind and heart to focus on the details. It will challenge your critical thinking and broaden your perspective on what the words are saying. Your brain will be sharpened and enjoy doing something unique and creative. I like to go back and look at past entries on certain dates or when a similar situation comes up in my life I know I’ve been through before. I would love to see your “art” journal, so please share any with me on social media!