Why I Keep an Art Journal

People sometimes ask why I keep an art journal, especially when it looks so simple. A composition notebook. Paint. A few messy pages. But for me, art journaling is not just a hobby. It has become one of the most important tools I have for emotional processing, self-acceptance, and healing.

I keep an art journal because daily journaling has helped me work through my thoughts and emotions in a real way. For a long time, words were the only way I knew how to process. Now, painting gives me another way to move what I’m holding inside, and it often reaches places that words cannot.

The first chapter: daily writing after my mom passed away

For three years after my mom passed away, I kept a daily journal. I wrote three pages a day, inspired by The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. That practice helped me see myself more clearly. It helped me start learning how to love and accept myself for being gay.

The truth is, I hated myself for a long time. I believed I was worthless because of my sexuality. I lived with blinders on, like it was still the 80s, and I believed everyone who made fun of me, or who ignored me. Daily writing helped me slowly untangle those beliefs and see that they weren’t the truth, even if they felt like the truth.

When words weren’t enough anymore

Shortly after publishing my memoir, I shared so many personal things that I shut down. I was embarrassed by how much of myself I had put out there. Even after the book, I kept writing in my regular journal for about a year and a half, trying to keep processing everything that I was feeling.

But something clicked. I realized I was stuck in the same spiral. I was ruminating over the same thoughts, replaying the past, and carrying huge guilt and shame. I was looping. And I could feel that staying in those loops was keeping me stuck.

That’s when art journaling became something different for me.

Art journaling became emotional processing

Art journaling became a way to process difficult emotions without forcing myself to explain everything. Painting in my art journal, especially in the morning, is a cathartic release. It feels like getting the pain out of my heart and onto the page.

Sometimes I start with an image. Sometimes it’s just color. Sometimes I don’t even know what I’m making until it’s already there. What matters is that the energy moves.

Art journaling helps me slow down my thoughts. It helps me stop spiraling into the same thought loops over and over again. It gives my mind something gentle to focus on while my heart releases what it has been holding.

I don’t need the page to be perfect. I need it to be honest.

Why I share my process

I share my art journaling process because I want to bring people along for the ride. I’m at a point where I feel inspired to let people witness the journey of becoming an artist, possibly making it my career. But I’m starting in ways that are sustainable for me.

Right now I’m creating consistently and sharing consistently. I’m figuring out who I am as an artist.

What do I actually enjoy painting?

What colors do I keep reaching for?

What color mixes feel like me?

What subjects do I want to return to again and again?

I never went to art school. The only training I’ve had has been through local community groups, and an online class here or there. But I’ve learned before that being self-taught is not a weakness. I was a self-taught developer. I can be a humble self-taught painter too.

And for me, the self-teaching starts right here, in a composition notebook.

If you’re curious about starting

If you’ve ever wanted to start an art journal, you don’t need fancy supplies or a perfect plan. You need a place to show up honestly. You can start with a notebook, a few colors, and ten minutes.

You might be surprised what comes out when you give yourself permission to create without performing.

If you’d like to follow along, I share my art journal entries and process videos regularly. This is me, starting from ground zero, and letting the journey be real.