The Art of the Journal

 

For about 27 years or more, I have been keeping a personal journal.  Journaling is a practice that requires consistency and discipline, and thus it took a few false starts to really establish my own routine.  In recent years journaling has become more of a thing, and it's actually a good trend.  I wanted to just share my own experiences at journaling and use it to offer tips to others who may feel a desire to keep a journal, but no gumption to start one.  And, this is the first piece of advice I will give as we kick off the conversation - don't think about it, but just start!  That is what I essentially did, and it was the best thing I ever embarked upon as a personal project.  That being said, let's see where this conversation goes. 

There are many reasons and also many methods to journaling.  Journals can be permanent as a record of one's daily thoughts, or they can be specific - for instance, taking a course, undergoing a medical procedure, going through a life change, etc.   Some people feel the need to keep a specific journal for a specific reason - that is perfectly fine, as there is no rubric to when to keep a journal nor for how long.  The journal serves a primary purpose of challenging feelings and thoughts in a way one may not be otherwise able to communicate them, and it also is an opportunity to share feelings in a way you cannot with another person.  The journal is between you, it, and God, and only you can decide whether to share it or not.  This means then that anyone can keep a journal.  And, that leads to another observation.

You do not have to be a professional writer or anything else to keep a journal - write as you like, and don't worry about proper grammar, etc.  It does help if you know proper grammar, but it isn't necessary. Also, the more you write, the better you will write anyway.  Your journal will not be graded on grammatical perfection, and it also will not be scrutinized by a bunch of pompous-assed critics who fancy themselves literary experts (we all know about self-proclaimed "experts," and in all honesty, you can crap in one hand and place an "expert" opinion in the other, and then weigh them to see which has more substance).  Your journal is your thoughts, and you have the prerogative to express them in a way that reflects who you are.  Getting over that hurdle is something that will be a motivating factor in keeping a regular journal.  And, that leads to another issue worth examination - privacy.

A journal ideally is private - it is for the writer's eyes only, and the writer of the journal has the freedom to choose how much they want to disclose.  Even in a court of law, a personal journal should never be considered admissable evidence, as it is a violation of privacy and thus sacrosanct.  A person may actually be a raving psycho in their journal, but it is still just that - their journal. Further, if you are married, this is an area you also do have some freedom to not share with your spouse - if you feel comfortable doing so, then that is fine, but it should not be a condition of marriage for a spouse to have access to their husband's or wife's personal thoughts.  If a spouse tries to guilt you into letting you read your personal journal, it probably means that your spouse has serious insecurities and trust issues.  Therefore, at the start of a marriage, you can establish boundaries.  And, besides, if you pass away before they do, then they can read all they want because it will not matter then.  This may seem a bit controversial, but I think it is also a reasonable standard as well. 

So, this leads to methodology.  A journal is not something that is concrete as far as form goes - it can be as dry as just documenting daily activities, or it can be a practical novella.   That depends on the personality and writing style of the person keeping the journal.  Journals are also not restricted to just written words either - there are sketch journals, photo journals, and even scrapbook journals that contain bits and pieces of different things that inspire the person.   Content is also open as well - a journal can record daily events, it can also be a tool to use in daily religious devotion, it can be a way to vent things that may be weighing on one's mind, it can be a record of your dreams you have as you sleep, or it can be a combination of all the above.  That again is the prerogative of the person composing the journal.  In the case of mine, I am one who includes all the above, as together for me they present a more comprehensive picture.  Be as creative as you want with your journal, in other words. 

Another misconception is that a personal journal is just one book - anyone who would see mine would instantly radically change their view.  While there are instances of one-volume journals for particular circumstances, a journal kept daily will accumulate multiple volumes.  In my case, I have been writing in mine for over 27 years, and all of the books I have of my journal fill up a whole shelf in a cabinet right now, and there will be more I am sure.  The more and longer you write, the more of a personal library of your thoughts you are going to build.  I will get into shortly how that works, and what the best type of book to record your journal really is.  

As for designating time to keep a journal, in my experience that also varies.  While it is a good discipline to set aside a regular time each day to write down thoughts in your journal, it may not always be convenient.  Over the years, I have written entries in my journals in bizarre places such as office bathrooms, break rooms, restaurant booths, parking lots, parks, bus stops, and at my desk in offices I have worked on slow work days.  Writing in a journal is a good way to pass time when you are waiting on a bus or a ride, or if you have to be at the office some time before your work shift starts.  You can use it to clear your head and focus yourself for the day ahead in that case.  Ideally, I like writing journal entries before I go to sleep at night, as generally I am by myself and it is quiet and I don't risk being disturbed.  A big pet-peeve I have is when you happen to be writing at a bus stop or something and some stranger who doesn't know you from the man in the moon comes up and has to ask "Whatcha doin'?" and it will provoke a rude response like telling such a person what they can go do to themselves and to mind their own frigging business.  If you see a stranger reading a book, or writing something, just mind your own damn business and leave them alone - they don't want you sticking your nose where it doesn't belong.  If they wanted to share that with you, they would - but, they don't know who you are, nor do they care, so what they do is not your business.  This is something called common courtesy.  I just wanted to share that as it is a major area of contention at times. 

A journal may also inspire one to pursue other things.  My journal, for instance, inspired me to blog, and it also gave me inspiration to write down my whole life story in a way that is comprehensive.  That latter aspect is something I owe a debt of gratitude to my late mother for.  Back when I was just beginning my journal in 1996, one day Mom was visiting our house and she got to talking about a dog we used to have named Jill.  Reliving some of those memories caused a bit of inspiration for me that night as I was doing my daily journal entry - I could use my journal as a way to tell my own story!  For the next year and a half or so, I wrote different aspects of my life story as part of my daily journal entry, and some time later I decided to collect those into a separate book and then add details as I recalled them or they were given to me on areas I may not have been old enough to remember.  After my 60th birthday in a few years, I plan on typing that whole story out and getting it bound into a book.  It is a legacy I can leave behind, and thus integral to keeping our family history fresh too. 

My journal has also aided in doing blogging like this - even this conversation on journaling is the result of a journal entry!  The journal helps me often to get some thoughts organized so I can present a good story for my blogs, and thus it plays an integral role.  It also has helped over the years with class projects and other things too.  While not divulging the entire aspect of the journal, you can glean the idea and apply it.  

One further aspect of journaling that is important has to do with dreams.  Everyone has dreams at night while we sleep, and on occasion those dreams stick out to us.  A dream can be explained by a number of things.  For one, it is a type of positive coping mechanism especially during times of stress.  Secondly, it is more or less a sort of convergence of a lot of thoughts, memories, etc., that one has floating around in their head - the dream mechanism gives those disparate thoughts expression.  Third, if you are a religious person like I am, some dreams have meanings - pay attention in particular to details that stick out in a dream, as they could have some significance.  Fourth, a dream can also be a reaction to too many onions in your fish cakes or spicy pepperoni on your pizza, and thus they can range from the bizarre to the frightening.  Whatever the case, if you wake up with that dream fresh on your mind, write it down!  If you cannot do a journal right away, then at least keep a small notebook handy to write your dream and its details down so you can then add it to your journal later.   Some people keep a journal exclusively for dreams too, and that is largely their choice on that.  Dreams can tell one a lot about themselves though, so it is important to document them.  And if a particular detail sticks out, then look it up to see if there may be some symbolism behind it.  I had a dream like that myself recently entailing my traveling to different Pacific islands.  In the dream, one particular word, "buhay," stuck out.  When I inquired about the meaning of that word, I found out it was a Tagalog word meaning "life."  Knowing that detail put that entire dream into perspective.  Writing these things down will prove valuable later. 

Finally, the question arises as to what type of book do you keep a journal in?  Again, there is not a set criteria for this, but I stick generally with professionally-made journal books as they just look better.  However, in the past I have used spiral notebooks, composition books, and other things as journals, but for the most part they are not really designed for the type of interaction you will want to have, so a neatly bound book specifically for journaling is your best bet.  On Amazon oftentimes, you can buy these in bulk quantities of ten, which is what I do.  That way, you don't have an interrupted journal routine.  Always keep a dependable ink pen with your journal book too - some ready-made books have a place for pens in them.   Then, keep the journal book in a secure place so that nosy people in the house do not mess with it.   You can also add things to the journal as well - items such as sticker art, bookmarks, photos, prayer cards, and even some newspaper and magazine clippings can be inserted between the pages.  I do this a lot with mine.  Your journal is a blank canvas, and thus you have the opportunity to design it as you see fit. 

Thank you for allowing me to share these practical tips about journaling, and I encourage you to maybe consider taking journaling up as a routine, as it will be a valuable resource later.  Any rate, so long until next visit.