I can't remember a time in my life where a pen and paper weren't my first outlet to express my thoughts. I've always run to a journal, or notebook whenever I need to get things out. there is something both cathartic, and comforting about pen meeting paper, and the sometimes jumbled thoughts in my head being made cohesive, and concice. I've found not only does it bring me peace to get my feelings out, but also to read my thoughts back to myself. It may sound strange, but I'm not only better able to connect with God through my writing, but it helps me to better connect with myself. I've struggled with finding my place, and identity. There are many times where I was confused about a situation, and as soon as I read my feelings back to myself I'd have a moment of deep clarity about the situation. The more I read when I've written, the more I know myself.
The last few years, call it business, or even laziness, but I stopped journaling. Sure, I blog on occasion, but it's not the same. I don't just allow myself to spew. While I've always used blogging as a place to share, and not just to write for the sake of writing, it can never take the place of pen to paper. So I made a commitment to start writing again. I've decided to make this a priority as it's a bit of self-therapy. Instead of my typical journaling of the past, I've decided to do some art journaling. I already have my arsenal ready, complete with new, blank-paged journal, colored pencils, markers, and the like. I was writing the first page last night, and I loved everything about it when I was done. Not only because I made it look nice, but also because there is intense beauty in total, raw honesty. It makes me excited to keep writing.
