How To Art Journal Every Day
Dear Wonderful, Creative You:
Art making permeates my life. When I’m not making it, I’m thinking about making it, or sharing it with you. But I know that sometimes you want to make art, but it’s a struggle to actually make it happen. You wonder how to actually art journal every day.
How I Art Journal Every Day
A big part of what helped me art journal every day (or nearly every) was working small. I realized how easy it was to carry a small journal or bits of paper and a pen in my bag. It made waiting more fun and meaningful. Soon I was exploring my ideas more fully and my art became more playful and my work started to bloom in new ways. That sounds good, right?
I love to work with little 2 x 2 inch pieces I loosely call inchies. (You can join my free Inchie Challenge.) Sometimes folks ask me what to do with these little pieces of art. I have a LOT of ideas on that, and I wanted to share one of my favorites here:
As a teacher and facilitator, my biggest hope is to offer you ways to connect to your art practice and find the same joy and sense of connection that it brings me.
Join us for the Inchie Challenge August 7 – 18th, 2023. You can sign up here, it’s FREE for you:
Comment for a Chance to Win!
What do you hope the Inchie Challenge will do for your art practice? What would it be like if you made art daily, at least for a little while?
I’d love to hear about your experience, and, if you comment on this post, you’ll have a chance for a free spot in my class, BIG ART, where I will show you various inchie projects where you can start with a few little pieces and build to big art pieces you can hang on your wall.
Creatively Yours,
Amy
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I love the idea of starting small. Small piece, one or two tools. Because my creative space is shared one thing that keeps me from regular practice is the thought of taking everything out and then putting it all away. This small concept takes that problem away. Creating art helps me decompress from the stress of the day. I need to do it but don’t want the “all the stuff” stress. Thanks for the idea.
HI Lisa: I love how this works so well for your space. YAY. Happy creating!
I’ve recently discovered mindful art and it helped me recover from a miscarriage. I’m trying to develop a daily habit of creating mindful art as I’ve found it really beneficial to my mental health. Inchies really help me overcome the “getting started” barrier as they’re small and achievable. I’m really enjoying creating daily. Slowing down is challenging, especially as I’m finding myself with loads of “what if” ideas as I create that I’m inspired by and want to explore, but I’m enjoying it so much!
Alessandra: I’m so sorry for you loss, and so happy that you name it. So many of us have experienced it and yet it’s such a silent experience. I’m SO happy that inchies and small art can be a part of your life at this time. Big hugs and happy creating!
I enjoy the practice of slowing down and taking notice of what my art is intuitively saying to me on the page.
I look forward to the exploration of new ideas!
I’m really looking forward to the inchie challenge. Thanks for your inspiration and creative ideas!
What attracts me to the Inchie Challenge is the accessibility of tiny works of art. As Amy says, draw one, then do another, and another; it’s that sense of almost immediate gratification and sense of accomplishment. I look forward to belonging to a group of people who are all trying to accomplish the same thing, making art every day. This can transform our personal world and the larger world as well. What the world needs is more art.
I love how you put this Deborah! xo
I love the idea of starting small and letting the art grow organically. I haven’t used watercolors since I was a child and that will be an exciting challenge. Than you for providing the inspiration and skills to get me going.
I hope to learn to prioritize creating something daily. I love the inchies idea and have my papers cut for vacation.
I have a new job and really hope to create new routines, prioritizing creating and self care.
Thank you for your inspirations and guidance. ‘Small is beautiful’ and has helped me feel less daunted. Your book has been much used and ive enjoyed giving it as a gift. Being introduced to tracing paper for layering was a revelation! I look forward to the Inchies challenge for more ideas of lovely patterns and the discipline of doing it daily.
Amy’s classes and suggestions for art are so welcome and really great to explore! I have a mini sketchbook which I add to every week (I admit to not quite being at the daily stage!). Very much looking forward to the Inchie Challenge and this week’s slow drawing pattern
Hi Lucy:
There are definitely days I don’t actively make something physical. But I’m always thinking about and tinkering with art in one way or another. I think it all counts. I do try to make something most days, but I also think it’s important to give ourselves space for, and credit for all the percolation and prep. I hope this helps.
Cheers!
I joined the Inchie Challenge because I want to make more art. I tend to work very slowly and then never have the time to finish anything even working fairly small. I never thought of doing really tiny art before! That might be just the thing.
OH I’m so happy to see this. Happy creating! xo
The idea of making small art daily is intriguing. I look forward to your class. Thanks for your inspiration.
YAY Denise – can’t wait to create together!
Amy,
Thank you for making the Inchie Challenge available. I love starting new projects, but my problem is sticking with it. My hope is that by working small I will be able to show up more and create some fun art.
Blessings to you!
Joanne
Hi! I’m Patricia, 77 going on 12. Loved your live art journaling last night but couldn’t figure out where to push what to say hi.
I’ve dabbled in art my whole life, thinking I had to choose a focus yet being unable to and judging myself for that “failure”. With what time I have left, I am more inclined to take the playful approach. I’m in with the inchie challenge! Let’s go!
My creative journey started with a desire to learn calligraphy! That proved to be SO hard but I met so many wonderful artists who introduced me to mixed media art & journaling. I now have become excited by all sorts of things but the idea of starting small is so appealing. I see it as a chance for a creative side that I had no idea I had to appear. I love the Slow Drawing as it is always ‘OK’ & calms me. Can’t wait for the Inchie Challenge to really get my creative juices flowing alongside talents & folks who I have yet to meet.
Julia – it sounds like this is going to be a wonderful opportunity indeed. I’m excited to share in this challenge together! Cheers
I love things that are small! I love the portability! I love that it doesn’t take up much space to store. I was fascinated with the way that you joined the inchie or part of one with other art elements. I am a CZT and a lover of the tangle called tipple which is a repetition of circles in various sizes mostly small. I love art journaling and collage, watercolor and acrylic. I’m also a big fan of black and white as well as color. Here concept can only help me to grow and to combined all the things that I love in a very special way.
Thank you Amy! You have got me thinking about art all the time and noticing patterns everywhere in nature! You’ve even got me carrying a little portable art kit to coffee shops and doctor’s offices! But I need to turn my thoughts into a more consistent practice. I love the calmness and contentment I feel when I do create. I’m looking forward to the Inchie Challenge because it motivates me to create daily and realize that a little bit of art each day is not overwhelming, but instead brings JOY! ❤
Amy, I tend to create larger size watercolors or slow drawings in my art play. I am hoping that I can apply this Inchie process to prompt me to go little and expand how I can use small pieces of art. This video gives me so many ideas!!
Hi Judy:
Oh goodie, I’m so excited to hear your excitement and the ways this may spark new ideas. Here’s to new formats making space for more ideas! xo
Hello Amy
I hope to achieve some level of consistency In doing the inchie Challenge. I hope that the format Will help me feel more grounded, with a purpose to achieve some journalling every day ( or quite often !)
Yes, this challenge is so good for developing a habit! xo
Hi, Amy,
I am hoping the Inchie Challenge will re-energize me and inspire me to do something artistic every day!
Thanks!
Ed
When I first came across Amy on social media and her weekly slow drawing patterns I was hooked. Then I bought her slow drawing book. It has made me think and look at things from a different prospective. Learning the art of slowing down and trusting the process has been great. Just taking some time out for yourself and slowing down has huge benefits for your mental wellbeing. I’m super excited about the inchie challenge so I can make this as a starting point of my daily creative practise.
I’m loving the thought of the Inchie Challenge because it looks tremendous fun whilst creating something to delight my heart and set me free from the tyranny of how to develop a daily art practice. How wonderful it would be to create a tiny treasure every day and truly relax whilst doing it! Thank you Amy for creating this opportunity for us 😍
I’m joining the inchie challenge because my creative map is all over the place and I need to bring ONE thing into focus. I tend to go down several different creative rabbit holes seemingly simultaneously. I create in a small space so having several projects going on at once overwhelms me and can shut me down. I’m hoping that the inchie challenge will bring my focus in and teach me that small practices can become larger ones.
Looking forward to the Inchie Challenge. I am having a lot of fun following your slow drawing class and creating many iterations of the patterns you suggest. The Inchie Challenge will bring that joy more into the week rather than Wednesdays and maybe a day or two after. Next step is getting some help/inspiration in learning how to create collages out of these small pieces. So grateful for your work and your encouragement.
I’m hoping that the Inchie Challenge will help me overcome a very long creative block. New, original work is very hard for me right now. It’s been nearly a year since I’ve truly enjoyed making art.
I love seeing your work, great video! And I loved the big art class, and can’t wait for the inchie challenge.
Amy, I have been doing some of your wonderful weekly patterns in a small book on a some what irregular pace. I have purchased your book as a reference but find that I am more likely to watch your video instead and follow along. Thank you for offering so much inspiration and direction to help me on my artist path. Showing your various journal pages was so interesting! I love your layering and also the use of vellum paper. I am really looking forward to the 2023 Inchie Challenge. Have a happy day – Heidi
I first got started on Inchies with your challenge last year and immediately fell in love. It meant that I could always do art – even with the busy life I have. If I only have time for 5 minutes there is something there waiting for me. That brought me to your slow drawing – more inchies and they wound up in my journals and my zines. You gave me confidence and the joy of explorations. Slowly you awoken my own ‘what ifs’ and your inchies find their way into delightful little stories. I would so love the opportunity to take that further into your Big Art class because it looks absolutely remarkable. Thank you for the chance to win a spot.
Your Inchies has enhanced my creativity with playing in a small space. No plan, just do. Experiment. Make marks. Have fun. Be free! Thank you.
Looking forward to the new challenge beginning Aug. 7.
I am fighting depression and have stopped doing ANY creative activities. I have to find my way back to my art. I’ve enjoyed inchies before in better days. Doing Inchie journaling sounds like an easy, gentle, no stress way to find my artist again.
I’m loving your organic, abstract designs. I feel like doing inchies will encourage me to be more experimental in a playful, non-intimidating format. Thanks for sharing with us!
Amy, I joined the inchie challenge last year and totally loved it! Slowing down, creating small, and playing with drawing and watercolor everyday has helped with my confidence as an artist. My drawing skills have improved and exploring with mixing colors has helped me be more playful! I am so looking forward for next weeks inchie challenge.
Last year’s Inchie challenge helped breakthrough my art inertia. I’m loving the fun little discoveries these patterns bring. I’m hoping this year’s challenge will help me establish a DAILY habit. Plus I love seeing everyone else’s inchies!
I, too, am hoping the inchie challenge will set me on the path to creating art daily. Working small seems very “do-able” and non-intimidating. Looking forward to joining you on the 7th!
I journal daily, or virtually every day. Even if I don’t write or draw, I put a little note in my book that helps me to remember what happened that day. Sometimes the day’s events suggest something to draw or paint to accompany my entry. But if there is no spark from the details of the day, an inchie or another idea gleaned from Mindful Art stands in so that I have a chance to slowly create something visually. Combining line and color is very satisfying.
Ooh I really love your approach. It’s daily practice – no matter how large or small. Thanks for sharing! xo
I also love the idea of working small. And it seems that will be an easier way to practice art journaling every day. I am cutting up my 2” squares today and getting prepared for the inchie challenge! Can’t wait.
I’m totally stoked for this Inchie Challenge 2023. While listening to the Drawing Inspiration podcast, I discovered Amy and her work. Of course I HAD to HAVE her book which I highly recommend. Here’s my story: I started drawing in earnest in 2022 although I’d been an artist dabbling in ceramics, photography, and mixed media collage for a long time. In January 2023 I organized a local Urban Sketching group which is about 10 artists strong now. Drawing on location has kept me on my toes and it really fills my soul although I am not always able to quiet my inner critic. I find myself turning to the natural patterns found in Amy’s book to ground myself and it’s been soooooo helpful. As I see it, one of my most important roles as an Urban Sketcher organizer is to find inspiring, upbeat creatives to share with the group and I am forwarding this blog post to the gang. I know they’ll love it. Thanks for all you do, Amy.
Hi Amy,
Thank you so much for your videos and weekly inspiration. I love when I have the chance to do your slow drawings, they really are relaxing. I’m looking forward to the inchie challenge and hope to incorporate them & slow drawings into my encaustic art! I’ve already challenged myself to make my journal with encaustic covers.
I’m so looking forward to this years Inchie Challenge. Last year was my first year and I know this year I will be more ready. Working small makes it so easy, as I still find it intimidating when I stare at much bigger piece of paper. I love seeing everyone’s interpretations of the inchie. So inspiring! Thanks Amy!
I am especially looking forward to exploring more in watercolor. I would like to get some ideas for how to use these small little pieces of art, including some ideas on how to use them to make gifts to give. I find them delightful and addicting to make.
I have just discovered you, Amy, and already enjoying checking out all I can find about you & your ideas to get myself moving with my art.I am obsessed with making little inchies , and purchased your book , Draw yourself Calm.It is beautifully made, and I am diving right in. Looking forward to what is to come.
I am a morning meditator, loving the quiet before the hustle and bustle of the day begins. The air is cool, the birdsong is melodious and I enjoy centering my day around this ritual. NOW I have added slow drawing to this routine, sometimes just pulling an “inchie” from my stack and sometimes working on a larger piece. But either way, the slow, deliberate strokes, being present for every mark, and being grateful for the ability to enjoy this time is certainly a reason to get up in the morning!
Thank you for your gifts!
My bestie is an artist and has always encouraged me to develop a daily art practice to explore and expand my creative self. I usually work in fiber, but I’m hoping to do some experimenting with inchies to develop a daily habit AND to explore how I can marry watercolor and pen with my weaving and embroidery.
This sounds really fun!
This will be my 2nd Inchie Challenge… I am a creative arts teacher for grade K-8th. I do what I do because I love to inspire children to challenge themselves and find their inner artist and have the confidence to acknowledge and express their artistic voice. However, I had stopped creating my own art and growing in my own expression. This challenge helped me realize that I do have the time and space to create. It also helped me connect with a community to inspire and motivate me to create! My world is more beautiful when I create art everyday… it brings me clarity and peace.
YAY this makes me extremely happy Donna! xo
I like to use small art pieces to become fodder to later cut up and remake mixed media works as well as repurpose on making one of a kind greeting cards.
Same here – they make the best cards! xo
I loved seeing the inside of your journals Amy🌸✨ More of my thoughts are posted on your YouTube channel☺️
YAY I’m so glad. Thanks Suzi!
I really want to get into the habit of creating something everyday. I tend to go through phases of doing a lot and other times not finding the time for myself. Last year the inches helped a lot so I am counting on “them” this year again. I also love the fact that because I am traveling, I do not have to carry a lot of materials with me to be able to participate. Thank you Amy for all these opportunities and for charing your work with us.
Looking forward to my second year with your Inchies challenge. It’s interesting to see what the prompts bring up each day. I have accumulated over 200 inchies since I met you in Sketchbook Revival. So many good things have come from Inchies and Mindful Art. Thank you.
I love Amy’s approach, working small and slowly has taken the pressure off. Having my inchies and a few tools means I can create, slow my mind, be in the moment wherever I am. I often hear Amy’s voice saying “what if ?” This makes me smile and I go off into a world of discovery! The Inchie Challenge will open up a window of discovery, an opportunity to explore the “what ifs?” In a safe community just for a little while each day 😊💗
Aw Cathy, I’m so happy I can help to open those creative doors for you! xo
Hello –
I am just moving into a new down-sized 700 sq ft home and am so looking forward to creating inchies in my new space.
Building a small creative corner for all the art to begin.
Excited to see what I discover about myself.
OOH small house! This is so exciting to think about you making inchies in it! xo
I hope to find my style. I think making so much art would hopefully show to me what elements I enjoy most and hopefully reveals my style to me.
While I create textile art most every day, it’s so much better when I manage to sketch too. It inspires , informs, helps me not stay in one place. Hoping to get back to that.
I am so intrigued with the idea of doing art every day and making it manageable enough so I can be consistent. Thank you, Amy, for the idea of Small Art (and becoming Big Art). I am going through a huge transition in my life so having this practice not only grounds me but also allows for my mind to be engaged in a creative way.
I want to form a habit of doing art every single day. I think doing the inchie challenge will help since it is structured. I really love those journals, especially the pages with a vellum overlay!
I’ve been doing a daily Slow Drawing for some time as a form of mindfulness. it’s been helpful in adapting to life since my husband entered a nursing home. now i’m looking forward to trying your inchie challenge as a way of injecting new art and new meaning into my life
I want to reinforce doing a little art every day. In the 9 months since I discovered Mindful Art Studio, my skill has grown, and my anxiety has decreased. I want to grow and expand in this practice.
I keep my little inches as treasures, when I look for inspiration: I take them out, I observe them, I look for connections and sometimes ideas arise that evolve by themselves in my head, until they create a work of art with its own identity.
This doesn’t always happen, but … it does happen sometimes. ha ha ha.
“Oh! my treasure”
Thanks, Amy!
I agree that working small can be very beneficial.
But I have one challenge with inchies: square is the least natural format for me to work in, big or small alike…
Small Art but most definitely
Powerful Art…
Starting small has helped me claw myself back to life – daily life and creative life after a very difficult and challenging period in our lives.
Still just managing to get started but hopeful now.
It would be a blessing to grow this further and let it flourish.
I love this idea! I’m excited about having a really small thing to get started – I used to love to draw as a child, but now get overwhelmed and frozen if I ever find myself sitting with art materials (eg when my kids are wanting to draw or paint or create).
Hello Amy
I really enjoyed the video
I hope that doing the Inchie challenge will encourage me to develop my own ideas and take creative risks as opposed to just following what others do. I also hope that it encourages me to have a more consitent daily art practice by allowing me to work in small and easy increments instead of feeling pressured to complete huge projects all at once. I am really excited for the Inchie challenge!
HI Lizzy:
OOH I am so excited for you to dig deeeeep into your work. It’s such a satisfying thing when you flip that switch and get enamored with the process, and then watch the product bloom.
xo
I LOVE working small! (I also love working large but that’s a story for another day.) I only wish I had figured this out when my life as a mother of 3 young ones and full time art teacher with NO time to work on my own art. It was frustrating to say the least. Working small gives me the creative fix I need every day. Thank you for highlighting this practice and also for your video on how you use them in visual journaling. I have a box full of inchies and cannot wait to get started giving them new life as part of a journal! YIPEE!
Hi Laura: Oh I wish you had that idea back when you were so busy too! But I’m so happy that it’s working for you now. And I’m thrilled that you will create a new home for your small art in a journal! Cheers!
All I think about is art! I like the idea of having the little inchies to get started. Thank you for your videos and inspiration.
I am looking so forward to this challenge! I think that creativity needs to be released and expressed or else it bottles up inside and does us no good. Having inspiration from a challenge and a small canvas to work in removes the gear of just getting started and motivates us into action! Thank you for putting it together.
Comment *I like the idea of starting small, that could lead to bigger ideas. Like a seed it it starts out small and grows free and wild.
I used to do pottery and was always on the lookout for texture in nature to use to impress into my clay.
Now I’m on the lookout for very similar shapes and textures along with color to inspire me in my little inchies ever since finding your class.
Thank You!
this is wonderful to hear Gail! xo
I love a daily challenge. It’s the motivation I need to create everyday. I’ll be travelling for part of the time that the inchie challenge runs and I love how portable this will be! Thank you!
I’m so excited for you! xo
Like D. Lee above, I often teach art classes to children but have found it more and more difficult to make any art myself, which has perplexed me. The art journals I read about were never very appealing– until I read your book and found your site. The emphasis on patterns found in nature is perfect, and I’ve been able to pick up natural objects on daily morning walks and make a quick (10 min) drawing in pen and graphite over the course of some months. Am looking forward to the Inchie Challenge coming up, and sure appreciate the online courses I’ve taken with you so far, Amy. Thank you!
Nancy – your morning practice sounds beautiful. I’m so happy! xo
I’m so much looking forward to the challenge! I hope it will inspire me to just start on a blank page, get out of my comfort zone (slash fear LOL) and be more confident in creating daily without looking for perfection. RThat’s a lot, I knooooowww LOL.
I am hoping to calm my brain in the evening after a day of work. It’s like a filmstrip running all night long. I have been using your slow draw lessons and I have finished all that I could find. So this challenge will be what I do for next couple of weeks or so.
I try to create daily in one form or another. When I don’t slow draw I practice hand lettering. And now that I have met you I do slow lettering
So thank you for what you have shared and for the possibility to win a class🤟🏽🩷
I would love to take your class. I need some daily art in my life, and a class would be a good incentive.
I love the idea of inchies and your big art course really speaks to me! I am always hesitant to draw in my sketchbooks because it feels like it has to be perfect. Therefore I started drawing on blanc cards. This gives me a lot more freedom and helps me to pick up my own. I think your big art class can help me bring this to the next level and start creating a lot more (often). I’ve recently had a baby and want to start spending time again on my art, just a bit of time every day has to be possible!!
Liza I’m so excited for you to be on this journey after just having a baby. I was able to squeeze in little bits too. So exciting! xo
Wonderful mindful practice. I am doing my ‘inchies’ every week. Exciting to see that large art pieces can be created. Thank you for the work you are doing and that we can participate. Your book is excellent for these practices.
HI Ruelene: I’m so happy that this small art practice is speaking to you. Go BIG. You’ve got this!
Hi Greatins from the Netherlands. I feel muself somewhat lost when it co.es to art. I’ce cut a little pile of inchies ( love te word) and bought myself a Lamy safari with waterproof ink. So keeping my fountainpen from becoming clogged is the main challenge now.. I hope to connect or maybe mire so disconnect by following your inchiechallenge. Allready have your book draw youself calm, still wrestling…
Chris – you have permission to just play. Keep your pen capped when not in use. 🙂 Koosje Koene has lots of great instruction about fountain pens and uses a Lamy. Check out this video: https://www.facebook.com/reel/482051580573423
I’m hoping to get into the practice of drawing each day. This will not only inspire me to create artwork and get out of the creative backhoe it will be good for my mental health
Yes, I am so excited for you Annie! xo
I’m hopeful this challenge will help with a period of creative block I’ve been having. I’m floundering, not knowing what direction to take, so I’m hoping this will just let me relax and have fun, without the pressure.
Yes, Angela, I think this is exactly the thing to get you kickstarted into fun! xo
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved “creating” – from simply coloring to making things with leftover scraps of wood while my dad was working in the garage. That love is still there, but as I got older and perfectionism set in, I began to lose the drive, rarely doing much at all. When I was 20, I went to treatment for an eating disorder and experience art therapy for the first time. As someone who often struggles with words, it was as if I’d finally found a way to express myself for the first time. Over the years since, I’ve dabbled in a lot of different types of arts/crafts, but always manage to get stuck in the same cycle. I have tons of ideas, but don’t know where to start (part of that is doubting my ability)…and when I do finally start something, I either stop halfway through or don’t know when to leave good enough alone and completely mess it up trying to make it “just right”.
My hope with Inchies is that it will help me to actually start rather than just let the ideas float around in my head and, by being small, generate art that’s manageable and I can actually finish.
HI Rachel: You are in good company here as this is similar to so many artists’ stories. Inchies are a fabulous way to learn the rhythm and release of prep, play, repeat. You’ve got this!
I love the idea of starting small. I desperately want to learn to draw but the big white page is very scary. I’m hoping that the Inchie Challenge will help me to get started and to create a new daily habit.
HI Wendy: YES – inchies totally help approaching that blank space. Happy creating!
I also like the idea of starting small – what a unique idea. I’ve started the challenge and hope it will progress to more daily art practice. Thank you for the encouragement.
Oh that’s wonderful! If you haven’t joined our Inchie Challenge, it’s a great way to begin creating daily: https://mindfulartstudio.com/shop/inchie-challenge-2023/
I have never considered myself an artist (actually failed a college basic drawing class 50+ years ago). A friend encouraged me earlier this year to create something every day. Seemed like a big ask. I’m loving the inchie challenge as a small creation is so very doable and so “non-threatening”. This has already been so much fun and so educational! Love, ❤️ love, ❤️ love!
Jill – Ugh, those early experiences in art can be so damaging! I’m sorry to hear it. But, I’m thrilled that this challenge has awoken that creative fire and allowed you to let it blossom. Our creativity needs space to breathe and grow. One of my favorite artists was rejected by all 12 art schools she applied to. Janet Eichelman. She’s a world famous artist now. HA! Keep creating! xo
Hello – I’m a senior starting way behind the rest of you, and I’m trying to learn to art late in life, to boot.
I bought your book, and cut my little squares. Trying to overcome my fear, and my worry about not being “with the rest of the class”.
Going to read the next email, now.
I am so glad that my approach is working for you. xo
This is the easiest way to make sure I actually spend time creating. I just love the idea and I know it will make a big difference for me.