Using Photos to Find Themes and Layout Creativity

Journal brainstorming session (n): a time period where you think about how you will set up your journal or notebook and what theme may bring all of the layouts together

Layouts or Spreads: Individual entries in a collection in a notebook, Example: January layouts for the week, month, reflections, goals, etc

Inspiration for your journal is everywhere. This past week, I got caught up in thinking about how I might update my vision board for the month of January. Vision boards are typically collages with tons of pictures, and I noticed that I do the same process on Pinterest when I am looking for inspiration in my own journal for themes, layouts, doodles, and more. This post contains some ideas to get you thinking about your next journal entry.

• What will you learn to draw?

• What colors will you use?

• What tools will you need to make it happen?

Think of your next journal project as a vision board of creativity. This post has 12 different journaling mood boards to be a source of inspiration for your next project!

For looking up related words, I love this resource! Click here to go to the Related Words page. This can be really helpful if you don’t quite need synonyms, but want to find some other word inspiration.

Summer Journal

Summer keywords: sea, shell, beach, hat, waves, sunglasses, sunshine, tan, surfing, ice cream, picnic, canoeing, season, swim, lemonade, travel, summer camp, camping, humid, popsicles, S’MORES, BUTTERFLY

Winter Journal

WINTER KEYWORDS: SNOW, ICE, SNOWFLAKE, BOOTS, HAT, MITTEN, BLIZZARD, SNOWFALL, HOT COCOA, SNOWMAN, PINECONE, COLD, TWINKLE, TREE, CANDLELIGHT, SNOWBALL

Fall Journal

FALL KEYWORDS: LEAVES, AUTUMN, CRISP, PUMPKIN, SPICE, COLORS, FALLING, APPLES, CIDER, DONUTS, CHAI LATTE, MAPLE

Spring Journal

SPRING KEYWORDS: BUNNY, EGGS, SUNLIGHT, FRESH, CHILL, RAINBOOT, RAIN, FLOWERS, GREEN, NEW

Cozy Journal

COZY KEYWORDS: HYGGE, Light, warmth, love, comfort, calm, balance, nature, enjoyment

Travel Journal

TRAVEL KEYWORDS: journey, trek, trip, tour, voyage, pilgrimage, roam, wander, sightseeing, backpack, map, route

Coffee and Coffee Shop Journal

COFFEE and coffee shop KEYWORDS: JAVA, MOCHA, LATTE, MACCHIATO, CUP, WARM, WARMTH, FLAVOR, CARAMEL, VANILLA, CINNAMON, MILK, FROTH, FOAM

Book Journal

BOOK KEYWORDS: PAPERBACK, HARDCOVER, GENRE, NOVEL, POEM, VOLUME, ANTHOLOGY, SPINE, PAPER, GLUE, WORDS, EDITION

Desert Mountain Journal

DESERT KEYWORDS: arid, desert, sand, canyon, oasis, range, cactus, mesquite, elevation, slope, valley

Bird Journal

BIRD KEYWORDS: fly, wing, songbird, binoculars, eggs, cardinal, sparrow, bluebird, hummingbird, peacock, soar, sky, wind, perch, heron

Animal Journal (Choose Your Animal)

ANIMAL KEYWORDS: wildlife, creature, beast, endangered, giraffe, lion, bear, wolf, mammal, horse, dog, cow, zoo, environment, habitat, kingdom, continent, pattern, coat

Color Journal (Choose Your Favorite)

COLOR KEYWORDS: RED, ORANGE, YELLOW, GREEN, BLUE, PURPLE, MARKER, HUE, VIBRANT, TONE, PIGMENT, PAINT, SHADE, PRIMARY, SECONDARY, VIVID

Writing Mindset Reflection: What gives you inspiration for journaling? How do you decide on a theme or layout?