I turned one of my old hobonichi into an art journal, where I did anything I want: paint, сollage, journal, and it was a great way to learn to draw, certainty, if someone would want to learn how to draw, the best way is to do it daily, and in a daily planner with dates, which gives pressure to draw
This is amazing way to repurpose an old Hobonichi! Especially one that still has the older version of the paper. 🤩 A part of me was hoping when I got the Cousin last year that I’d draw a little bit every day, which was a main reason why I resisted using stickers in the book. It kind of worked (I drew more last year than I have in previous years), but it didn’t become a daily habit. I’m hoping my A6 fun journal this year will be more successful in maintain some sort of creative practice. ☺️
I totally hear you when you say that it can feel really indulgent/time-consuming/etc. to paint, even if it's part of your self-care and/or a really important, fulfilling hobby. I've been trying to recover from burnout for the past couple years, and it's only since getting a hobonichi this year that I've consistently gotten out my paints every day, even if it's just to smear some paint around the borders to add colour to my daily entries (** regardless of whether I write a daily entry or not). I think a big part of it is the medium; sketchbooks seem more intimidating, and require more "effort" to pull out. My hobonichi is always out on my desk, and I keep a cheap paint palette (even though I own expensive, higher quality paints) a couple brushes, a jar of water, and a little rag on my desk at all times now. I realized that I need to make it as foolproof for myself as possible, because it's way easier for me to come up with excuses to NOT create.
The other part of it for me was needing to reframe my thinking that it is self-indulgent. I've thought that way for so many decades, and having a therapist who used to be an art therapist has been incredibly helpful in realizing that painting is not a selfish, self-serving, ultimately useless/pointless pursuit. It is self-care, it is self-expression, it can help me find my voice, draw boundaries, connect with my body, my intuition, my emotions. (I recently picked up Rukmini Poddar's "Draw Your Feelings" book, which is a creative journal to help connect with your emotions through art. It's fun, it's colorful, the exercises are easy but meaningful, and a great accompaniment to journaling.)
ANOTHER aspect of letting go of the idea that painting is indulgent (at least for me) is keeping in mind that painting does NOT have to mean FINE ART. For decades, I didn't paint because I was afraid it wouldn't be good. Discovering Sandi Hester's channel here on TH-cam has helped me SO, SO much in learning that painting "loosely" is good; realism is not the be-all, end-all. She taught me about so many fun painting exercises, like painting something in 1 minute, 2 mins, 5 mins, so you HAVE to stay loose and you can't expect perfection. Painting with your non-dominant hand, painting while holding the tip of your brush, painting while only looking at the object/subject and never at your canvas/sketchbook/paper, etc. The goal is to create marks, NOT to exactly replicate something. It helps relieve the pressure of painting in general, because suddenly it isn't about needing to set an hour or more aside to get something "right". Too much in our lives is about needing to do things right and properly and thoroughly. It's nice to have something that doesn't share those goals ^^
Thank you so much for all of your thoughtful comments! It sounds like you’ve made a lot of great progress in terms redefining your relationship with creating art. I’ll have to check out the Draw Your Feelings book and Sandi Hester’s channel. Thank you for the recommendations! I admire you for reframing your relationship and finding ways to keep it fun and therapeutic, instead of something that needs to be done “right”. I think that’s also why I’m drawn to my niece and nephew’s drawings - there’s something so freeing, expressive, and non-apologetic about their work. I’m fairly certain my anxiety / perfectionist tendencies are what hold me back the most in “letting loose” with much of my art practice. I’m a bit earlier on in the phase of reframing and repairing my relationship to art. A few years ago, I tried to make some accommodations to minimize the amount of physical and mental prep I would have to do in order to sit down and paint. I tried to build a daily habit of painting something small (which is why I chose a small sketchbook) and I bought a ton of paint colours to try to “skip” the step of mixing my paints. 😝 In the end, I couldn’t overcome the pressure I was placing on myself. It’s a work in progress! 😅 When I got my Hobonichi Cousin last year, I found myself sketching more on the daily pages. I even started sketching without finding a reference photo, which I found so freeing! I’m hoping that’s what this A6 will be for me in 2024, since I’m using my Cousin as a 100% functional book for work and school and need to save the daily pages for notes.
Omg VERY random sidenote because of your mention of hotpot: CNY is the ONLY holiday I have marked in my journal 😂I think I love lunar new year/chinese new year as much as most people love Christmas; I call it "hot pot season" and try to keep my pot (family heirloom stone pot that has only been used for hot pot) on the stovetop for as long as possible even when it isn't in use, the same way some people keep a Christmas tree up through winter to extend that warm, cozy feeling. 😂
Wait - that is so cool that you have a family heirloom like that and that you keep it on your stove! 🍲 CNY eve is one of my favourite times. So much good food and quality time with family.
Yorkshire Gold is delicious! I regret not getting myself a 5-year diary, but now I'm waiting to get one until 2026, because I'm a numbers weirdo. Lovely video, thank you for sharing how you're managing everything!
Thank you for taking the time to comment (and yay! I look forward to sending you a letter! 💌)! When it comes to holding off on the 5-year, I’m impressed with your restraint. I’m not good at waiting for the right moment to start things (that’s my impulsive behaviour), but there can be a lot of satisfaction that comes from doing so. If I had been able to wait until 2025, it would have coincided with a significant milestone for me. Sometimes, I think… could I get a second one to document that purpose? But, I’d then have to update two 5-years 😂 So in conclusion, you are being wise and reasonable. Also - I agree about Yorkshire Gold! My parents are loyal Tetley orange pekoe drinkers, so I have an emotional attachment to it as well since that’s what I drink when I’m spending time with them. 🫖
(okay one final sidenote, sorry for so many comments!) That washi tape on the insert/plain white piece of paper that you take out from your fun daily Hobonichi at 29:32 is SO cute, do you remember where it's from? 😍 I must get my hands on some! And I love those stickers of the jumpers in your monthly spreads, are they digital downloads or also stickers? OKAY I PROMISE THAT'S IT FROM ME lol
That washi tape has got to be my all-time favourite washi tape! It’s a dream wallpaper design, but I can’t afford it for our walls. When I found out there was a washi tape version of it, I hunted it down and purchased it from a Japanese seller on Etsy. 😂 It is an MT x William Morris collaboration. I think this specific style is called Fruit. As for the jumper stickers, they are washi tape stickers that I got from Temu. When my dad introduced me to Temu, he was mainly excited about home things that he’d normally get from Hong Kong. Meanwhile, I went straight to browsing the stationery supplies. 😂 I was curious to try washi tape stickers, and I do love how thin they are. They’re perfect for Hobonichi TR paper! I do try to buy local whenever I can, though - so if I got more, I’d start with my local stationery shops next time. 😅 Please feel free to comment as much or as little as you want! I appreciate you so much! ✨
I love mine! I do still wish I had the choice of getting the A6 (by May, they seemed to be sold out everywhere except on Etsy at really high prices), because it would have been more portable. Regardless, I love how it plays this background role in my life for now, while knowing it’ll grow to be a star in my line up. That belief helped me persist in chipping away at it because it is kind of boring 😅 in the first year to see so much blank space. I know someday, it’s going to be one of my most treasured “history books” 🤓☺️
@@LittleCocoStudio since this is my first year in a daily journal I'm going to wait it out and maybe grab the A6 5-year starting next year. I really enjoyed seeing how you're using yours so far.
@@Terrible_Hime that makes sense! It’s a pretty big commitment (I like to think I’ll keep it up, but there’s no guarantee), so it’s a good idea to wait. If you still want to try one next year, that would be saying a lot!
Now that I’ve been putting in an effort into recording the small things (instead of only the negative events I needed to get off my chest in my personal long-form journal), I am starting to recall a lot more. It’s been a subtle shift, but a good one for me. ☺️
I turned one of my old hobonichi into an art journal, where I did anything I want: paint, сollage, journal, and it was a great way to learn to draw, certainty, if someone would want to learn how to draw, the best way is to do it daily, and in a daily planner with dates, which gives pressure to draw
This is amazing way to repurpose an old Hobonichi! Especially one that still has the older version of the paper. 🤩 A part of me was hoping when I got the Cousin last year that I’d draw a little bit every day, which was a main reason why I resisted using stickers in the book. It kind of worked (I drew more last year than I have in previous years), but it didn’t become a daily habit. I’m hoping my A6 fun journal this year will be more successful in maintain some sort of creative practice. ☺️
Thank you for this! It was a very comforting watch ♥️
Thank you so much for your kind words. This means a lot to hear! 🥹💓
I totally hear you when you say that it can feel really indulgent/time-consuming/etc. to paint, even if it's part of your self-care and/or a really important, fulfilling hobby. I've been trying to recover from burnout for the past couple years, and it's only since getting a hobonichi this year that I've consistently gotten out my paints every day, even if it's just to smear some paint around the borders to add colour to my daily entries (** regardless of whether I write a daily entry or not). I think a big part of it is the medium; sketchbooks seem more intimidating, and require more "effort" to pull out. My hobonichi is always out on my desk, and I keep a cheap paint palette (even though I own expensive, higher quality paints) a couple brushes, a jar of water, and a little rag on my desk at all times now. I realized that I need to make it as foolproof for myself as possible, because it's way easier for me to come up with excuses to NOT create.
The other part of it for me was needing to reframe my thinking that it is self-indulgent. I've thought that way for so many decades, and having a therapist who used to be an art therapist has been incredibly helpful in realizing that painting is not a selfish, self-serving, ultimately useless/pointless pursuit. It is self-care, it is self-expression, it can help me find my voice, draw boundaries, connect with my body, my intuition, my emotions. (I recently picked up Rukmini Poddar's "Draw Your Feelings" book, which is a creative journal to help connect with your emotions through art. It's fun, it's colorful, the exercises are easy but meaningful, and a great accompaniment to journaling.)
ANOTHER aspect of letting go of the idea that painting is indulgent (at least for me) is keeping in mind that painting does NOT have to mean FINE ART. For decades, I didn't paint because I was afraid it wouldn't be good. Discovering Sandi Hester's channel here on TH-cam has helped me SO, SO much in learning that painting "loosely" is good; realism is not the be-all, end-all. She taught me about so many fun painting exercises, like painting something in 1 minute, 2 mins, 5 mins, so you HAVE to stay loose and you can't expect perfection. Painting with your non-dominant hand, painting while holding the tip of your brush, painting while only looking at the object/subject and never at your canvas/sketchbook/paper, etc. The goal is to create marks, NOT to exactly replicate something. It helps relieve the pressure of painting in general, because suddenly it isn't about needing to set an hour or more aside to get something "right". Too much in our lives is about needing to do things right and properly and thoroughly. It's nice to have something that doesn't share those goals ^^
Thank you so much for all of your thoughtful comments! It sounds like you’ve made a lot of great progress in terms redefining your relationship with creating art. I’ll have to check out the Draw Your Feelings book and Sandi Hester’s channel. Thank you for the recommendations! I admire you for reframing your relationship and finding ways to keep it fun and therapeutic, instead of something that needs to be done “right”. I think that’s also why I’m drawn to my niece and nephew’s drawings - there’s something so freeing, expressive, and non-apologetic about their work.
I’m fairly certain my anxiety / perfectionist tendencies are what hold me back the most in “letting loose” with much of my art practice. I’m a bit earlier on in the phase of reframing and repairing my relationship to art. A few years ago, I tried to make some accommodations to minimize the amount of physical and mental prep I would have to do in order to sit down and paint. I tried to build a daily habit of painting something small (which is why I chose a small sketchbook) and I bought a ton of paint colours to try to “skip” the step of mixing my paints. 😝 In the end, I couldn’t overcome the pressure I was placing on myself. It’s a work in progress! 😅 When I got my Hobonichi Cousin last year, I found myself sketching more on the daily pages. I even started sketching without finding a reference photo, which I found so freeing! I’m hoping that’s what this A6 will be for me in 2024, since I’m using my Cousin as a 100% functional book for work and school and need to save the daily pages for notes.
Omg VERY random sidenote because of your mention of hotpot: CNY is the ONLY holiday I have marked in my journal 😂I think I love lunar new year/chinese new year as much as most people love Christmas; I call it "hot pot season" and try to keep my pot (family heirloom stone pot that has only been used for hot pot) on the stovetop for as long as possible even when it isn't in use, the same way some people keep a Christmas tree up through winter to extend that warm, cozy feeling. 😂
Wait - that is so cool that you have a family heirloom like that and that you keep it on your stove! 🍲 CNY eve is one of my favourite times. So much good food and quality time with family.
Yorkshire Gold is delicious! I regret not getting myself a 5-year diary, but now I'm waiting to get one until 2026, because I'm a numbers weirdo. Lovely video, thank you for sharing how you're managing everything!
Thank you for taking the time to comment (and yay! I look forward to sending you a letter! 💌)! When it comes to holding off on the 5-year, I’m impressed with your restraint. I’m not good at waiting for the right moment to start things (that’s my impulsive behaviour), but there can be a lot of satisfaction that comes from doing so. If I had been able to wait until 2025, it would have coincided with a significant milestone for me. Sometimes, I think… could I get a second one to document that purpose? But, I’d then have to update two 5-years 😂 So in conclusion, you are being wise and reasonable. Also - I agree about Yorkshire Gold! My parents are loyal Tetley orange pekoe drinkers, so I have an emotional attachment to it as well since that’s what I drink when I’m spending time with them. 🫖
@@LittleCocoStudio I have the A6 5 year in my cart right now, so we'll see how good my impulse control is! :D
@@HannaChoe 😂 sounds like you’ve got a 5-Year joining your life in the near or distant future! I’m excited for you!
(okay one final sidenote, sorry for so many comments!) That washi tape on the insert/plain white piece of paper that you take out from your fun daily Hobonichi at 29:32 is SO cute, do you remember where it's from? 😍 I must get my hands on some! And I love those stickers of the jumpers in your monthly spreads, are they digital downloads or also stickers? OKAY I PROMISE THAT'S IT FROM ME lol
That washi tape has got to be my all-time
favourite washi tape! It’s a dream wallpaper design, but I can’t afford it for our walls. When I found out there was a washi tape version of it, I hunted it down and purchased it from a Japanese seller on Etsy. 😂 It is an MT x William Morris collaboration. I think this specific style is called Fruit. As for the jumper stickers, they are washi tape stickers that I got from Temu. When my dad introduced me to Temu, he was mainly excited about home things that he’d normally get from
Hong Kong. Meanwhile, I went straight to browsing the stationery supplies. 😂 I was curious to try washi tape stickers, and I do love how thin they are. They’re perfect for Hobonichi TR paper! I do try to buy local whenever I can, though - so
if I got more, I’d start with my local stationery shops next time. 😅 Please feel free to comment as much or as little as you want! I appreciate you so much! ✨
Now I kind of want a 5-year diary...
I love mine! I do still wish I had the choice of getting the A6 (by May, they seemed to be sold out everywhere except on Etsy at really high prices), because it would have been more portable. Regardless, I love how it plays this background role in my life for now, while knowing it’ll grow to be a star in my line up. That belief helped me persist in chipping away at it because it is kind of boring 😅 in the first year to see so much blank space. I know someday, it’s going to be one of my most treasured “history books” 🤓☺️
@@LittleCocoStudio since this is my first year in a daily journal I'm going to wait it out and maybe grab the A6 5-year starting next year. I really enjoyed seeing how you're using yours so far.
@@Terrible_Hime that makes sense! It’s a pretty big commitment (I like to think I’ll
keep it up, but there’s no guarantee), so it’s a good idea to wait. If you still want to try one next year, that would be saying a lot!
@@LittleCocoStudio i'm also a bad impulse buyer lol, it's good for me to sit on something before pulling the trigger
i dont remember much of anything in my life either.
Now that I’ve been putting in an effort into recording the small things (instead of only the negative events I needed to get off my chest in my personal long-form journal), I am starting to recall a lot more. It’s been a subtle shift, but a good one for me. ☺️