A Journal of Many Colors
by Rachel Berry
Take a trip around your mind with a journal as your copilot. See what worlds you create, movie endings you rewrite, food adventures to remember, quotes to never forget, and a life that is too beautiful to ignore and must be journaled.
I fell in love with writing while working at Disney after college where I sent fun emails recounting my adventures to friends and family. Afterwards, life took me to different places and jobs, but I always had a writing outlet whether it be a blog, goofy work emails, or a fun Christmas card letter. Fast forward to December 2018, when I graduated from grad school. For the last two years I had worked full time and attended class in the evenings. The minute I graduated, I booked as many Mumford & Sons concert tickets that were physically and fiscally possible. Then I sat and tried to remember how I spent my time before school. No surprise, I defaulted to spend this luxurious excess time on… social media. In no time at all, that purchase of time promptly caused my psyche to crash and burn. In a vengeful fit of rage, I deleted all the apps, all the accounts, everything gone forever.
Feeling freed for the first time since high school, a new thought hit me. I have:
this mind of mine,
a desire to write, and
seemingly endless free time.
Only then did it occur to me that while I loved to write, I always had an audience. What if I wrote just for me and allowed my mind to go anywhere without filtering for an audience. The plan was easy from there. As a lifelong fan of school supplies, I delighted in finding fun pens and a journal, and away I went.
Whether you’re an experienced journal-keeper or a curious newbie, here are some ideas to organize your journal and make space for your thoughts.
I use a color-coded pen system for my journal, with a special color designated for different topics or prompts.
I start every day by writing the date and location with their designated pens.I change writing locations throughout the day, I notate the change with the pen. The last daily setup is to write the weather high and low of the day with the corresponding pen to temperature. So if it is hot, hot, hot, I use a dark red pen. If it is cold, cold, cold, I use a purple pen for that temperature.
From there I pick whatever category comes across my mind and dance away. For example if I wanted to practice gratitude, I would write “Gratitude” with the special blue gratitude pen, and then in black ink, spout my many blessings.
Below are some of the things I like to journal about.. To start out, look through the list and see what prompts capture your imagination—or create your own system!
Rage Berry: if anything that is driving me burn-the-world-down mad, this pen swoops in to take on the rage.
Memory Jar: I love capturing fun memories as they happen with this pen. Especially fun quotes people say. Or if I get a vivid flashback from my past, I write the memory down. I try to stay away from predicting the future. Spoiler alert: I have gotten it all wrong.
Music: If I am listening to a song while I am journaling that is just PERFECT for the moment, I jot down the title right where I am on the page.
Storyline: I love thinking of plot lines, characters, settings, etc.. I may never get around to writing an actual story, but I love documenting all the ingredients.
Poetry/Aesthetic: I am no poet, but sometimes life inspires me in such a way that I use this pen to capture the aesthetic of it all.
Pep Talk: I spend all day every day with myself and sometimes I just need a pep talk. Who better to give me one than someone who knows exactly what is going on?
Epiphany Pen: When I connect the dots about my life, the epiphany pen is at the ready. Also, it is the same color of the green tropical Starburst. Coincidence? I think not.
Writing Brainstorm: These days I am mostly journaling, but if I want to brainstorm a fun email or Christmas card letter, this guy comes off the bench.
Food Wins: This is either for when I am cooking or have a particularly grand food adventure. A few weeks ago, a few girlfriends and I got dinner, and I had this carbonara that was table side. They brought a cheese wheel out, put the pasta in it, scraped the sides. Sure there is a video of it, but I had to write about it too–obviously!
Rach Review: I usually use this after I read a book and jot down my thoughts. But I have also done it for movies and TV shows. Why not! If I think something should have been slightly different, I notate my thoughts.
Gratitude: So many blessings.
Thinkin: The most used pen of them all. My thoughts are wild and endless, thank goodness for this pen. Call the gratitude pen!
Happy journaling!
Rachel Berry resides in Richmond, Virginia with her sweet dog Phin. She spends her free time journaling, dancing on her treadmill, and spending time with friends and family.
