Is your journal a work of art?

Thoughts on the art of journal writing & May journal pages and prompts for Ink-Stained Compass community

Welcome to Ink-Stained Compass, the weekly newsletter of poet and witch, Caitlin Gemmell. Though this week’s letter is for paid subscribers, most of it is free from the paywall. The downloadable journal pages are for paid subscribers only. Consider upgrading your subscription for full access to the archives, a bespoke poem, access to our community chat, and occasional snail mail. 💌

Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash

Hello dear soul,

Lately, I’ve been making an effort to deepen my journaling practice. Since childhood, I have written in a journal fairly consistently, but somewhere along the way I stopped using my journal as a form of storytelling. Instead, it has become a messy hodgepodge of dream snippets, positive affirmations, and gratitude lists rather than a place for recording stories of my daily life. In the past, writing in a journal was my way of developing my writer’s voice and discovering the inner workings of my mind.

Journal writing is a profound art form, transforming everyday moments into intricate tapestries, transmuting real life into stories. Oftentimes, the journals of famous writers invite readers into the intimate recesses of their lives. These journals offer readers engrossing, unfiltered views of the writers’ struggles, dreams, and revelations. Some of my favorite entries are crafted with a poetic sensitivity that goes beyond mere documentation. There is a nuanced interplay of language and life, much like strokes of paint on a canvas. These personal records capture raw, authentic feelings and subtle insights that often remain hidden in polished literary works. Journals are genuine works of art in their own right.

My past journals were delightful to read — amusing and full of detailed descriptions that brought my daily experiences to life. They were inspired by journals of famous writers, such as Anaïs Nin and Virgina Woolf, and epistolary novels, such as Dodie Smith’s I Capture the Castle, which is written as if we are reading the journal of the protagonist, Cassandra Mortmain.

My current journals seem to be lacking in personality.

Somewhere along the way, I developed a fear of recording my daily life. I believe this stems from years of pretending that my past abusive relationship was somehow okay. I stopped using my journal as a confessional, because a part of me knew the permanence of ink on paper. Once words are written down, they become true, undeniable.

To get around this, I turned away from realistic prose and embraced poetry. Poetry became my way of admitting the truth of my circumstances. Poems are fluid. They can be interpreted in various ways. I could express the pain I was feeling in a way that seemed safe. I could continue to pretend to the world that my life was healthy and normal instead of incredibly dysfunctional.

Journaling as an art form has been calling to me lately. I’ve been on an intentional healing journey for a few years now and feel ready to return to a practice that once gave me great joy and fulfillment.