People tend to ask me why I keep a journal with me. They also ask me how often I use it, what do I do with the words that I press lightly to the paper that it holds, and overall are just curious as to why I have a journal at all. I strongly believe that keeping a journal or some form of paper keeps the creative aspect of your brain going.

A lot of people will say, “Colleen, I am not creative so why do I need a journal”? No matter who you are or what your occupation is, you have some part in your body that is creative. Journals are also not just to keep creative thoughts but it’s a reminder. If you have a voice then you have something to say, something that can be written down and something that will ultimately make you have a louder voice that can be heard. A lot of people don’t want to keep a journal because they see as something that is emotional or something that people only use to write down stories, stories that they don’t think they have. This statement is false.

When I keep appear by me I am not always writing down my emotions or ranting about something that happened that day, I am usually writing down things that I need to do, ideas, people that make me happy, and overall I am writing down things that I want to be permit. That is what a journal is, it is something that is permanent. When you put something down in your phone or set a mental reminder it is not a given that you will remember it.

Some perks of keeping a journal are:

1. It makes your creative side glow.

2. It is a permanent reminder.

3. You don’t have to show anyone what you write.

4. You can show people what you write.

5. It’s something that isn’t electronic in your life.

I think that a lot of people get caught up in the idea that someone is going to read their writing and judge them for what they wrote. This is not the case and I strongly want to say that you don’t have to show anyone what you write. In fact you don’t have to even tell people that you write. That is the freedom of having a journal, you can show people what you write or you can keep it a mystery.

Also, I think that journals are important because it is something that is not electric in your life. We get so caught up in our phones, myself included, that sometimes you forget that we have one of the most valuable tools. A pen and paper is so valuable to our everyday lives and we take advantage of something so great.

People tend to think that they don’t have a creative side because they don’t try to write something down. It comes back to the fear of others judging you for your writing but you have to remember that you aren’t always writing for an audience. Sometimes you just have to write for yourself. Sometimes you have to sit back on your porch with a piece of paper and your favorite pen and write down something that you never thought you could.

~Col