2022 is here! I am grateful for a new year; it provides a fresh start and motivation to set goals. I have to admit that I’m also ready to prepare for autumn again, learning new Christmas cookie recipes meanwhile.
If you keep a bullet journal and are new to it (like me), setting up a fresh one can seem daunting. Those images on Pinterest with flawless, straight lines and Shakespearian calligraphy can be dispiriting. Setting up a calendar by hand takes practice and calligraphy is a literal art form; you won’t get there in a day.
Bullet journaling shouldn’t be a source of envy. When opening your new dot-grid journal, make sure you’re not out to copy others. It should be a source of inspiration, a promise that you’re about to chronicle your year while expressing your own creativity.
Look forward to what you can do, rather than comparing yourself to others.
If you want a colorful bullet journal but are not an artist by nature, here are some ideas for you to make it look creative anyway.
1- Stickers, Stickers, Stickers!
With the rise of bullet journaling came a rise in beautiful, detailed stickers. They can fill in that blank space on your journal page, giving it a splash of color alongside your to-dos and journal entries. There are even ways for you to print your own stickers, if you can’t find anything that suits you.
For Christmas my mom got me The Antiquarian Sticker Book, and as I page through it, I get the sense that I’m scrolling the vintage art category on Pinterest. For old souls, this collection of stickers is a real treasure. You have an entire alphabet to choose from, flowers, old-fashioned magazine sketches, and more!
2- Recycle Old Books
A lot of bookworms cringe at the thought of using an old book for scrapbooking, but here’s the thing. I have asthma and can’t read books with an overwhelming smell. However, I still can’t resist grabbing someone’s old poetry collection at a yard sale!
I’m more likely to read the poetry if its pages are scattered in my journal. Those books will get fresh life if you learn how to tape them into your BuJo as additional pages. The poets who wrote the pieces you’re taping will thank you for having found their work used it to grace your memories.
The book itself? I can’t imagine it’ll complain much. The alternative is becoming a decoration or gathering dust in an attic.
3- Delightfully Minimal
If you don’t want clutter in your BuJo but seek elegance, you can opt for a minimalist layout. Using really good pens, you can make the pages in your bullet journal gorgeous by showing off your handwriting.
I might try this myself sometime—but I want to work on my handwriting. A goal of mine is to have an old-fashioned, elegant hand that would make a grocery list look great!
These are only three ideas to get you started on your BuJo for the year. I’ll be searching the web for more inspiration and BuJo hacks as I work on my second bullet journal.
Do you keep a bullet journal? If so, what’s your ‘style’? If not, what’s stopping you?
Mariella Hunt 
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