SHAH ALAM, Dec 25 — Items that may seem worthless to most people can, in fact, carry significant meaning in the hands of creative journalers or art journal practitioners as they explore their creativity.
Folded paper, pastel colour palettes, glue, or even sheets of tissue may hold countless stories or life records that can be transformed into artistic elements.
Unlike conventional painting, which relies solely on visual expression, creative journalling combines images, writing, colour, poetry, and collage. It serves as the artist's emotional documentation.
Creative journalling is an evolution of the diary, with a stronger visual emphasis and open to a wide range of forms. Through daily entries, this art form conveys atmosphere and emotion.
Universiti Teknologi MARA's Faculty of Art and Design Associate Professor Mumtaz Mokhtar said that such works can be enhanced with quotations embellished with paint, sketches, and other materials, including tape.
It is also free of rules, with no limits on technique. One can draw anything on the page using any colour or shade. Anyone can create it, even without an artistic background.
“Creative journaling is therapeutic. It is not merely an artistic outcome, but a way of processing emotions and documenting life experiences in a beautiful, personal manner.
“Sometimes, when we eat at a restaurant, we keep the tissue. Later, we collect it and paste it into a book. That memory can be illustrated and coloured in a journal entry as a form of remembrance,” she said.
Unlike abstract painting, creative journaling encompasses everything: from geometric lines, stamps, and stickers, to floral drawings, patterns, illustrations, and even thread drawings.
Such creativity was reflected in the solo exhibition by young artist Wan Jemima Wan Shaiful, titled Dreamscapes: Musings of a Soul and Art Journaling 40450, which ran from October 8 to November 9.
The exhibition's opening, a collaboration between the Faculty of Art and Design and Artjamila Gallery, was officiated by state executive councillor for women’s development and social welfare Anfaal Saari.
Blending poetry and art in creative works
Jemima is among the young talents who have made a name for themselves in creative journalling in the country. Other well-known names include Pooi Chin, Jane Lee, and Shin Yee, whose works are frequently shared on social media, particularly Instagram.
Jemima, who enjoys combining poetry with visual art, has also received recognition for her poems, which were selected for The World Peace Project in the United States in 2020 and 2021.
“I started with water-soluble oil paints but eventually gravitated more towards acrylics. I prioritise atmosphere and emotional resonance over strict realistic representation,” she said.
As a result, Jemima's works appear unique and are not bound by realistic styles. They lean more towards exploring unstable perceptions of reality, a philosophical interpretation that touches on the boundaries between reality and delusion.
With a background in English language and literature, she draws on her literary foundation to craft poetic visual narratives. Jemima considers the fusion of visuals and poetry as a form of communication.
Her works are accompanied by short poems that explore the intersection of language and visual art, creating new meanings. Her colour palette tends towards tonal hues, combined with bold complementary colours and symbols of deep emotion.
The artist's inspiration stems largely from philosophy, particularly existentialism, which questions the meaning of existence and life itself, much like how humans perceive the world.
“I am also inspired by painting itself. When I attended an exhibition, I observed a painting and interpreted it carefully. The artist told me my interpretation was accurate.
“That was when inspiration struck,” Jemima said, adding that she had enjoyed digital drawing since primary school and experimented with traditional painting before venturing into creative journaling.
That exhibition experience sparked her interest in creating art, instilling confidence that art is not merely about form, but a silent language between artist and viewer.
For Jemima, every artwork is a space for reflection, like a lucid dream that encompasses colour, form and words. Each viewer gains inspiration, whether in the form of art or thought.
Among the figures who have influenced her are Vincent van Gogh and Odilon Redon, world-renowned painters known for their emotive brushstrokes and bold use of colour. They shaped her understanding of how emotions can be translated onto canvas.
“My paintings and poetry are combined. I want to create a space for contemplation and thought through my work: something dreamy, like that,” Jemima said.
As such, she sketches whatever she wishes, refusing to confine her creativity to rules, techniques, or details. Jemima wants to create freely, without concern for others’ opinions, as experiences, stories, and memories are poured into her poetry and paintings.
In fact, the roots of creative journaling date back to the practice of keeping notebooks to record thoughts, sketches, and artistic experiments, as seen in figures such as Leonardo da Vinci and van Gogh.
They used notebooks as visual diaries to jot down ideas, practise skills, and record observations. This is regarded as an early form of creative journaling before the art evolved into its modern expression.
Lucia Capacchione, born in 1937, is considered a pioneer of the field in the modern era. An art therapist, author, and consultant, she was among those who popularised the practice.
The author of The Creative Journal: The Art of Finding Yourself and Recovery of Your Inner Child is also well known for her method of writing and drawing using the non-dominant hand for emotional healing.
After Capacchione, figures including Teesha Moore, Donna Downey, and Julie Fei-Fan Balzer emerged, with a stronger inclination toward mixed-media techniques in creative journalling. In contrast, Danny Gregory and Keri Smith adopted a more traditional approach.
Based on current trends, the future of creative journaling looks bright, with growth flourishing worldwide, including in Malaysia, driven by rising public awareness of mental health issues.
The surge in digital technology has further expanded the reach of creative works, from metropolitan cities to rural areas. In fact, digital creative journaling is also beginning to grow and evolve thanks to specialised applications.
