journaling journey – Cynthia D. Griffin

creative writing, creativity, journal, journaling, motivational journals

New Releases: 4 Lined Journals with Motivational Covers

Posted on January 27, 2021 by Cynthia D. Griffin

Here are four more journals I recently designed. This project I started with the intent of still creating simple lined journals (like the last six journals I did), but this time with fun motivational covers––Because who doesn’t love some visual motivation!

I brainstormed, and then chose four slogans or affirmations that I have worked for me in my own journaling journey, and then played around with some images and fonts until I came up with these lovely creations.

Here is an official book description…

This motivational journal is a good for every day use, or great as a gift. This is a 120 page lined notebook or journal ready to be used for any kind of writing, journaling, note taking, and is especially good for reflective journaling on creating better quality life experiences.

This is also small and can fit in most handbags, packs, or even a back pocket. Journal size is 5.25″ x 8″ with a glossy cover and cream color lined pages inside. Pages are suitable for most types of pens.

All these journals can be used for any sort of generic journaling or note taking, but also can be dedicated to the topic of the covers.

Here are the individual links for each of the journals.

You Got This… I love this affirmation so much! I once had a journal with this phrase. In that time of my life, I was having a lot of hard days, and sometimes just pulling out the journal and looking at the cover was the positive boost I needed. This is an affirmation I have used quite a bit in my daily personal growth even before I purchased that particular journal.

The Best Is Yet To Come… This is definitely a winning affirmation that’s full of positivity and hope, because no matter what we have going on right now in our lives (good, bad, or in between), even better is always on the way!

Follow Your Dreams They Know The Way… This is a great journal for writing out your dream life. The things you want to have happen. The things you want to do or be. The things that fill you with excitement and promise.

Create Your Own Calm… This is a great place to either write out tools you can use to create more peace and calm in your life, or even a place you can release some of the “upsetting” bits and pieces of life, so you can create more calm after the release.

And that’s it for now. I do have a brand new guided journal releasing soon, so keep an eye out for that. Until then, have a great rest of January (I can’t believe the first month of 2021 is almost over already)!

creative writing, creativity, journal, journaling, writing

New Releases! 6 Lined Journals with Unique Cover Designs

Posted on January 21, 2021 by Cynthia D. Griffin

I love creating guided journals, but this month I decided to try designing some regular journals to see what I could come up with. The results are these six lovely creations. Each journal has 120 lined pages waiting for whatever writing or journaling a person is in the mood for. The difference between the journals is just the cover, because isn’t it nice to have choices?

Here is the official description below…

This a perfect for your every day use or great as a gift. This is a 120 page lined notebook or journal ready to be used for any kind of writing, journaling, or note taking. This is also small and can fit in most handbags, packs, or even a back pocket. Journal size is 5.25″ x 8″ with glossy cover and cream colored lined paper inside.

Some of the journals like the Affirmations, Gratitude, Inspiration, and Dreams can be used specially for those particular topics, or just used for free writing or regular journaling. My personal favorite is the Inspiration journal, not just because of the image and color, but I love the idea of having a journal just for writing inspired ideas (I have lots of those)!

Here are the individual links for each of the journals in case you want a closer look.

Notes is great for note taking or jotting down on the fly ideas.

Affirmations is great for keeping track of your favorite affirmations or creating your own.

Gratitude is great for writing down all the things you are thankful for and appreciate in life.

Dreams is great for writing down your dreams overnight, or life dreams (goals) that you want to come true.

Inspiration is great for writing down anything that might inspire you, or you have inspired ideas that you want to make sure you don’t forget.

Journal is great for note taking or just a generic journal.

I went ahead and created a separate page on this blog for lined journal. So they are easy to find (because I will be adding more at a later date), and hopefully won’t be confused with my guided journals.

Enjoy!

a guided journal, journaling, new release, self-empowerment, self-improvement

New Release: I Feel Confident When I… A Guided Journal

Posted on January 8, 2021 by Cynthia D. Griffin

Here is the next release for the Journaling to Feel Good series called I Feel Confident When I… This is the fifth book.

I actually thought this would be the last journal for this series, and then the very next day, I came up with three more ideas. So look for more to come!

This particular journal focuses on building and enhancing confidence through journaling about what supports you, what makes you feel strong and empowered, what makes you feel worthy, what makes you feel accomplished, and what things you do that makes you feel productive.

Here is the official book description…

Our emotions hold the key to a happy life. The better we feel, the better our life becomes around us. In life, we have learned many ways of not feeling well, but through consistently reaching for better feelings, we can rise above to something greater.

This guided journal is dedicated to finding the feeling of confidence and other closely related emotions, which is a wonderful first step to cultivating a foundation of personal empowerment.

Journaling prompts include the following… I feel confident when I. I feel strong because, I feel empowered doing, I feel supported because, I feel accomplished when I, I feel worthy because, and I feel productive doing.

This journal contains enough pages for three months of journal entries.

This journal is available in paperback on Amazon or as a letter size and A5 printables on Etsy.

And here is an awesome book trailer I created shows off the whole Journal to Feel Good series. Check it out below.

creativity, journaling, networking

Todd Cumpston’s Journaling Journey: Sketching

Posted on October 6, 2019 by Cynthia D. Griffin

A few years ago a friend and I went to Manassas, Virginia for a weekend getaway. Part of this getaway was to meetup with some of her sketching friends at a neat little coffee shop downtown. This is when I met Todd Cumpston and several other really awesome people. I was in awe of the work these people where doing, and while I did some sketching of my own, I mostly enjoyed watching what they were doing. It was a really great time, but most importantly, I walked away from that gathering with a new appreciation for how other people journal.

Recently, I contacted Todd and asked him to share a little bit about his sketching. He even agreed to send some pictures to show his amazing work. I hope his words and work will inspire you as much as it has me. So let’s get right into the interview and see what Todd has to say about his sketching journey.

Todd, I asked you specifically to talk about your sketching because I wanted to let people know that there are different kinds of journaling, and that sketching definitely fits that category. So let’s talk a little about your sketching experience.

How long have you been sketching?

Well, I’ve drawn my whole life, but I’ve been “officially” keeping sketchbooks since 2012.

What caused you to first start sketching?

As a visual thinker, it helps me process my life. I remember things much better if I sketch them- even better than if I have a photograph of the same scene.

What kinds of sketching do you do, and do you have a favorite way to sketch?

The style of sketching I do is called URBAN SKETCHING. It is an online community of sketchers, and the goal stated in its “manifesto” is to depict the ENERGY and SPACE of a location from life, to share the work online and to meet up and encourage each other sketchers in person. Wherever I am, wherever I go, there is a subject in front of me.

I start with pen and ink line work, and then add color selectively- to draw attention to the focus of the sketch. More recently, I have also started adding some text and framework/borders to some sketches, to add context as needed. I have even pasted things onto a sketch (receipts or tickets).

I post all of my sketches on Instagram (@toddpop1) and Tumblr (toddpop1.tumblr.com).

Do you sketch every day? And for how long do you have a typical sketching session?

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