Starting this month, Jihi Elephant is featuring bullet journalers and their journal at the end of every month! Each post features 1-2 journalers and their bullet journal stories. If you wish to be featured, check out the details and apply here.
To kick off the bullet journal feature project, I chose two applicants. Both of these applicants are so incredible and so different. I felt it was important to show two very different journalers, as we are all so unique in our styles. So without further ado, here are July's featured bullet journals.
BulletLeea by Leea
My name is Leea and I'm 23 years old. I come from Finland, and after living around Europe and going to college on the East Coast (of the States), I'm currently living in Southern California, with a move back across the Atlantic coming up soon. I work in the music industry, in live music and tour production specifically.
Leea's Bullet Journal Journey
I started my bullet journal in August 2016. I was just ending my summer vacation and was heading back to college for the fall. If I remember correctly, I came across the bujo community on Instagram. Organization and planning have always been a love of mine, which is why I think the hobby got me so excited.
I totally went crazy overboard with supplies when I started, buying all sorts of pens and accessories. But I settled down, and these days my go to supplies are just a black gel pen from Muji, a few fineliners and a handful of Tombow markers. But the experimentation and playing was an important part of my bujo-journey, and I think most people go through it.
Easily Overwhelmed
There is so much inspiration and shared content across Instagram, blogs, Pinterest, and Youtube, that it's easy to get swooped up by it all. I love that the community is based on sharing our creations and that all sorts of people are part of the community. From professional artists and graphic designers to people who have never been especially artsy (like yours truly). When I look back at my spreads, there are spreads I dislike as well as ones I love. There are ones that I loved before and don't care so much for anymore, and vice versa.
Bullet journaling is such a journey that I think people who are interested in starting one get overwhelmed when they compare their own day one to another's day 500. You are going to make spreads you love and ones you dislike. You may start trackers and forget about filling them in. You're going to make spreads that don't work for you. And you will make mistakes and smudges, wrong lines here and spills there, but they are all part of your bujo, and they're a part of the story.
Bullet journaling is definitely an amazing tool for growth and improving aspects of your life, but in the end, it's just a hobby, so don't take it too seriously. Enjoy the time you get to spend making your spreads, the functionality of your very own personalized journal, and definitely delve into the community. It's the best one I've ever been a part of, with so much support and creativity flowing through the pages!
Here are some tips for bullet journal beginners:
- If you want to start a bujo, you need to just begin!
- Don't compare your bujo to others
- Don't rush; you don't need to fill a notebook up as quickly as you'll probably want to when you first begin!
- If you want to draw and decorate your bujo, do!! If that's not your style, don't force it. Make it your own.
- Embrace your mistakes!
Universal Bujo by Michael Fox
My name is Michael. The bullet journal method changed my life. I'm a highly creative type person with a lot going on including family, web stuff, graphic design, game design, music, blogging, and more.
Michael's Bullet Journal Journey
Since I have several creative outlets already, my bullet journal doesn't have to scratch that itch. But I also don't have a lot of time to devote to something that's supposed to save me time. So my journal is devoted to a universal, ultra-streamlined style. This Universal Journal style, as I call it, aims to get as much productivity as possible from the bullet journal with as little time and effort as possible. I started with a mini-notebook to test things out and moved to a standard sized journal for the second go. I even designed my own dotted journals to fit more with what worked for me (available at Lulu.com). In this ultra-streamlined approach, I've got a 3-colored system to separate 3 dimensions of my life. My monthly spread includes weekly divisions, utilizing a door for a habit tracker and wellness tracker (possibly a third tracker soon), and the monthly task list with a calendar print out I made. I use a simple two column layout for dailies and a 1:2 double column layout for note pages. I also created a free printable of Notemarks, the note bookmarks which I use for recurring lists as well as my placeholders for the monthly and daily logs. Currently, I'm on the hunt for a minimalist style for just about anything anyone would need to keep in their bullet journal.
Here are some tips for bullet journal beginners:
For those new to the bullet journal, I recommend starting simple and minimal, and jazz it up later as needed or desired. It's a tragedy to see someone trying the bullet journal method only to give up on it because the approach they learned at first requires so much time (though it doesn't have to). Also, it would be very helpful for newcomers to make a bullet journal board on Pinterest or the equivalent on Instagram to keep track of the journal ideas you really like. This not only serves as an inspiration collection but also as a way to get plugged into the broader bullet journal community.
Thank you so much to Leealiina and Michael for sharing their stories and hopefully inspiring other bullet journalers. I know that I am inspired by their stories! If you are interested in becoming a featured bullet journaler, check out the details and apply here!
