I want you to destroy your journal.
There are a lot of reasons to keep your journal—I’m not gonna lie. We all want to have that “main character” feeling. Maybe you dream of your journals being discovered by an archeologist seven thousand years from now and becoming the voice of 2023. It’s a lovely dream.
But think about it…is that your main dream? Do you really value main character clout over true personal growth?
Destroying your journal is so underrated. Honestly, it hurts. That’s why I am starting a series called “Destroy Your Journal”. In it, I’m going to show you exactly how, why, and where you should get rid of those pages. And, of course, have a little fun in the process.
This week, we have an art project AND a little bit of poetry.
Why Destroy Your Journal?
My therapist gave me a wake-up call last year. I was holding on to my journal for all the wrong reasons. In reality, I should have been looking at these reasons to ditch every journal as soon as it served its purpose.
· Reason 1: You Want to Let Go of the Past
o Let’s face it, your journals are your past. Keeping them around is like hoarding memories. If you are like me, you started journaling to RELEASE those thoughts and feelings. So why keep them? A little time to review is perfectly okay. But after you have processed that stuff, get rid of it. Or, at least get rid of anything that doesn’t serve your happiness.
· Reason 2: You Like Your Privacy
o You can buy locks. You can add passwords. You cannot stop a true snoop. A huge reason many people don’t journal is that they can’t trust those around them not to read it. That is such a shame! Destroying your journal is an easy peasy way to eliminate that problem. There is a reason people redact confidential documents (which is sort of the inspiration for today’s project!)
· Reason 3: You Value Art, Hobbies, and Therapy
o It is not enough to just throw your journal in the dumpster. Where is the joy in that? No, destroying your journal requires creativity. You want to respect your past words by elevating them. Today it is blackout poetry. Tomorrow it could be so much more. Art therapy is a really useful tool! I may not promote making your journals aesthetic but, real talk, neither do art therapists. Art therapy is about the process of creation NOT perfectionism.
Destroy Your Journal with Blackout Poetry
Have I convinced you yet? If not, I might just get you with today’s project – Blackout Poetry.
Blackout Poetry is the process of taking a book and redacting the pages until you are left with a poem. It sounds new-aged but, really, the process dates all the way back to the 1700s. More importantly, it is so fun.
Back when I was an undergrad, I took a poetry class where we were encouraged to make a blackout poem once a week. The habit stuck. I’ve been experimenting with things to blackout ever since. Once I knew I needed to destroy my journals, the solution seemed obvious.
Below, I’m leaving the step-by-step guide you need to destroy your first few pages.
Step 1: Rip Your Journal
Okay. Technically, you could skip this step and just paint over the pages while they are still in the journal. If that vibes with you, go ahead. Me? I like the stress relief of ripping out the page from the spine. As a librarian, it feels forbidden in the best way. It feels indulgent.
With each tear of the page, imagine that you are ripping out your emotional baggage. It doesn’t matter if the rip comes out clean (you’re gonna paint over it anyway).
Step 2: Pick Your Paint
When it comes time to paint your pages, you have a lot of choices. Personally, I always choose black. I think it looks classy but, more importantly, it’s harder to see through.
Choose whatever paint you will! Just know that darker colors are typically more effective if you use acrylic. Whatever you decide, try to make sure that the covered words are completely unreadable after 2-3 coats. Any more and the paper starts to get weighed down by the paint. That’s when things get wrinkly. Best to avoid that.
Step 3: Find What Resonates
Now it’s time for the fun part. Basically, you need to pick the words that stand out to you. I like to ask myself these three questions.
1. What words pop out at you?
2. What emotions were strongest when you wrote the page?
3. What emotions are strongest now?
And guess what? Asking these questions is a form of processing what you’ve written! You still get all the goodness of reviewing your journal with none of the drawbacks.
Step 4: Paint Over the Rest
By now it should be obvious but, you need to paint over all of the words that didn’t stand out.
You may find it satisfying to leave a few linking words like “and”. This can help the poem make sense. Most days, this is what I go with. I like my poems to sound like they were crafted semi-on-purpose. But that’s just me.
My old professor was a purist. He said you should only choose the words that stuck out to you. If they make sense GREAT. If not…we’ll call it Avant-Garde. Either way, it is still art.
Step 5: Review Your Poem
Once you elevate and transform your journal pages, their meanings change. They become a symbol of your progress and change. THAT is what you can hold on to.
