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Tag Archives: journal keeping

An ode to the journal

An ode to the journal

Bring all your heaviness
and your despair
Your hopes and dreams
and desires too
to the crisp, white pages
of the journal before you.Continue reading→

Hello!

I'm Shinjini, an artist, Tarot card reader, journal keeper & seeker of soul. I share my passions and discoveries along the path to inspire you to create a more artful, soul-centered life. Ready to experience the magic? Let’s do it together!

New workbook:

Soul Lines: Discover the Story Written in Your Birth Cards

Click on the image for more information + to purchase!

Now enrolling: The Unbound Journal

Build a beautiful art journal with materials from around your home!

Click on the image for more information + to purchase!

Let me send you letters....

Soul-centered missives from me to you...musings on life, creativity and/or spirituality; along with access to the secret Wanders Library, stocked with lovely ebooks, art prints, desktop wallpapers and more!

Read more in 2026

Join me for the 2026 book bingo reading challenge.

I write about...

Subjects close to my heart

Subjects close to my heart

The Gallery

Fresh from Instagram

Play. Explore. Ask what if. Try the weird color co

Play. Explore. Ask what if. Try the weird color combination. Mix mediums. Make a mess. Don’t stop exploring — in your art journal and in life!

Every mark, every colour, every decision, every id

Every mark, every colour, every decision, every idea, every composition — all of it, human made. In my Unbound Journal.

Want to learn how to make a journal like this one, and how to paint an abstract similar to the first photo? Comment UNBOUND and I’ll send you the link to my Unbound Journal ecourse.

Maybe your art doesn’t need to make sense. Maybe

Maybe your art doesn’t need to make sense.

Maybe you don’t need to be good at drawing.

Maybe you don’t need to paint realistically.

Maybe you don’t need to know what you’re making before you begin.

Maybe you can just make a mess.

Maybe you can use a colour just because you like it.

Maybe you can cover something up just because you don’t like it.

Maybe you can make marks that don’t mean anything.

And then, maybe, somewhere in that mess, you might notice something that does mean something to you.

That’s one of the things I love about intuitive painting. It doesn’t always make sense. Like the world doesn’t always make sense.

Maybe that’s the reason why we make art — not to reproduce the world as it is…but to make our own meaning from it.

Maybe you don’t have to know how to paint.

Maybe you just have to be willing to play.

🤍 Save this for the next time you think your art needs to make sense.

And follow @moderngypsy.in for art journaling and creative practice inspiration.

When I feel stuck, not sure what to paint or do in

When I feel stuck, not sure what to paint or do in my art journal, I don’t go looking for more inspiration. I focus on the next small step.

1. Start with colour.
Pick 2–3 colours and put them on the page.

2. Make an ugly mark.
It takes the pressure off making a “good” one.

3. Add something from your scraps.
Let the page give you something to respond to.

4. Ask: “What does this need next?”
Not “What should I make?”

5. Give yourself permission to change it.
Paint over it. Add another layer. Nothing is precious.

You don’t need a brilliant idea to start.

Sometimes you just need a way to make the next move.

Save this for the next time you’re sitting in front of a blank page, wondering what to do.

People often think becoming a better artist means

People often think becoming a better artist means learning more techniques.

In my experience, it has much more to do with changing how you approach the page.

These are five shifts that helped me embrace play over perfection (what I call intuitive painting) and enjoy the process so much more:

1. Start with colour, not a plan.
Instead of waiting for the “perfect idea,” begin with a few colours you feel drawn to and let the page evolve from there.

2. Ask, “What’s the next mark?”
Not, “How do I make this look good?” One small decision at a time keeps you present instead of overwhelmed.

3. Let every layer be temporary.
Paint over it. Tear it up. Add collage. When nothing feels permanent, you’re free to experiment.

4. Follow what catches your eye.
A shape, a colour, a texture… let your curiosity lead the next step instead of trying to control the outcome.

5. Finish with curiosity, not criticism.
Before you decide whether you like the page, ask yourself: What did this page teach me? That’s where growth happens.

Intuitive painting isn’t about painting without direction.

It’s about replacing perfection with curiosity, and learning to trust the conversation between you and the page.

🤍 Which of these feels hardest for you right now?

The best advice I ever heard about art wasn’t abou

The best advice I ever heard about art wasn’t about painting.

It was this:

Your job isn’t to make beautiful art.

Your job is to simply ask what if and have a conversation with the page.

That changed everything for me.

Before, every decision felt loaded.

Should I add more pink? Or blue? Maybe green?
What if I ruin this painting?
Is this composition even working?
Have I got the rule of 3 right?

Now I ask different questions.

What color am I craving?
What feels exciting?
Does this mark look interesting?
What if I cover this part of the painting?

That’s the heart of intuitive painting. You don’t need a plan. Perfection has no place on the table. You simply show up and respond to what’s happening on the page.

Ironically, the less I tried to control the outcome, the more my pages started to feel like mine.

🤍 Save this for the next time you forget that art can simply be a conversation between you, the page, and your paints.

And follow @moderngypsy.in for more creative art inspiration.

If you’ve ever opened your art journal and immedia

If you’ve ever opened your art journal and immediately thought…“Now what?”

…this is for you.

The trick is to have a few simple prompts that help you move the page forward.

Save this reel and come back to it whenever you get stuck.

You don’t have to use every prompt.

Just pick one.

Because often just getting started can be enough to get your creativity flowing again.

🤍 Which prompt are you trying first?

P.S.: Don’t forget to follow @moderngypsy.in for more art & creative inspiration!

Promise me you’ll read this until the end. Becaus

Promise me you’ll read this until the end.

Because making more room for creativity isn’t about squeezing out a few moments of time in your busy day. It’s about making it easier for yourself to show up for your art journaling practice.

Here are 10 small shifts that have made the biggest difference for me:

1. Keep your art journal somewhere you’ll actually see it.
2. Stop waiting to find a free hour to devote to your practice. We know that’s rare! 10 minutes is enough.
3. Create before you scroll—even if it’s just for 10 minutes. Or 5. It all adds up, I promise!
4. Leave a page unfinished so it’s easier to come back tomorrow.
5. Use fewer supplies. Fewer choices = less overwhelm.
6. Just start with some paint. Or collage. Or patterns. You don’t need an idea of what your finished art journal page will look like. You just need to start with a mark.
7. Then, ask yourself - What’s the next mark that seems like it would look interesting?
8. Let one mark lead to the next and one art journal page to the other. Don’t expect every page to be meaningful or beautiful. Embrace the mess. Let your creativity out to play.
9. Protect one evening a week that’s just for creating, if you’re able.
10. Remember: a creative life isn’t built in giant leaps. It’s built in tiny moments you return to again and again.

You don’t need to do all 10. Pick one. Let it become a habit. Then come back and add something else.

🤍 Save this for the days life feels too busy for creativity. And if you’re looking for gentle inspiration to build a creative practice that lasts, follow @moderngypsy.in

Nobody talks about the unglamorous work it takes t

Nobody talks about the unglamorous work it takes to build a creative life around a full-time job. It isn’t easy, but it can be done. I did it.

Here’s what it looked like:

• Painting for 10 minutes after a tiring day of work instead of waiting for a free weekend.

• Making messy pages after work when all I felt like doing was mindlessly scrolling through Instagram.

• Learning to show up and create even when I was tired. Not from a desire to have some unbroken painting streak, but because I knew how restorative even a short, 10 minute painting session could be.

• Simply prepping a page, and even skipping a few days when I just didn’t have it in me to be creative.

• Choosing creativity over perfection, again and again.

None of it is impressive. There were no large chunks of art time, except on the occasional weekend. But that simple decisions to keep showing up, again and again — that’s what helped me build a creative life.

If you’re trying to make space for creativity around a busy life, keep going. Even 10 stolen minutes a day adds up, and it counts more than you think.

🤍 What’s the hardest part of staying creative while working full-time? I’d love to hear your experience.

After years of art journaling, these are a few thi

After years of art journaling, these are a few things I simply refuse to do anymore.

1. I refuse to wait until I feel inspired.
I’ve learned that inspiration usually shows up after I start, not before.

2. I refuse to judge a page halfway through.
The messy middle has fooled me too many times. Some of my favourite pages looked hopeless before they came together.

3. I refuse to copy someone else’s style.
I’ll happily learn from other artists, but my goal isn’t to paint like them. It’s to discover what feels like me.

4. I refuse to believe every creative session has to produce something beautiful.
Some pages are delightful experiments. Others surprise me, and some pages simply help me slow down. They’re all valuable.

5. I refuse to buy more supplies every time I feel stuck.
A new paint colour has never solved creative self-doubt. Sitting down and making one messy page usually does.

6. I refuse to think of creativity as a luxury.
For me, it’s how I process life, reconnect with myself, and make sense of the world. It’s also a lot of fun! That makes it essential.

These are some of the lessons I’ve learnt from years of coming back to my journal.

💡What lessons have you learnt from your creative practice? Tell me in the comments; I’d love to hear!

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