Below is the story of how I found journaling (or how journaling found me), my experience on the page, how it has guided my life, and how I came to create Journaling Saves.
For the deep dive on how I’ve leveraged journaling to navigate life’s biggest challenges, including mental health, be sure to also check out How Journaling Saved My Life.
Memos to myself when I have a teenage kid
In 7th grade, I was perusing the library shelves, where I spent a lof of my time as a socially awkward child.
I found Carol Snyder’s novel, “Memo: to Myself When I Have a Teenage Kid,” about a girl my age struggling with the reality that parents don’t get it. She starts a diary so she can remember what’s important when she grows up. Brilliant, right?
I immediately started my own journal. My first entry was filled with revelations like, “I love horses. I really love horses. I hope I always love horses as much as I love horses right now.”
I do still love horses that much. And Joe wasn’t actually my favorite New Kid.
I didn’t connect with many kids in my small suburban school. I was an awkward girl, quiet – but used big words when I did speak. I was six feet tall in 8th grade and much to everyone’s dismay, I was terrible at basketball. I think you’re picking up what I’m putting down here.
Instead, I kept to myself, read books and journaled. I quickly grasped that journaling was a powerful tool for processing and insight. By 14, I was writing daily and finished my four “Memos to Myself” journals.
I wrote “History” on the cover to disguise them from nosy parents and teachers.
My 5th journal, which I started in 1991, was the true beginning of my dedication to the craft. It was the first journal I gave a title to, a ritual I continue to this day. The titles reflect the theme of the journal or acknowledge leaps in growth. One of my favorite high school journals is appropriately titled “Epiphanies, etc.”
In high school, my journal was a place to air my worries and plan for better days. I’ve always relied on journaling to save me from rough patches, dreaming of a brighter future and developing the plans to get there. This was prime time for just getting through it, and I needed all the fortitude I could muster.
I used any opportunity to write. When I finished a test early, I’d take an extra composition book and freewrite until the bell rang. While working as a grocery store cashier, I scrawled on the back of rain checks and cash register tallies.
Oh mah gah – that FONT!
Morning pages
My journaling practice deepened in college when I discovered Julia Cameron’s ubiquitous guide to creativity, The Artist’s Way. The core tool that resonated with me was “morning pages”.
Cameron advises freewriting three pages every morning by hand. Every day. Whether you feel like it or not, whether you “need to” or not. Amazing.
I started journaling every day for about an hour. I wrote at work in the cafe. I wrote in the diner, on the subway platform. I switched to hardcover notebooks so I could sit on the sidewalk and write in the sun. I found excuses to put pen to paper. I found time. I made time.
When I graduated college, I’d filled over two dozen journals.
A self-portrait I did for photography class. The assignment was to take a photo doing what you’re most passionate about. So naturally, piles of my journals.
The birth of Journaling Saves
My love affair with journaling continued after graduation. The practice enabled me to navigate difficult topics by harnessing my own growth and insight.
Whenever I was talking about journaling, people were curious that I had nearly every day of my life documented. They had a lot of the same questions about journaling, and I loved answering them.
I wished there was a resource where people could get those questions answered. I really wanted everyone to benefit from this powerful practice. So I created that resource in 2010.
Welcome to Journaling Saves.
Present day
Journaling has been my North Star for more than three decades and provides stability and structure. It’s helped me survive struggles and celebrate my accomplishments. It illuminates situations that aren’t a good fit, and provides the tools to get free.
Over the years, I’ve found a cadence that works for me. I still journal almost daily. Some entries are a quick update, others are epic sessions where I work through weighty topics. (More about that in How Journaling Saved My Life.)
I see journaling as a tool to be better today than I was yesterday. To develop more clarity about who I am, and how I want to be in the world. It makes me better in every role I play: partner, parent, friend, sister, daughter, coach, business owner, citizen.
Over the past 30+ years, I’ve completed hundreds of journals. Here’s a handful:
I hope you enjoyed this origin story of Journaling Saves. If you want to learn more, you can read the About page and How Journaling Saved My Life.
As always, I’m happy to answer any questions you have about the site or me. Just drop me a line!
Light and love on your own origin story.
