My Fave Supplies!

We do not need to break the bank to get quality journaling and art tools. In fact, you probably already have everything you need to get started!

I advise journalers to slowly add in supplies that prioritize durability and permanence. This often means mid-range items—not kindergarten-quality, but not professional-grade either. (Look for words like acid-free, archival, studio-quality, and—depending on the material—student-grade is often totally fine!) As it goes in the commercial market, we will encounter a scale of low- to high-priced options, as well as vanity items that are attached to status rather than practicality.

In any expressive pursuit, it’s not the supplies, but what you do with them, that matter. Are you considering purchases because you want to level-up in your well-established creative habit, or are you craving supplies to fill a sense of not-being-good-enough? Be mindful of your reasoning as you add any art or journaling tools to your collection. What you have on hand is already enough.

PENS:

Mid-quality writing and marking tools are essential. We need to feel good about what we’re using for our journaling and creativity. If we don’t, we’ll increase our subconscious resistance to the process.

After much experimenting, I prefer water-resistant so I can slap color over my drawings and writing.

 
 

TRAVEL WATERCOLORS:

Why? Because I need journaling to be EASY and travel watercolor sets are made for quick and clean painting. With the waterbrush included, we don’t need to pull out a glass of water. And with the yellow cleaning sponge, we won’t need paper towels either. And with watercolors being water-soluble, we can just wash out any mess that might get on our clothes!

MY CURRENT JOURNAL:

Up until mid-2023, I was exclusively a Moleskine girl. (I’m talking eight years and 30+ journals.) However, Moleskine recently changed their paper quality and I found my pens and colors bleeding through.

Now I’m using Rettacy’s dotted journals. Shall we take a tour?

 

Other beloved supplies:

& If you need more suggestions, just ask!