Today, I want to share something that came to me in an email from Amy, one of our creative community members. Her words stuck with me, and I’m so grateful she shared her heart because I think it’s something many of us have felt:
“On another note — I am frustrated by my schedule which has not allowed me to sit and watch the videos and tutorials as often as I’d like to. Ugh.
Going through a phase where I hate everything I’m doing and end up tearing the page out of the journal…. I haven’t found my style yet and am all over the place.
But I keep painting….. 😊”
Amy, first off—thank you. Your honesty is powerful. I know you’re not alone in feeling this way. And today, I want to respond to that frustration with something I’ve learned in my own art journaling journey.
My Personal Rule: No Tearing Pages Out
Early on, I made one rule for myself: I never tear pages out of my journal. Even if I’m not loving what I see, I leave the page. I either finish it later, come back to it when I’m in a different headspace, or I simply turn the page. Some days, I feel like everything I touch turns to gold. Other days? It’s like slogging through mud. As my dad says, “Some days are diamonds, and some are stone.” And that applies to art too.
But every single page matters—even the ones that feel like failures in the moment. I’ve learned that ripping them out becomes a habit, an easy escape from discomfort. And growth doesn’t happen in comfort.
Your Journal Is Your Safe Space
An art journal is a reflection of you. Your process. Your style—or the journey to finding it. Those pages where you feel lost? They teach you what techniques, colors, or themes don’t speak to you. And in doing that, they help clarify what does.
Some of my most memorable pages are ones I once disliked:
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I once painted an entire page in this odd, funky orange on my birthday. I remember that birthday well—it was a hard one. I was in a rough emotional place, and my significant other at the time made me feel anything but special. We were walking toward a breakup, and that page, with its lone orange background, captured the weight of that day. I never went back to finish it—but I’ve never torn it out either. It holds a truth about that season of life, and sometimes that’s enough.
- FYI – when I turned 40 I included a photo of myself to mark that birthday so I would not forgot how great and empowered I was feeling.
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The day Prince died, I painted a page in all purples. Just layers of color. Was I a superfan? No. But I felt moved, and my journal gave me a place to process that.
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I went through a whole phase where I used fake flowers someone had given me. I glued them into my journal because I didn’t yet feel confident enough to draw or paint my own. But those pages helped me discover the types of flowers I love most and gave me an outlet before I found my painting style.
Each of these pages tells a story. And many of them, if I had followed the impulse to tear them out, would’ve been lost.
Imperfectly Perfect
The heart of Your Artful Journey is sharing—not perfection. In our community, we focus on what we love about a page. We don’t dwell on the negative. When we share even the imperfect pieces, others often point out things we might’ve missed—colors that pop, techniques that shine, messages we didn’t know we were sending.
Your art journal is your story unfolding—stones and diamonds both. Give yourself grace. Give yourself time. Let your style emerge naturally by showing up, even on the messy days.
So if you’re ever tempted to rip a page out, I encourage you to pause. Step back. Sleep on it. Come back tomorrow. Or simply turn the page. Because every day you wake up is a new chance to create—and your journal deserves to hold the full range of your creative voice.
Maybe it is time to revisit these pages and recreate them years later………who wants to share in that creative fun?
Thanks again, Amy, for inspiring this conversation. I’d love to keep it going—if you have thoughts, questions, or experiences you want to share, drop them in the comments.
Here’s to the diamonds and the stones. 💎🪨
Creatively Yours,
Tracy
Hi Tracy, This post really spoke to me. I’ve been following you now for about a month. I have my supplies and have gotten as far as taping around the page I’m going to work on but nothing else.
I’m at a point in my life that when I run into problems with my crafting (quilting, crochet, junk journaling, etc.), I stop and put everything away. My mind tells me that “I’m going to mess it up anyway, don’t waste the time and supplies.”
This sentence you wrote above; “But every single page matters—even the ones that feel like failures in the moment.” really got me to thinking about things that I’ve given up on.
Thanks again for your wonderful work, your delightful personality and the sharing of your time and talent.
I am going to try, even if I might mess the page up and I “won’t tear it out.” LOL
I am so glad I was asked this and expressed my thoughts on it. Embrace those fun mistakes and see where they take you 🙂
I finished my first journal tonight. Very little that is going to ever be seen by anyone. Except maybe my grandchildren. Some pages have been removed and given to them. They are my joy.
I am so excited to hear you finished your first journal!. What a creative road ahead!
Wow… I have to resist tearing out pages as well. It’s hard to trust that I am making progress. Even though I share my work, I’m not always confident or proud of it, I just keep going, just keep painting. Art is my safe place. It’s the one thing that is just for me. This is a great blog post! I will refer back to it on Meh days! 💗
I am so glad this resonated with you! Progress over perfection I always say. I am so glad I decided to start writing again 🙂
Tracy, today I feel like you opened and invited into a whole new world. A few years ago I joined your journey but I don’t think I was ready and really didn’t understand where a journey with you would lead. After many years of joining classes online, I believe I was trying to prove something to myself. I only felt anxiety if I didn’t do anything on a given day. I overthought everything. I started posting what I created but I don’t think I was really looking for recognition.
When the 5 Day Challenge was offered everything became so clear. I couldn’t wait for each day to follow you and it seemed forever for the Waitlist to open.
Since I’m here, there is not a day that doesn’t go by that I’m excited to be with you on this journey. Life gets in the way sometimes but this journey is one of the best parts of my life. Your generosity and sharing and singing is like having a best friend. Now a blog, something I finally relate to. Thank you from my whole heart and major Congratulaions💕
I am so thrilled with the response to this post! I am so glad you came into my world Felicia! Your excitement is contagious and reminds me how much I love what I do and share on the daily basis! I am going to write and write some more! Hopefully it helps 🙂
I love this post!
A couple of years ago I was doing a painting and just got so frustrated with it and in turn with everything that was inside of me. I ended up pouring black acrylic onto the pages and used my hands to spread the paint around. I cleaned my hands and came back to it and with white paint I wrote Chaos across the pages. Then I used acrylic markers to write down all of my ugly negative emotions.
And I walked away.
It was a full two weeks before I could face it again. I read Psalm 91:4, He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
I cut out and painted a bunch of feathers. I glued each feather over each nasty word then I cut out and glued words of God’s truth of who I am over each feather.
That was the most healing entry I have ever made in any of my journals.
The good, the bad and the ugly. It’s all a part of the journey.
Love this and love your quote because life is also about the good, the bad and the ugly 🙂
Well I do t think I’m the Amy that posted that, but it was really like, “wait, that’s how I have been feeling,” then I reread it and realized it was from an Amy. Maybe I’m the Amy and I don’t even remember saying that – or maybe there’s an Amy out there who expressed it for me. Either way, thanks for this post. I needed it 🙂
This was from Amy R. but love that you could associate with this and it helped! I am going to keep on writing. Ask me anything Amy W. 🙂
Happy Sunday Tracy! Thanks for writing this very thoughtful message to us all.
I am reminded each time I open my ‘Your Artful Journey’ journal or f/b page or email that its Mine ~ my journey, my skills, my choices. As I listen to your classes you remind me that being perfect is not the object, but enjoying the process, the colors, my improved skills & doing something for myself is the reward.
I am so glad I took the leap and am sharing more of my thoughts. I think it is important that we know we are not alone and struggle right along with other artists. I am so glad you are creating with me!
Very inspiring. I am gathering some courage to follow the same.
Yay! I love to hear that and appreciate you taking the time to comment!