January Graphic Journal Tour – Inspiration, Techniques, and a Lesbian History side quest :)
why it's useful to document your life
Dear Friend,
Welcome to this new newsletter! How are you today?
I’m thrilled to announce and share my January Graphic Journal Tour with you. This marks the first step of my 1 journal a month challenge for 2025, and I couldn’t be more excited to have you along for the ride. This project is more than just about filling pages—it’s a way to explore and reflect, a tool for creating space where our memories, emotions, and thoughts can live freely.
You can watch the full flip-through in the YouTube video, where I guide you through every page of my January journal.
You’ll hear me talk about the new multicolor pencil and blue marker I’ve been using and see how these colors and tools helped me shape my experience of the month. But more importantly, I share how I approach journaling—not just as a creative practice, but as a process of self-reflection and connection to the world around me.
Whether it’s through a memory of a trip to Lesbos (yes, sorry, I took a Lesbian history side quest—^^), or the textures I experiment with on the page, I invite you to join me in finding meaning through art.
And today, here in this newsletter, I’m posting a few images of the pages from my journal. They’re a snapshot of what I was feeling, thinking, and exploring this month. Some pages are simple, others are more detailed. Some are calm and others more experimental. But together, they show the evolution of my practice. I’m posting them to encourage you to reflect on your own creative process: What have you been feeling or discovering recently that you can express through art, journaling, or another medium?
One of the things I love most about graphic journaling is how it invites vulnerability. There’s no pressure to make it “perfect” because it’s never about perfection. It’s about expression—giving yourself permission to put your thoughts, feelings, and experiences on paper without judgment. When you make space for your voice, it’s amazing what comes to life.
I was thinking about this while sketching at the Musei Capitolini in Rome, sitting in front of a bust of Sappho. There I was, surrounded by centuries of art and history, and it hit me: even in ancient times, people felt the need to leave a mark, to be seen, to express themselves beyond the limits of their voices. That’s what we’re still doing today, in our journals, in our art, in the small gestures we make every day. It’s comforting to realize that while the world changes, this human urge to express and connect remains the same.
Lately, I’ve also been reflecting on how social media often pushes us to be productive, to have something “to show” and it’s exhausting but also exciting.
But what if the simple act of pausing, reflecting, and creating on a journal without an end goal is revolutionary in itself? In a world that demands constant output, choosing to slow down, observe, and capture fleeting emotions in a journal feels like reclaiming something precious. I guess…
In the coming months, I’ll be continuing this challenge, and I’d love for you to join me. Whether you start your own journal or just pick up a pen to jot down a thought, I hope you’re inspired to explore and reflect in your own way. And after you do, come and share it all in our Graphic Journal private Facebook group. (And if you want to practice with me and other Graphic Journal friends, you can join—even for free—the Graphic Journal Club on Patreon .)
If this resonates with you, I’d be so grateful if you could share this newsletter with someone you think would enjoy it too. Maybe it’s a friend who’s been meaning to start a journal, or someone who needs a reminder to make space for themselves. I’m creating this challenge not only for myself but for all of us to reflect, grow, and share in this creative process together. (It motivates me so much to have the Graphic Journal community to exchange with—we are all friends here.)
So, let’s commit to making more space for our creativity, our feelings, and our stories. This year is all about discovery—who knows what you might uncover about yourself in the process?
thanks for you attention! and please, if it’s not done already, after you finished reading go and subscribe to my youtube channel and to this newsletter
See you next month,
Nicoz
P.S. Art Supplies I Used:
• Multicolor pencil:
• Liquitex Fluorescent Blue marker
P.S.2 If you’re looking some style, my online shop is back online!