Full confession, concept journal is a phrase I made up. It’s an art form birthed from a deeper dive into journaling, and it’s not a book of collages or a zine or a diary but something else. It’s not trying to convey something to an exterior user; it’s made to express, in visuals and writing, something for the purpose of expressing it in order to promote wellbeing, cope, and engender peace in the heart of the person making it. It’s made to quieten a nervous system, in therapy speak.
Journaling is, or perhaps I should say in my opinion should be, a process-oriented art form.
If a journal is neat… it should be because that engenders pleasure or solace or peace in the artist.
Here is a sneak peek into my new concept journal, Landscapes of Trying, created during IRL Journaling Workshop Series 1: Writing the Unwriteable, at The Create Place, St Margaret’s House, Bethnal Green, summer 2025.
IRL Journaling’s autumn-to-spring residency starts October 2025 at Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation St Margaret’s House in Bethnal Green.
You can book tickets here (check back soon if links aren’t yet up—and I will update here when they are!). If you’re feeling shy—check out this photo story of workshop 6 from my summer 2025 residency to see if the vibe works for you.