Whenever I begin a new devotional, I try to think of a way to change up my method of study. I find this helps me to keep it fresh for myself, and not fall in to engrained habits. This helps me focus on the devotional with fresh eyes! For this month’s By the Well 4 God devotional, “Holy, Holy, Holy”, I decided to create a study journal, complete with hidden tags for prayers. Check out my process over on my YouTube channel:
The most important thing to remember when taking on a project like this is to not let the scope of the project overwhelm you. Don’t have time to do stamping on every page? Stick with stickers! Does watercolor seem like so much work? Stick with colored pencils while you are watching your favorite show. Some people get stuck in prep work and never actually get to enjoy the project they are working on. Setting up this journal could have easily taken me 5-6 hours, but I kept it just under 2 hours by focusing on the elements that inspired me the most.
Something else I always try to do when working on a project like this is to create a pattern or formula for every entry. I don’t force myself to reinvent the wheel for every single page. I find one look that works, make slight changes so that each page is unique, but then I assemble the journal “assembly-line” style. This saves time and gives the whole project a cohesive look.
Finally, let me share my reasoning behind setting up my journal in advance. I love paper-crafting as much as the next person. In fact, I might love it way more than the average person. I can sometimes get so caught up in the creative side of Bible journaling that I lose the study aspect. By setting up my journal in advance, I scratch my itch of wanting to play with all the beautiful new supplies and I create more study time in the future when I am able sit down with the devotional. I am excited to dive into this new study of holiness, and now I am all set with a journal that inspires my creativity!
How do you approach new projects? Do you stick to tried and true methods, or do you prefer to change it up every time? Let me know your thought process…I’d love to know!
Keep it creative,
-The Scrappy Wife
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