Miranda is a Greece-based creator who shares journaling content on Instagram. Self-described as journaling her "way through life," Miranda knows about the transitions involved in being a young adult, and has taken up journaling as a form of self-care. We discuss this and more with her below.

Here's our interview with Miranda:

Have you kept a journal since childhood, or is this a passion that you’ve discovered in recent years? 

I discovered my love for art and journalling as an adult. When I was a kid actually, I wasn’t really creative or passionate about drawing. But as I got older, I felt the need to have a creative outlet.

For many years that outlet was photography and around four years ago I discovered bullet journalling by accidentally clicking on a YouTube video from Amanda Rach Lee.

I immediately knew I wanted to try it out because not only was it creative but it would also keep me organized and productive. I’ve been journalling ever since and it is literally a hobby that changed my life.

Your journal is stunning, and a great example of how journals can be personalized and decorated. Where do you find inspiration for your monthly themes and varied spreads?

First of all, thank you so much, this really means a lot to me. Inspiration comes to me in many forms. Maybe I’ll be walking down the street and see something that catches my eye and would look super cute as a bujo theme! Or I’ll use something important to me as inspiration and plan a theme around it.

For example, in September 2022 my theme was gymnastics. I’ve been a gymnast all my life so it was really special for me to have a theme like that in my journal. I also get inspired by other creators and their amazing work.

It’s such a blessing to be part of this community and be around so many creative people. And of course, I browse through Pintrest too. I look at bullet journal spreads but also at many other topics such as patterns, aesthetic photos, wallpapers, anything that stands out to me.

On your Instagram, you mention that you’re 25 years old. Some people find their mid-twenties challenging, because of the transition from higher education into full-time work, the responsibilities of adulthood, and a busy personal life. Do you think that journaling is a valuable tool for people at this stage of life? If so, has it helped you? 

Wow, I couldn’t resonate with this more. This transition from school and college years to being a full-time working adult has been really tough on me and many people I know.

To be honest I’m so grateful that bullet journalling was there for me through all that. I use my bujo to stay organized and plan my days, write down all my work and personal tasks, keep up with good habits and also reflect on every month, the good, the bad and what I can improve.

But apart from helping me be productive and on top of things, what I appreciate more is that bullet journalling is my creative outlet. Brainstorming new theme ideas, planning new spreads, drawing or scrapbooking are forms of self-care for me and help improve my mental health immensely.

As a busy young person, how do you find time for journaling in between the other elements of your life?

Well, as I mentioned, I see bullet journaling as a form of self-care so it has become a priority for me and it’s part of my daily routine. I like planning ahead and make my spreads in advance to relieve the pressure of having to plan everything last minute. I also enjoy journalling for a little bit every day.

If my day is busy, I try to find at least 20 minutes to draw a little something. Don’t get me wrong though, it’s not always easy to keep up with my bujo. Some days are extra busy, other days I might not have inspiration and others I may want to take a break. And that’s okay.

I think it is really important not to force yourself to create because at the end of the day, journalling is supposed to make us feel better and not add to all the stress that young people experience. 

Can you share how you’re preparing your journal for the upcoming holiday season and new year? Which spreads will you focus on, and how far in advance do plan on creating them? 

First of all, I already have my December monthly setup ready. Apart from the spreads I use every month (calendar, habit and other trackers, weekly spreads, monthly reflections etc.), I made a “Christmas Dashboard”. Christmas is my favorite time of the year so I love to have a spread to write down all the Christmas movies I watched, my favorite songs of the season, bucket list ideas and more.

Currently I’m working on my 2023 setup and some spreads that I’ve included are a future log, a grid spacing cheat sheet and 2023 in themes, which is an overview of all the themes I’m going to be making next year (this is one of my favorites!).

I’m also planning on creating a yearly reflections spread, to sum up everything that happened in 2022 and of course my January monthly setup. I’m hoping to have these ready around December 20 because after that I want to enjoy my Christmas break and relax around friends and family.

For someone who is starting a journal in the new year, what resources (YouTube channels, social media pages, websites), would you recommend they use to get started and find inspiration?

That is a hard one because there’s quite a lot of creators I admire but one can only name so many. Of course, I would recommend Amanda Rach Lee, she has six years worth of bullet journalling content in her YouTube channel.

She walks you through her creative process from start to finish which is super helpful for beginners. I also love the work of Claudia from @sunshine_journal_ and Estrella from @bujoforstars. They’ve both been journalling for quite a while so there’s plenty of spreads and themes to take inspiration from.

Estrella also shares mini tutorials which would definitely come in handy to someone just starting out. And last but not least, Pintrest. You can browse through and find theme ideas, spread ideas, doodle ideas, color palette ideas, the possibilities are endless.

On the topic of the new year, how do you recommend that someone maintains the habit of keeping a journal, for example, if they’ve made it their New Year’s resolution? 

It’s no secret that journalling takes time and is a commitment. And especially when someone starts their bujo journey it can be rather intimidating. There are so many stationery, drawing mediums, styles, spreads to take into consideration which can be overwhelming. I would recommend to start small. Take baby steps.

Find a notebook that you like and some markers and pens and that’s enough to begin. No need to be afraid to try different kinds of spreads, that is the only way to see what works for you. Don’t compare your day 1 to someone’s day 100 or 1000. Have fun with it, it doesn’t have to be perfect as long as it meets your needs.

You can journal during the weekend or make it a daily habit like me, it’s totally up to you. Take breaks if you need to, it’s totally okay if you don’t feel like journaling for a while. I feel like if someone takes all these into account, bullet journalling will become a good and helpful habit which will keep them organized, productive and creative for many years to come.

Finally, we love asking this question: can you share a go-to stationery item that you’d recommend to anyone starting a journal? 

Is it too lame to say markers? I’ll say markers. I think having a nice set of colorful markers can make such a difference when journalling. My favorites are the Tombow Dual Brush Pens. They come in so many unique shades and you can create any color palette you like, pastels, neutrals or bright colors. Plus, you can use them for calligraphy too!