Intuitive Journaling Ideas & Fun Prompts To Try This Week

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It’s not every day that I create without a plan. But a little while ago, something entirely unexpected and instinctive took over me.

I grabbed my watercolours and just started dabbing bits of paint all over the paper. Then came some random shapes, lines, patterns and marks.

A couple of hours later, I had a finished project in front of me: a trifold journaling spot based on the idea of “Follow Your Heart To Inner Peace”.

an intuitive art journaling example featuring pink paint, a painting of a sunflower and the words "Follow your heart" and "inner peace"

I didn’t even know I was going to be doing anything creative that day. I just did it.

Have you ever sat down with your journal or supplies and just started making something without overthinking or even thinking about it at all?

Because that’s exactly what intuitive journaling is.

It’s the practice of picking up your journal (any kind of journal: art, writing, tarot, or anything else) with no fixed plan and seeing what comes out at the end.

What Is Intuitive Journaling?

Intuitive journaling is journaling without a plan, so true self-expression and creativity have space and freedom to uncover thoughts, ideas and plans you might have – even ones you didn’t know were waiting to be discovered.

The word “intuitive” basically means led by your gut rather than your head. So instead of deciding what you’re going to make or write before you start, you let the process take over and see where it leads you.

Intuitive journaling isn’t tied to one style, so you can do this with any kind of journal. (Don’t worry, I’ll give you some examples in a sec!)

But the important part to remember for now is that intuitive journaling is more of a mindset rather than any specific technique you follow. Although I do have some fun ideas for you based on how my own “without-a-plan-experiments” have gone lately.

Why Letting Go Is Good for You

There are so many benefits to this type of journaling practice.

You can be more “in the moment” with it, rather than always forward-thinking or planning where you’re trying to get to. Instead, everything can take shape slowly but surely.

The pressure to make something “good” or “finished” is lifted… even if you do actually end up making something you really like at the end of your session, or when you come back to it another day.

Not to mention expressive creative practices like free writing, art journaling and mark-making have been linked to reduced stress, improved mood and better self-awareness.

If you’ve been feeling blocked, uninspired, or just a bit “meh” about your journaling or creative projects lately, doing something intuitive and without any set plan might be exactly the kind of shake-up you need.

It certainly was for me!

I even felt a bit emotional at the end. It felt like I’d punched through a brick wall to get to something more positive on the other side. It was incredibly cathartic.

A painting of a perfume bottle with the letters W E on it to symbolise my Whatever Perfume — The “Whatever Perfume” – to be spritzed whenever anyone or anything needs a big old fat “Whatever”!
Use sparingly and with caution.

How I Used Intuitive Art Journaling For My Latest Project

This is where it all started for me and I will absolutely do this kind of journaling again and again.

Read on to find out exactly how this piece came together and how you can add some intuition to your next creative journaling session.

What You’ll Need:

Some paint (I used watercolours, but acrylics or inks work just as well)
A journal or some loose paper (I used a piece of watercolour paper that came with my paint set)
A paintbrush or two
Something to mop up your desk (for when you make an inevitable mess like me!)

💡 Psst! If you want to try something a bit different, you can make your own brushes from foraged items, such as leaves, feathers or twigs. I did this in a nature art class recently and it was a lot of fun. This type of technique adds a lovely randomness to your marks and helps you connect with nature at the same time. It’s a win win!

I found it also helps if you do something beforehand that helps get you in a more meditative sort of state, such as listening to zen music or nature sounds like raindrops falling on a roof or trees blowing in the wind. You can also try a grounding meditation.

How To Get Started:

This is going to feel a bit strange at first, but go with it.

Start by making some marks on the page: dab some paint around or draw some random lines and shapes while you listen to the music or your own thoughts.

Don’t try to make it look like anything specific.

At the moment, you’re just getting a load of “gunk” out of your head and onto the page. And you’re using paint to do it, rather than words.

If you really want to lean into the intuitive side of things, try closing your eyes while you paint. I know, I know. But trust me on this one.

When you can’t see what you’re doing, you stop trying to control it and something much more interesting tends to come out. Plus! Who doesn’t love a fun or exciting surprise?!

Just keep going until it feels done, or you want to stop. Try not to judge it while you’re making it, or when you’re finished.

For now, your focus has been on expelling some emotion and thoughts onto the page.

What To Do With Your Project Afterwards:

Here’s where it gets fun.

Once you’ve got your piece of art in front of you, take a closer look at it.

You might see something in the shapes and marks that sparks an idea or reminds you of something. Or you might just like it as it is. That’s completely fine too.

If you want to take it further, you could add words to it, such as printable quotes like the ones inside my “Not-So-Secret Treasure Box of Inspiration” or some Tim Holtz word stickers.

Think about what your piece of artwork means to you, or what it helped you overcome, and that’s what sort of words you can add to it.

The whole experience I had while making my piece led me to the conclusion: “Follow Your Heart To Inner Peace”, so that’s what I added to it.

You could even outline some of the shapes you’ve painted, or add more shapes and marks to it, like I did with my little “freedom birds”.

Intuitive art journaling example with pink paint and the words inner peace

💡 Top Tip: I recently heard this tip from artist Leonie Dawson: Use a white pen for outlining. It gives your images dimension, helps them stand out and gives them an almost cartoon-like highlighting.

From here, you can leave your art project as just that, or you can journal on the back of it.

Because my piece folds into three sections, I drew three cartoon-style boxes on the back of mine.

Writing spots on the back of my art journal piece

I’ll probably use mine for three separate journaling sessions on following my heart, joy, fun, etc. Something like what I thought about this in the past, what I’m thinking now and what changes I want to make for my future.

How To Make Intuitive Journal Prompts

This concept is a bit different, but so, so powerful. Instead of creating art intuitively, you’re creating the prompt itself intuitively and then using it to journal with.

The idea is to take words or phrases that feel random or disconnected and let them become a jumping-off point for your self-reflection and writing. Often, the most random-seeming prompts are the ones that lead to the most interesting places when you’re journaling.

Here are a couple of methods I use.

1. The Cut & Collect Method

Grab an old book, magazine, or newspaper and start cutting out words that catch your eye. Don’t overthink which ones; just cut them out and make a little pile to pull from later.

Then, either pick one at random or arrange a few together and see what phrase or question emerges. Let whatever comes up be your prompt for the day.

2. The Random Word Prompt

This is a simpler version of the same idea. You pick a word, any word, and use it as your journal prompt.

The word “more”, for example, could become: What do you want more of in your life right now?

Or the phrase, “in love with”, could become: What do I love most about my life right now?

See how a single word can open up a whole conversation with yourself?

One or two word journal prompts saying heal beautiful and in love with

You can also do this with a dictionary, a random word generator, or whatever word happens to catch your eye on any given day.

I even had a fun experience recently where one of my crystals was sitting on top of a book page and I saw some words almost magnified through the crystal. So, I used that for my next journaling session.

Seeing the words Love Story through a Clear Quartz Crystal on top of a book page — *Can you see the words “Love Story” together inside the crystal? Such a lovely journal prompt…*

As always, there are no rules here. But the more random you can be with it all, the more intuitive it will feel.

💡 Fun Fact: Some of the random word prompts I’ve used on my journal pages actually came from the “mop up” paper I used to protect my desk while painting. Which is why they’re coloured in with pretty pinks. Fun and practical!

Bonus Idea: Using Tarot & Oracle Cards Intuitively Before You Write

Using my Oracle cards intuitively before writing in my journal

This one is close to my heart because it’s the type of intuitive journaling I’ve been doing the longest, even before I had a name for it.

When you’re working with Tarot or Oracle cards, you might think there’s a “right” way to use them: follow the spread, read the meaning of each card in its position and stick to the cards you pulled.

But being intuitive with them throws a lot of that out of the window (in the best possible way).

Here are a few things I do intuitively when I journal with my cards.

When a card (or three) falls out of the deck while I’m shuffling, I don’t ignore them. I use them in my spreads. Either as cards for each separate position in the spread, all together in one position, or as additional context for what I’ve already pulled.

It changes each time based on how I feel in the moment.

Also, when I pull multiple cards and notice a pattern (all the same suit, all court cards, a recurring symbol, etc), I’ll use that as my journaling prompt rather than reading each card individually.

Sometimes, I pull a card that just doesn’t resonate at all. Instead of forcing a meaning, I ask myself why it doesn’t resonate. That question alone usually leads somewhere more interesting than the card’s meaning itself.

I even mix and match using Tarot and Oracle cards together if that’s what my intuition is telling me that day.

Here’s the journaling connection: everything I just described is really just invitations to reflect and write.

When I notice a pattern across the cards I’ve pulled, writing about what that pattern means to me (rather than defaulting to whatever the guidebook says) is intuitive journaling at its most personal.

And when a card doesn’t resonate? Sitting with the “why not?” and following that thread on the page is honestly some of the most interesting writing I’ve ever done.

The cards are really just a way of generating a little surprise, or a nudge in a direction you didn’t see coming. And a bit of unexpected direction, it turns out, is one of the most powerful prompts there is.

I see my cards as a mirror, and sometimes, a mirror is exactly what you need when you sit down to write in your journal.

In case you’re wondering, these are the Tarot cards I use most often and these are my favourite Oracle cards. No surprises that both decks are inspired by nature!

How To Start Your Intuitive Journaling Practice Today (Or This Week!)

You don’t need to try all of these ideas at once. Just pick the one that appeals to you most right now and start there.

If art journaling sounds fun, grab some paint and go for it.

If a random word prompt sounds more your speed, flick to a random page in a book and pick the first word your eyes land on.

If you want to use your Tarot or Oracle cards more intuitively, try some of those ideas.

Journaling Without Rules

Intuitive journaling isn’t about being a certain type of person or having the right supplies.

It’s just about giving yourself permission to create or write without knowing where you’re going.

Sometimes, those are the projects or journaling sessions you end up loving the most, or that spark other ideas.

And if you need some extra inspiration right now, The Not-So-Secret Treasure Box of Inspiration is completely free and packed with all kinds of ideas to spark your creativity.

Grab your free Treasure Box right here >>

What Is Intuitive Journaling? Fun Ideas & Prompts To Try Today (Or This Week!)