ExF: The Joy of Journaling
EXPRESSIONS of faith
Welcome to Expressions of Faith, a series where we are highlighting the artistic and creative endeavors of students in the Christian community on Cornell’s campus. Our last addition to the series is from Sophie Matsumoto, a Cornell senior and the artist behind @joy.journaling on Instagram, an account where she highlights her visually stunning planning and notetaking spreads.
BY SOPHIE MATSUMOTO
1. When did you start your journaling account on Instagram, @joy.journaling, and what inspired you to begin?
I started a journaling and decorative planning Instagram account this year in April. It was a fun hobby for me to pass the time during a COVID stay-at-home order in my home state of California. I had made some journaling spreads sporadically over the years, but this was the first time that I considered making it a regular habit that I could also share publicly on Instagram. Ever since I was young, I enjoyed working on different crafty activities, so journaling really just started off as a way for me to let myself be creative. I was particularly inspired to share my work because of the huge journaling and planner community I discovered on Instagram, filled with people sharing their own creative works and encouraging each other to do the same.
2. How has making journal and planner spreads become an expression of faith for you?
Faced with a lot of time on my hands earlier this year, I used it to begin delving deeper into reading scripture and watching or listening to related sermons. I started taking corresponding notes in my journal, and while I had not realized it before, this type of decorative notetaking was a great encouragement for me to be consistent in reading the Bible and listening to sermons. Unexpected and unconventional as it may be, journaling motivated and inspired me grow in scriptural knowledge and seek the Lord throughout my day. Furthermore, this process has taught me that worship can take many different forms. I used to think of these activities as a hobby separate from my faith, but it is humbling to realize that my desire for creativity is actually a reflection of our Creator. With that understanding, I have been able to approach this hobby with a heart of worship and of joy—just as my Instagram handle would suggest!
A glimpse into Sophie’s journaling style with her sermon notes on 2 Samuel 7-9. You can find this photo and many more on her instagram account, @joy.journaling.
3. What is something special about your creative process that you’d like to highlight?
Something fun is that each spread I make has a theme or special source of inspiration—I’ve done everything from food spreads to galaxy themes to abstract pumpkin shapes. What inspires me varies from spread to spread, so it has been an exciting process to find inspiration in those different and surprising places. One of the best parts about the process is that there is no outline or format that I need to follow, I just focus on enjoying what I create. Of course, sometimes I create spreads where I don’t like the final product too much, but as long as I enjoyed making it, I can still consider it a success. The vast amount of freedom within the creative process is one of the special characteristics of decorative planning and journaling that I love most about it.
You can find more of @joy.journaling on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joy.journaling/