How to Get Better at Calligraphy

Whoa--I've been doing calligraphy for almost exactly two years now! It's honestly crazy to think that it's already been that long, though I guess two years isn't really that long in the grand scheme of things, but it's especially amazing (and possibly inspiring?) to see how much it's changed--for the better, I'd like to think. There are things I made in the past that I thought were amazing that looking back at them now, I can see that they were simply mediocre or just straight up bad. Through my own experience, I'm going to be giving some suggestions on ways to improve your own calligraphy and hand-lettering. Read on!

Applying Bullet Journaling to Creative Hobbies: How to Set Up a Song Journal

I don't know how applicable this will be to you, but this is something that I'm personally quite passionate about. Along with calligraphy, my other "main" creative hobby is music making - especially songwriting. Ever since I started writing original music and getting more serious about music, I've kept a song journal. In it, I primarily have stuff about my own original songs, but I also use it as a resource for music-related things in general.

My first song journal, which I started a little over three years ago, was honestly a bit of a mess. However, because of my knowledge of the bullet journal system, I was able to apply parts of bullet journaling to the setup of my second one. In this post, I'm going to show you how to apply bujo techniques to your songwriting notebook if you're also a songwriter (specifically a singer-songwriter), but I'm also going to show in general how the bullet journal system can be adapted to not just your planner, but to other notebooks for creative hobbies and such--or really anything else that you need organization for. Read on!

Working Through a Bullet Journal Slump

Hey, everyone! This topic may be a little sad, but today I'm going to be talking about working through a bullet journal slump (as you've  garnered already from the post title). I feel like probably almost every avid bullet journalist goes through some period--or multiple periods--of time where they just really don't enjoy bullet journaling anymore and don't feel like doing it. I'm going to be talking about my own experiences and what to do if you're in a bujo slump, and I hope I can also help out any of you guys out there who are in one right now.

The Ultimate Guide to Bullet Journaling for Students (Bullet Journal Spreads for Students)

Back to school season is upon us, and if you haven't already done so, this is an especially great time to start a bullet journal if you're a student. I myself am in high school, and I've been using a bullet journal since the April of 2016 - or about 1.25 school years. In that time, I've had quite a bit of experience in adapting my bujo to student life. Of course, every person is different and has their own specific needs, but here are some bullet journal spreads that might be helpful for you if you're a student!

Modern Brush Calligraphy Alphabet (Bounce Lettering)

I've been doing calligraphy for a little over a year now, and in that time, I've improved a lot - well, at least I like to think that I have. In the very beginning, I think one of the hardest things about starting was that I was lost in terms of an alphabet. I used to have look at a bunch of different Instagram calligraphers for different letter inspiration, but through that (and lots of practice doing various headers in my bullet journal), I've developed my own style in terms of modern calligraphy.

That style happens to consist pretty much completely of bounce lettering, which is where the lettering is a little more free-form, and each individual letter isn't completely straight on a baseline (especially the strokes that connect each letter together, which tend to go below the baseline in bounce calligraphy). That explanation probably didn't make much sense, so look through my Instagram, and you'll see a lot of examples of it (such as in this photo). I personally find bounce lettering easier than "normal" lettering because you can be a little sloppy, but it'll still look good. Plus, it automatically gives it that cute and "whimsical" look that modern calligraphy is often known for.

So, I've decided to share with you today my own modern calligraphy alphabet, specifically for bounce brush calligraphy (though you can still by all means use this same alphabet for other types of mediums). If you've just started learning calligraphy or if you haven't started yet and you have no idea where to begin (or if you just want to spice up your own calligraphy style with some variation), then this'll be a great resource to kickoff your hand-lettering journey, whether you want to do weddings, decorate your bullet journal, or anything in between.

If this is your very first attempt at any type of calligraphy, I highly suggest trying out faux calligraphy before brush calligraphy. It's not required, but I think it would be helpful.

Easy Ways to Decorate Your Bullet Journal

When starting a bullet journal, it's always best to begin simply and minimalist. If you're still trying to figure out and adapt the bujo system to the best of your needs, then it's a good idea to avoid unnecessary frills. I'm also a big proponent of the idea that you don't need specific tools to plan well. However, it can still be fun to decorate your bullet journal; the hard part is making things pretty whilst avoiding hours of work dedicated only to embellishing your pages. Thus, I've gathered up some ways that you can easily decorate your bullet journal!

How to Make a Bullet Journal Monthly Memories Spread

There are so many different types of bullet journal collections out there; there are trackers, different monthly layouts, and all sorts of lists. However, one of my very favorite collections in my bujo is the monthly memories spread. I first heard about it from Boho Berry, who learned about it from Passion Themed Life, and I find that it's a great way to incorporate your bullet journal into memory-keeping. If you want to learn how to make this type of spread, then read on!

3 DIY Hand-Lettered Valentine's Day Cards (With Printables)

Since Valentine's Day is coming up, I know a lot of you will be making Valentine's Day cards. So, because of this, I decided to come up with three original ideas for hand-lettered cards that you can make yourself (if you are able to do calligraphy, that is). As a special bonus, they all feature stationery puns! Even though I don't really like Valentine's Day because it's always overrated for this perpetually single girl, I thought that having stationery puns would make it a lot more fun.

How to Stay Focused While Studying

Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Americans! BTW, today's post has nothing to do the holiday or gratitude or anything like that. Anyway, since it's almost December, we only have about a month left in the semester, and that can only mean one thing: finals are almost upon us, and with finals comes lots and lots of studying.

This year, the classes I'm taking are significantly harder compared to the ones from last year, so I've had to really step it up with my study game. It can be really hard to not get distracted in this day and age (when there are so many other things that could occupy our time), so today, I've decided to teach you how to stay focused while studying!

Note: even though I created this post with students and with studying in mind, a lot of the tips and methods covered in this post can still be applied to staying focused in general. So whether you have a desk job, an art project, or whatever it is you need to do, you will probably still find this post to be helpful.

How to Improve Your Handwriting

If you look at my first bullet journal and my second bullet journal, one of the biggest differences you'll notice is my handwriting. Starting from late May/early June, I started to practice and improve my handwriting. I decided to do so because my handwriting hadn't really changed or gotten better since the sixth grade, and it was frankly quite ugly. Thus, using my own experience in improving my handwriting, I'll be teaching you today how to improve your own handwriting!

How to Schedule Tasks in a Bullet Journal

Something that many people gripe about when it comes to bullet journals is the limited capability for future planning. However, there are ways to note down future events, and in the same way you can easily schedule tasks for the future in your bullet journal. I'll be covering several different methods to do this in this post, so make sure to keep on reading!

How to do Faux Calligraphy

Let's say that you've just started to learn calligraphy and hand-lettering. That's great! However, it can be pretty intimidating to use a brush pen or pointed nib when you've only just begun to learn. Thus, faux calligraphy - aka fake calligraphy - is a great way to introduce yourself to the world of lettering. [cue terrible segue:] But how, you may ask, does one create faux calligraphy? Well, this post, in a ~convenient~ step-by-step format, is just the thing for you! Read on!