Art journaling frees you from the constraints of an ordinary written journal, creating a space for unfettered self-expression. This has a variety of benefits for the artist. For example, art journaling makes a great introductory step for people interested in learning to create visual art but are too afraid to take the emotional risk of producing a piece of artwork meant for public consumption. Nobody will see your art journal, so you can develop your artistic skills without fear of judgment.  It encourages the daily, or at least routine, practice of art-making. That will build your skills quicker than making one formal painting each month and not making art the rest of the month.  In addition, by collecting all of your artwork over a period of months, you can gain confidence by flipping back through the journal and seeing how much progress you’ve made.  The assembly of many art pages in one place will also help you identify and develop a personal artistic style by helping you see the common elements that tie your pages together. That could be specific images that form a motif (like Dali’s crutches and melting clocks), or color palettes that consistently speak to you, for example. Apart from the artistic benefits, art journaling is self-care. It is a calming, soothing, even meditative activity that relieves stress and anxiety. It helps us shut off our “left brain” and exercise our intellect’s less rational, more intuitive parts. It allows us to get in touch with our emotions, even when we’re having trouble verbalizing them.  All in all, art journaling is an excellent strategy for developing better mental health and wellness, in addition to artistic skills.