Vent: New people treat bullet journals like art portfolios now

I started bullet journaling back in 2015 when Ryder Carroll's method first went viral. Back then my spreads were just a pen and a ruler, messy weekly logs with crossed out tasks. Now I see posts where folks spend 4 hours on a single cover page with washi tape and watercolors. Nothing wrong with making it pretty, but the whole point was to get organized, not to win an art contest. So many beginners think they need fancy supplies to start, but my first notebook was a $3 spiral from Target. Has anyone else noticed the original system getting buried under all the decorations?

3 comments

3 Comments

reesemiller1mo ago

Right? I spent like two hours doodling borders on a weekly spread once and never finished the month.

murphy.barbara1mo ago

Wait, four hours on one cover page?! That's insane!

martin.paige19d ago

Honestly I used to be the same way @murphy.barbara, I'd see people spending that long on one page and think it was such a waste. But then I tried making a really detailed cover for my "Cozy Autumn" spread and next thing I knew it was three hours later. It was just a bunch of little leaf patterns and a border with some watercolor mushrooms but man, it felt so good when it was done. I think sometimes the process itself is the point, you know? It's like meditation with a pen.