Introducing the Your Story Matters Journal
A New Project from rukristin
What Is the Your Story Matters Journal?
I’m excited to introduce the Your Story Matters Journal, a new project I created for anyone who wants the creative benefits of a Daily Pages practice but doesn’t always have the time or energy for a daily routine. This journal is designed for flexibility—it's a notebook you can pick up anytime, anywhere, and dive into your creativity without the pressure of having to show up at a specific time. Whether you’re on the go1, at home, or just need a creative outlet when inspiration strikes, the Your Story Matters Journal is here for you, whenever you need it.
The Your Story Matters (YSM) Journal is your space to create, reflect, and document your personal stories. It's designed to fit into your life in ways that feel natural and inspiring, no matter where you are in your creative journey.
Total flexibility: You can write, collage, doodle, or play with colors—whatever inspires you. The YSM Journal is all about expressing yourself, and storytelling doesn’t have to mean words or photos. You can tell your story with shapes, colors, art supplies, or even memorabilia.
A creative space that fits your life: Whether you create every day, weekly, or whenever the mood strikes, this journal works around your schedule.
No right or wrong way: Your creativity makes the rules. There’s no need for perfection here—just room for you to experiment and express what matters most to you.
The YSM Journal grew out of my own creative process. I started using Daily Pages as a way to connect with my creativity, but not everyone thrives with a daily practice. Life is full of changes, and your creative space should evolve with it. This journal is designed to flow with you, whatever your routine may look like.
Creating in the YSM Journal is all about honoring your stories—however they come to you.
The YSM Journal lets you tell your story in your own way. You can use colors, pretty papers, words, photos—legit anything that helps you express yourself. This journal is all about making your story meaningful to you, with no rules or restrictions.
The most important thing about this project is that it’s designed to flow with your life. You don’t have to follow a rigid schedule. Whether you create weekly, a few times a month, or whenever inspiration strikes, the journal fits into your rhythm. There’s no pressure, just room for creativity whenever you’re ready.
One of the most important things about my personal creative practice is using a smaller notebook. It’s going to be an essential part of getting started with your YSM journal. It’s a smaller, more approachable space, which helps cut through the overwhelm of a giant blank page. It’s easy to start, and it won’t leave you feeling intimidated by *having* to fill the whole page.
More than anything, I want the YSM Journal to help you reconnect with yourself. It’s a a place to play, reflect, and stay connected to your creativity on a regular basis.
Getting Prepared: Supplies
The beauty of this project is its simplicity. You can start with just a notebook and a pen—or dive in with a mix of art supplies. The goal is to make it easy to create a single page.
Notebook: Choose something that feels inviting. It can be a new journal, a repurposed notebook, or even one you make yourself.
Pen or Pencil: Your fav pen or pencil is all you need to start documenting.
Adhesive + Scissors: Great for adding texture or collage elements. Tape runners, glue sticks, or even washi tape all work beautifully. Use what you’ve got.
Ephemera + Memorabilia: Collect bits that hold meaning—receipts, ticket stubs, magazine cutouts, stickers, or photos.
Art Supplies: Bring in paints, stickers, pretty paper, markers, or anything else you love to use. Your YSM Journal is a space to explore and play.
Getting Started: Step by Step
Pick a Notebook: Choose a notebook that feels approachable. Smaller sizes often feel less intimidating, but pick whatever inspires you.
Gather Supplies: Start with just a few basic tools or go all out with everything that excites you.
Begin Your First Page: Open to the first spread and put something down—a word, a color, a shape, or a piece of ephemera. The act of starting is what matters.
Find Your Rhythm: Create whenever it works for you. This journal is meant to flow with your life, whether that means creating weekly, monthly, or sporadically.
Why This Matters
The Your Story Matters Journal is more than just a simple creative practice—it’s a way to celebrate yourself, your stories, and the things that make your life unique. It gives you a flexible, supportive space to explore your creativity, honor your story, and stay connected to what matters most.
Your story is worth documenting. Your creativity deserves space to flourish. Your story matters.
Want to dive in deeper? This is a new project for me, so I don’t have a ton of YSJ specific resources just yet—But, that’s totally okay, because every resource that says Daily Pages on this site works perfectly as a YSJ resource2. Just substitute in the words “Your Story Journal (YSJ)”, for Daily Pages, ignore anything that says daily, and soak in all the creative wisdom from years of building my own creative practice.
The best place to start is at Daily Pages 101, a free mini-course where you can learn how to start your journal and make it your own.
This is such a good project to stash in a little bag and keep in your purse for emergency creative time.
Funny how that works…
This looks great! I’m late to the game as i was doing new grandbaby duty 🥰 but i’m ready to play 😊 thanks