Today is a mixed bag.
It is my late mum’s birthday, and it is also the day after I hosted an incredibly moving scrapbook and journalling session. Holding both grief and joy at the same time feels uncomfortable, but it is also deeply familiar. Journalling has taught me that two things can be true at once.
Last night was one of those moments where everything I believe about creativity, healing and writing things down came together in one room.
Why Journalling Matters After Loss
When I started journalling, it was not about aesthetics or consistency. It was about survival. Writing became a way to process pain, grief and the parts of life that did not make sense yet.
At the session, I spoke openly about my experiences of loss, my love of journalling and how much I have achieved through DayDot. Saying those things out loud, in front of a room full of women, felt both vulnerable and empowering.
The atmosphere was warm, supportive and gently chaotic in the best way. There was a shared understanding that journalling is not about fixing yourself. It is about giving yourself somewhere to put things.
Scrapbooking as a Living, Breathing Process
One of the most meaningful moments of the evening was sharing my granny’s book. She filled it in for me years ago, and she has kept dedicated diary entries for over 30 years. Page after page of everyday life, quietly documented.
Seeing that alongside my own journals and scrapbooks felt grounding. Different generations, same instinct to record life as it happens.
I showed everyone my first journal and my most recent one. Finished pages, messy spreads and blank spaces included. I wanted people to see that journalling and scrapbooking are always works in progress. There is no finished version. There is just where you are right now.
Creating Without Pressure
Alongside the journalling, I hosted a small pop up shop and supplied creative materials for people to make their own scrapbook spreads. Paper, textures, words, colour and glue. Nothing precious. Nothing intimidating.
Watching everyone create was genuinely inspiring. Each piece of work was completely different, personal and full of feeling. It reminded me how powerful it is to make things with your hands, especially when words alone are not enough.
That creative energy alone was enough to inspire me to start planning the next event. Not because this one was not enough, but because it showed me how much these spaces are needed.
Holding Grief and Gratitude Together
Today, I am holding two things.
Grief, because my mum should be here and she is not.
Gratitude, because last night happened at all.
Some days are not about positivity or finding a silver lining. They are about letting grief and joy sit side by side without forcing one to cancel the other out.
Journalling has taught me that you do not need to resolve a feeling to honour it. Sometimes, writing it down is enough.
And sometimes, sitting in a room full of creative, half feral women, surrounded by paper and stories, reminds you that you are not alone in any of it.
