On Beauty (Journals)
Posted in :
I graduated college in May 2024. Two years later, I am reflecting on the creative processes I was taught that have shaped my writing. One of the most impactful habits I’ve picked up is the one I learned last.
How It Started
In the final creative writing class of my college career, my professor gave us an unexpected semester-long assignment. On top of the usual poetry and prose, we were required to make a list of 1,000 beautiful things. Little did I know that this assignment would extend much longer than a semester and that the list would exceed well-beyond 1,000.
Returning to my dorm room after class, I perused my over-stuffed bookshelf for something to write in. Half-buried under rental textbooks sat a blank journal with a rose printed across the cover. Forgotten amidst essays, exams, and extracurriculars, the journal had been a gift from my great aunt. An author herself, she had given me this “beautiful journal to write your beautiful words in.”
Well, that should work. Thus began the tradition of the beauty journal.
Why You Should Keep a Beauty Journal
Starting a beauty journal is immensely beneficial from psychological, biblical, and philosophical perspectives. In addition to sparking creativity, finding beauty in everyday interactions also inspires gratitude.
Psychological Reasons
Psychology attests that intentionally practicing gratitude literally rewires the body and mind. According to an article from Positive Psychology, “at a neurobiological level, gratitude regulates the sympathetic nervous system that activates our anxiety responses, and at the psychological level, it conditions the brain to filter the negative ruminations and focus on positive thoughts.” Intentionally practicing gratitude can calm feelings of anxiety, which is important given that anxiety does not allow for the contemplative reflection necessary for writers. Some studies have even shown that it is beneficial for PTSD patients to focus on positive memories and gratitude for healing rather than methods that dwell on the negative traumatic experiences (studies linked below).
Biblical Reasons
Dwelling on the beauty of creation naturally leads the heart to gratitude for God’s creativity. Philippians 4:6–7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (NIV, emphasis mine). The phrase “with thanksgiving” is key here! Training the mind to actively give thanks for the beauty of everyday life refocuses attention on the intricate ways God blesses us. This is why verse 8 goes on to say “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Leading an intentional thought life positions our hearts into the worshipful posture that God desires.
Philosophical Reasons
Philosophers and poets of old also observe how beauty is connected to other foundational concepts. Plato, famous for his philosophy on abstract ideas known as the Theory of the Forms, believed that Beauty is objective and directly connected to Goodness. In his dialogue, Lysis, through the character of Socrates, Plato states simply, “the good is the beautiful.” To notice the beauty threaded through our days is to also ponder goodness. John Keats echoes this idea years later in his ekphrastic poem, “Ode to a Grecian Urn,” when he famously writes, “Beauty is truth, truth beauty.” Goodness and truth are beautiful—and all around us. The more we meditate on truth, the more we will have to write about.
A Practical Habit
Thus, a strong intellectual argument can be made for the beauty journal. And beyond just the conceptual, it is also exceedingly practical. This is great news for writers, who need to both contemplate big ideas and construct small habits in order to write content.
And while admittedly my entries are a bit more infrequent than when they were a class requirement, the habit I formed has continued throughout the two years since I’ve graduated. This has been instrumental for providing consistent topics and content for my creative writing. It has trained my eye to stay curious and my mind to dwell on beauty and gratitude.
Tips for a Successful Beauty Journal
1. Make sure to keep the beauty journal in a physical book—the act of physically writing versus typing has been shown to correspond with more complex brain activity. I can vouch that I think a lot more intentionally when I write by hand.
Note: I love writing, but I hardly do it as often as I should. Writing truly is a discipline. I’ve found that taking time to jot down ideas and bits of phrases as soon as I think of them helps immensely (if I’m out and don’t have my journal handy, I write in the notes app on my phone) so I can elaborate later.
2. Get into the habit of writing at the same time each day. I like to write my list before bed as it elevates my mood and ends my day with reflection and gratitude.
Keeping a beauty journal is one practical way to look for and record the poetry of everyday life. I encourage you to make the effort to start (give yourself grace if you don’t write in it every day), and observe how much more the mundane lights up around you.
-grace <3
Studies on Gratitude and PTSD
Rashid, Tayyab. 2015. “Positive Psychotherapy: A Strength-Based Approach.” The Journal of Positive Psychology 10 (1): 25–40. doi:10.1080/17439760.2014.920411.
Richardson, A.L., Gallagher, M.W. Giving Thanks is Associated with Lower PTSD Severity: A Meta-Analytic Review. J Happiness Stud 22, 2549–2562 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-020-00322-9.
Todd B. Kashdan, Gitendra Uswatte, Terri Julian, Gratitude and hedonic and eudaimonic well-being in Vietnam war veterans, Behaviour Research and Therapy, Volume 44, Issue 2, 2006, Pages 177-199, ISSN 0005-7967, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2005.01.005.