WHAT is Creative Journaling?

Short Description

Creative Journaling is an innovative coaching method, during which typical coaching questions are edited and fully documented with creative techniques in a sketchbook (Journal).

The method combines concepts from the Design Thinking, the therapeutical journal writing, the Art Coaching and Art Journaling.

During Creative Journaling, the coach and client are working on a Coaching- Questioning, which is not only purely cognitive and verbal, but also has additionally various creative techniques, being applied. The client gets the job to paint, sketch, describe, draw and make a collage of his thoughts and visions, etc. On the process, he is working with a sketchbook (Journal) and is documenting his entire own coaching process in a very individual and artistic way.

Creative Journaling is designed as a coaching method by Stefanie Voss and is offered in Germany since 2014 in individual coaching, coaching workshops for groups and in an online coaching format.

FOR WHAT is Creative Journaling suitable in Coaching?

The method is applied for a conscious self-reflection. This may involve upcoming decisions to be made, conflict situations to be solved or specific target definitions to be found. This coaching method helps to perceive your own vast thoughts, to sort them and then to focus on them, thus it is part of an active finishing process. The value of Creative Journaling lies in the haptic, visual and written deriving of findings, which are therefore deeply internalized. Thus the coaching client gains confidence, clarity, the decision-making ability shows a clear willingness to change.

The Creative Journaling is a coaching tool for:

• Personal Growth
• Career Progress and Talent Development
• Decision Making and Problem Solving
• Life Planning
• Development in Creativity

From a scientific point of view, the Creative Journaling method combines both sides of the brain: the rational, verbal left hemisphere with the artistic, intuitive right hemisphere. Drawing is a function of the right side of the brain, writing is primarily an activity of the left side of the brain. The networking and thus activation of different areas of the brain deepen and intensify the reflection process significantly.

HOW exactly does Creative Journaling work?

Creative Journaling causes an intense and profound reflection process in Coaching. Besides the reflection, a comprehensive, extraordinary and very individual documentation of coaching results arises while using this method. Through this connection, „profound reflection and special documentation“, a very high level of identification with the individually developed and recorded coaching results arises. The knowledge gained, appears not just in the coaching situation, but also it is sustainably transferable to the everyday life of the client.

Focus inward: By combining reflection and haptic, creative work, an effortless beginning into your inner dialogue will result. A rather unfocused conversation is not possible, if the results of the conversation between coach and client should be additionally, creatively recorded. The client puts his full attention to his exchange of ideas.

Slowing down and deepening: This internal dialogue that is further encouraged through the conversation between the coach and client, is experiencing a significant slowdown and intensifying, when an artistic task is added.

Structure and context: The client has to not only think his thoughts, but also sort, organize and associate them, so that he can record his thoughts at all. The empty paper encourages to cluster the thoughts and emotions and to give every aspect, the right space and the right visual display.

Visual Perception and Verification: Through a careful and creative documentation, an additional visual perception of what goes on in the mind of the client is created. Therefore there will be a review of the results, which includes the powerful, visual perception channel.