Art Journal
The Messy In-Between: Journaling When You Feel Stuck

The Messy In-Between: Journaling When You Feel Stuck

Renna KowalskiBy Renna Kowalski
Creative Practiceart journal promptsfeeling stuckcreative blockmessy art journalingspring transition

So I was sitting with my journal last night, wrapped in a blanket, staring at a page that had been blank for three days...

And honestly? I didn't have a big breakthrough idea. I just felt that very specific early-March feeling: restless, low-energy, kinda over winter, not quite in spring.

If that's you right now, hey friend, you're not behind.

The late-winter blah is real

Early March is such a strange little hallway between seasons. One day it's sunny and you think, "new chapter!" The next day it's gray and you're back in survival mode.

A lot of us feel mood and energy shifts when seasons change. The National Institute of Mental Health notes that seasonal patterns can affect how people feel, sleep, and function, especially through late fall/winter and into spring transition periods. That doesn't mean every low-energy day is a diagnosis. It just means your body and brain are not broken for feeling off.

If your creative practice has stalled, that makes sense.

We are rejecting spring-reset pressure

I'm seeing a lot of "new season, new you" energy right now. Fresh planners. Declutter checklists. Perfect morning routines.

No shade if that helps you. But if you're feeling stuck, that pressure can make creative block worse.

You do not need:
  • a new journal
  • a clean desk
  • a full hour
  • a "good" idea

You need one page and ten minutes of moving your hands.

That's it.

The 10-minute thaw (messy on purpose)

This is the exact messy art journaling background I used last night, including the old tea bag wrapper I glued in crooked.

A close-up of a messy art journal page with a stained tea bag wrapper glued on crookedly, surrounded by torn scrap paper and smudged white gesso.

What you need

  • Gesso (a white acrylic primer that makes pages sturdier and gives a matte, grippy surface)
  • Old glue stick (half-dry is fine)
  • Junk mail, scrap paper, packaging bits, receipts, tea bag wrappers
  • Optional: pen or pencil for words

Budget note: If you don't have gesso, use thin white acrylic paint. If you don't have scraps, tear up a grocery bag or old envelope.

Step-by-step

  1. Grab one page and lower the bar immediately.
    Say out loud: "This page does not need to be pretty."

  2. Tear scraps without measuring.
    Messy edges are better here. You're making texture, not a collage masterpiece.

  3. Glue 3-7 pieces down quickly.
    Overlap them. Leave weird gaps. I glued down a tea bag wrapper with a stain on it and called it done.

  4. Dry-brush gesso over and around everything.
    "Dry-brush" just means very little gesso on your brush, dragged lightly so some paper still shows through.

  5. Smudge with your fingers if you want.
    Tactile, imperfect, grounding.

  6. Add one line of writing before overthinking kicks in.
    One sentence is enough.

Timer version: 10 minutes total. Stop when the timer ends, even if it looks unfinished.

The prompt for this week

What feels frozen right now? What are you ready to let thaw?

If words feel hard, try one of these sentence starters:
  • "Right now I feel frozen around..."
  • "I'm ready to thaw..."
  • "I want movement in..."
  • "I can soften my grip on..."

From my page last night:
  • "Frozen: waiting until I have energy to be a person."
  • "Thawing: making tiny things anyway."

My handwriting went sideways halfway down the page and there are glue fingerprints all over it. Truly not frame-worthy. Completely useful.

Why this helps (without the woo)

Low-stakes creative play can be grounding because it gives your nervous system a simple job: tear, glue, brush, press, breathe.

Research on visual art-making has found stress-related benefits in many people, even beginners. One older but often-cited study found cortisol dropped for many participants after 45 minutes of making art, and a newer 2024 systematic review/meta-analysis in JAMA Network Open found active visual art therapy was associated with improved outcomes across multiple patient groups (with mixed study quality, so more research is still needed).

I don't share this to make big promises. I share it because sometimes "move your hands for ten minutes" is a kind, realistic first step when your brain feels jammed.

If you're really stuck, do this tiny version

  • Open journal.
  • Glue one scrap.
  • Add one swipe of gesso.
  • Write one word.

That counts. It fully counts.

And if your page is messy, weird, or "bad"... welcome. You're doing art journaling.

There's no wrong way to fill a page.

If you want, share your thaw page with me in the comments. Messy pages especially.

Art journaling is a supportive self-care practice, but it is not a substitute for professional mental health care. If you're struggling, please reach out to a licensed professional or call/text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the U.S.).

If you like reading source material, here's what I referenced: