Hot take: stop copying spreads from Instagram for your bullet journal

I spent 6 months trying to recreate these fancy mood trackers and weekly layouts I saw on Instagram. Every single time I messed up a line or ran out of space, I got frustrated and quit for weeks. It was a guy named Dave in my book club who pointed out that I was BUYING into craft more than capturing my actual life. Has anyone else felt like the online bullet journal world makes you lose track of why you started?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_robin18d ago

WAIT hold on, $40 on markers is actually pretty tame compared to what some people do! I know someone who spent like $200 on Tombow brush pens because every single YouTuber said they were essential, and now they just sit in a drawer collecting dust. It makes me wonder how many people are out there with closets full of stuff they bought because they thought it would magically make them creative. The whole "buy the gear first, figure out the skill later" trap is so real and honestly kind of predatory how these companies market to beginners.

nathan_kim18d ago

My friend Mark spent $40 on markers before realizing he hated drawing boxes.

cora81318d ago

I read somewhere that like 70% of beginner artists quit within the first year because they jump into expensive supplies before they even know what they want to draw. Mark's story sounds super typical honestly. It's so easy to get caught up in the hype of buying all the fancy markers and then realize you don't even enjoy the actual drawing part. I remember seeing a post on Reddit where someone spent over $100 on a tablet and then never used it because they just wanted to brag about owning it. The problem is you can't really return opened markers either, so now he's just stuck with them. Maybe he can try drawing circles or squiggly lines instead, at least get some use out of them.