5 Inspirational Examples for Bullet Journaling

Discover the artists who turn the act of organizing your life into aesthetic bliss!

When starting a new hobby, we look to those who have come before in order to learn and grow. With the popularity of bullet journal spreads on Instagram and Pinterest, it has never been easier to learn this skill of turning a planner into a work of art.

Annie Weir (@a_journal_by_annie) is a Scottish artist with a self-described ‘passion for page layout’. Having studied graphic design at university, she went on to discover bullet journaling and created an Instagram account to record her process. Now, she has produced artistic content for brands such as Rescue Remedy, Simply Lettering Magazine, Arteza, and more.

Here, she shares five inspiring bullet journal creators who were key to her development as an artist.

What is bullet journaling?

Bullet journaling, or ‘BuJo’ for short, was sparked by designer Ryder Carroll and has since become a popular way of tracking your daily life, calendar, goals, and more, in an aesthetically pleasing and portable notebook.

By observing the work of fellow BuJo enthusiasts, you can then begin to carve out an original style for hand-lettering and doodles all of your own.

Click on the red tag in the titles to see the illustrators' Instagram profiles.

Liz • Bullet Journal (@bonjournal_)

With beautiful hand-lettering and delicate botanicals on every page, Liz’s spreads are perfect for daily planning. On her account she shares designs for to-do lists, goal setting, and more. She also demonstrates in step-by-step tutorials how to draw detailed flowers and plants of all varieties.

Lavennz Ooi (@penpapersoul)

Lavennz Ooi’s spreads are minimalist, but make use of different media like stamps and stickers—with margins sharper than a knife edge! This account is also a great guide on photographing your journal, by placing natural elements like dried flowers around the pages.

Eline • Journal Beanie (@journalbeanie)

Eline is a graphic designer whose bullet journal Instagram boasts cute doodles and a bright, fresh aesthetic. Each page features just a touch of pastel color and very fine lines—perfect for the bullet journal-writer who needs to read and record in their planner while on the go.

Elena • Mightier Than (@mightierthan)

Elena uses ink and fountain pens to create her calligraphic and moody spreads, with color-coded titles in rich tones such as dark red. Large, bold headers are key to creating the sophisticated yet easy-to-read bullet journal look.

Dee Quine (@decadethirty)

Dee Quine records her busy life as a mum and SLP in her stunning hand-lettered journals. Mixing watercolor with fountain pens and fineliners, her work is full of texture and fun details. Her longform, thoughtful captions explain her process and offer tips.

Are you inspired to start your own bullet journal in 2022? Why not sign up for Annie Weir’s course, Introduction to Illustrated Bullet Journaling, to learn more about her illustration influences, and experiment with your own creative layouts.

You may also like:

- 12 Top Bullet Journal Brands for Mindfulness and Motivation
- Bullet Journal Tutorial: Tips to Help You Organize Your To-Do Lists
- Creative Bullet Journal: Planning and Creativity, course by Little Hannah
- What Is an Illustrated Life Journal and How to Start One?
- The Golden Secrets of Lettering, course by Martina Flor