VISUAL Diary

Why not put the kettle on, pick up a pen, and try your hand at keeping a “tea” diary? EMMA LEYFIELD shares advice and tips to get you in good habits in the New Year

Diaries can have all sorts of purposes. With the growing popularity of bullet journals, sketchbooks, and gratitude diaries, their positive effect on mindfulness and mental health are widely promoted. To keep a journal in some form is a popular ambition but rarely seen beyond the first few pages, which is understandable; writing an entry every day can seem a daunting commitment. In addition to this, numerous artists and hobbyists aspire to regular practice in the form of a daily sketchbook. Many of these books end up unfinished – or worse, not started – tucked away on a bookshelf, first page still intimidatingly blank. How do you form this habit and stick to it? And how do you get past the first hurdle?

Tea diaries are a great solution to these dilemmas and an example of how your daily

journal doesn’t have to take the standard “Dear diary” format.

It is a well-known stereotype that the British drink tea, and it is entirely true for many. We drink tea morning, noon, and night; sometimes five cups a day. We drink it at work, in the garden, and on a train; we greet strangers with it and offer it to loved ones, on good days, bad days, and truly awful days. It is this that makes it the perfect companion to a diary. The routine of regular tea (or coffee) breaks is already incorporated into our daily lives and associated with the ups and downs which that entails. You don’t need to start a new habit from scratch, just alter your preexisting one with the inclusion of drawing.

Tea diaries can be filled in a variety of ways and I tend to mix them all together. Some days, the motivation to draw something or write about a bad day eludes me. On these occasions, I take my mug of tea and create a ring on the page, then write a few words with the date to represent my mood. This method adds great visual intrigue, breaks up the text, and takes the pressure off.

There’s no rule that you have to draw every day, so don’t beat yourself up if you miss one. I do recommend making a longer drawing or painting at least once a week. However, doing something small in your book each day, with a few notes about what’s going on inside your head, encourages the habit. If you’re stuck worrying about the first page, skip it and come back to it later, or stick in a postcard that inspires you.