One of the best things I have learned over the last three years that I have been Bible journaling, is to let go of perfectionism and be okay with mistakes.
I have talked about this a few times before, and I’m bringing it up again because I think it is so prevalent among us Bible journalers! We get caught up in creating a beautiful page and can get upset if it turns out differently than we wanted it to. This can also cause inaction among a lot of us because we become scared of “messing up our Bible”.
Two things have personally helped me (somewhat) overcome that perfectionist mindset.
Remember the reason you are Bible journaling
The number one thing that has helped me to let go of my disappointment if I create an “ugly” page or make a mistake, is reminding myself that I am not creating for myself, I am creating for God and to worship him.
Now, it has taken me so long to change my thinking away from “oh gosh, this looks so bad, I totally ruined this page” to “well, that was good time spent in the Word! Thank you, Lord, for seeing my heart behind this worship!”. And honestly, it is still something I struggle with occasionally. But slowly working on changing my mindset has helped me a ton in my Bible journaling journey.
I recommend, that when you create a page you don’t love or are disappointed with, to take a breath and say a prayer. Remember, He is not looking at our page and judging it! He sees our heart behind the worship.
As a great example, in this second version of the same page, I spelled “steadfast” wrong.. but OH WELL! Mistakes are OKAY.
Create a page as quickly as possible
The second thing I like to do to help me let go of perfectionism is to, every now and then, create a page as quickly as possible. I love to create a page in a more abstract or loose way and go as fast as I can. This forces me not to focus too much on each line, the perfect placement, or get caught up in details.
I find this to be particularly effective when using watercolors, because when you work quickly, you have much less control of where the paint is going to go.
It forces you to be okay with what happens to the page and ENJOY THE PROCESS.
Loose Watercolor Sunflowers Tutorial
This loose sunflower tutorial is a perfect way to try out what I am talking about above! It turns out best when you work quickly, hold the brush lightly, and not focus on creating the perfect lines or shapes.
This really is such a fun one to do, and it is WAY EASIER than it looks!
Materials Used
*This article contains affiliate links. CLICK HERE for my full disclosure*
ESV Double Column Journaling Bible (I sell these with hand-painted covers in my ETSY SHOP!)
Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolors
Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen– This pack of the three types is my favorite
Size 10 Large Paintbrush (I just use generic and cheap brushes from the craft store)
Other Helpful Tutorials
*Bonus- All of these lettering tutorials have free printables!*
A Few Things To Note
-Don’t forget that you can always practice this beforehand on a scrap paper if you don’t feel comfortable going for it in your Bible. Just keep in mind that watercolors react differently on the Bible paper.
-I always get some backlash any time I post a page where I paint over the text, so I want to address this. Going over the words is a completely personal decision for everyone. If you do not feel comfortable journaling over the text, you can scale this down to fit only the margins (just use a smaller brush), or you can create on a separate piece of paper and create a tip-in out of it.
I personally decided that I won’t worry about going over the text if I feel called to do so. I will point out, that I only will go over the text with watercolors so that I can still read it. However, again, I decided not to worry about it in my particular journaling Bibles because I have other Bibles that I read and study from and can give to others to read.
– I also want to note, because it is one of the most common questions I get- I do not prep my pages for watercolors, and I have never had one bleed-through issue with my Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolors (in a journaling Bible) in the over two years that I have been using them! (I highly recromend the Gansai Tambi watercolor set.) However, I have heard that other watercolor brands can bleed-through. For more on all my favorite Bible journaling supplies *that do not bleed-through*, find my supplies post HERE.
