Illustrated Life

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Start Here!—Looking for an Illustrated Life?
Make the most of creative margins, document your life with an illustrated journal, and generally seek balance and mindfulness through art.
 • 
Amy Cowen
Leaky Filters and Saying Too Much
Standing on the outside watching my filters fail. A scone, a vacuum, and a roof.
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Amy Cowen
22
Week 30 Prompts for Illustrate Your Week 2024
Prompts for Week 30 of 2024 for #illustrateyourweek in your illustrated journal
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Amy Cowen
Holding Space
Holding space, recording days, and a window in the trees
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Amy Cowen
25
Week 29 Prompts for Illustrate Your Week 2024
Prompts for Week 29 of 2024 for #illustrateyourweek in your illustrated journal
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Amy Cowen
Most Popular
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Documenting a Year—Birthday Reflection and a Lighthouse
 • Amy Cowen
43
Scaling down. How big is your journal?
 • Amy Cowen
37
The Splintering as One Passes—Full Post
 • Amy Cowen
107
Lists, notes, and keeping an illustrated journal
 • Amy Cowen
33

Simply Sunday Letter

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Leaky Filters and Saying Too Much
Standing on the outside watching my filters fail. A scone, a vacuum, and a roof.
 • 
Amy Cowen
22
Holding Space
Holding space, recording days, and a window in the trees
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Amy Cowen
25
Scaling down. How big is your journal?
Sometimes, we need to expand; sometimes we need to compress space and time. Usually, it's just instinct.
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Amy Cowen
37
Not all stories have a plot—Not Reading, But Didion and Jansson
Photos from the week, illustrated journal Week 26, and thoughts on reminding myself, looping, and gathering.
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Amy Cowen
21
Documenting a Year—Birthday Reflection and a Lighthouse
Considering an illustrated journal project, a string art metaphor, and photos from the week.
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Amy Cowen
43
A Proactive Birthday List
Making a list to guide a day can make everything easier and is good self-care.
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Amy Cowen
36
The Splintering as One Passes—Full Post
We said goodbye this week. An exploration of grief begins to unfold..
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Amy Cowen
107
Positively - 100 Diary Comic Affirmations
A look at the full set of diary comic affirmations from my 2024 100 Day Project
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Amy Cowen
27
Illustrated Life is a reader-supported publication.

Reader Favorites

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Send the Invitation; Take the Chance
Take the chance to ask for the things you want, to reach out to people you want to work with.
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Amy Cowen
23
12 Ways to Keep Your Journal Private
You want to keep an illustrated journal as your daily art container, but you don’t want to share the nitty gritty details of your life with the public…
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Amy Cowen
24
Badges, Lumberjanes, and Gamification
A badge-gathering approach to life and a few fun comics and graphic novels
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Amy Cowen
31
Oddball Sock Critters
Creative check-in, affirmations project
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Amy Cowen
17
Day 1 of 100 Starts Nice and Green
It doesn't have to look like me—starting 100 days of comic panels and affirmations.
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Amy Cowen
36

Comic Affirmations

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Positively - 100 Diary Comic Affirmations
A look at the full set of diary comic affirmations from my 2024 100 Day Project
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Amy Cowen
27
Comic Affirmations, 92-100
An exercise in simplified line and positive thinking, a daily affirmation comic for the 2024 100 Day Project.
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Amy Cowen
12
Comic Affirmations, 85-91
An exercise in simplified line and positive thinking, a daily affirmation comic for the 2024 100 Day Project.
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Amy Cowen
3
Comic Affirmations, 78-84
An exercise in simplified line and positive thinking, a daily affirmation comic for the 2024 100 Day Project.
 • 
Amy Cowen

Illustrate Your Week

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Week 30 Prompts for Illustrate Your Week 2024
Prompts for Week 30 of 2024 for #illustrateyourweek in your illustrated journal
 • 
Amy Cowen
Week 29 Prompts for Illustrate Your Week 2024
Prompts for Week 29 of 2024 for #illustrateyourweek in your illustrated journal
 • 
Amy Cowen
Week 28 Prompts for Illustrate Your Week 2024
Prompts for Week 28 of 2024 for #illustrateyourweek in your illustrated journal
 • 
Amy Cowen
Week 27 Prompts for Illustrate Your Week 2024
Prompts for Week 27 of 2024 for #illustrateyourweek in your illustrated journal
 • 
Amy Cowen

Keeping an Illustrated Journal

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100+ Lists for Your Illustrated Journal
Lists can be an easy, practical, and wonderful addition to your pages. Making lists…. It’s a lot like eating potato chips.
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Amy Cowen
5
12 Ways to Keep Your Journal Private
You want to keep an illustrated journal as your daily art container, but you don’t want to share the nitty gritty details of your life with the public…
 • 
Amy Cowen
24
Icon Practice and Building Visual Vocabulary
A bit of background information about the "icons" that appear as part of Illustrate Your Week, plus a story of a clover and a shamrock
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Amy Cowen
7
General Information - Illustrate Your Week
Basic information, answers to commonly asked questions, and reminders about keeping an illustrated journal and doing illustrate your week.
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Amy Cowen

Series & Challenges

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Index-Card-A-Day (ICAD) 2024
Thoughts on ICAD 2024, a classic summer art challenge on index card
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Amy Cowen
6
Day 1 of 100 Starts Nice and Green
It doesn't have to look like me—starting 100 days of comic panels and affirmations.
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Amy Cowen
36
Stone Lanterns and 100 Day Projects
Considering my options for the 100 Day Project. Picking a "just right" project is the only way to set myself up for success with this creative…
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Amy Cowen
45
Drawing Mom and Nutcrackers
Happy holidays, contour drawings, and a stream of nutcrackers
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Amy Cowen
14

52 Weeks of Diary List Comics (2024)

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Diary List Comics / 52 Weeks
52 weeks of colorful weekly life summaries
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Amy Cowen
6
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Highlights
Weekly Letter
Diary Comic
Morning Stories
Sketchnotes
Book Reviews
Reader Favorites
52 Weeks of Diary List Comics
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The Next Write Thing
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Trish Tails
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© 2024 Amy Cowen
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