Rowena Francis

Cruises vs Resorts

Published on March 3, 2018 by Rowena FrancisLeave a comment

I was 21, just married and had never been on an actual vacation before. I knew so little about travel, that I didn’t even know I needed a passport.

I had no clue.

I literally got my passport less than 48 hours before we left for our honeymoon.

We cruised the Caribbean for 7 days on Princess Cruise Lines. It was heavenly. From that moment I was sold on cruises.

Until.

We went to an all-inclusive resort.

I’ve been to 2 resorts and have cruised 7 times. I’m still deciding whether it’s better to cruise or go to a resort. Here are some of my thoughts on cruises and resorts.

Cruises

Internet
Internet hasn’t always been available on cruises. You can now get internet packages on cruises, but they do cost some dollars. I personally like being disconnected from the stresses, but I usually find a café with internet when we get to each port.

Food
There is always an amazing array of food when you cruise. There are always plenty of options and you will never go hungry! My favourite cruise line is Norwegian and it’s partly because of the food.

Excursions
With cruises, you are at different ports throughout your vacation. This gives you opportunity to book the best excursions at the best places. Brian & I like to live life on the edge, so there are some ports that we find locals to bring us on excursions. When we went on our honeymoon, we chartered our own boat (with some locals), went snorkeling and deep-sea fishing for the day for a fraction of the cruise price.

Entertainment
Cruise lines put a great emphasis on entertainment. They have jazz clubs, comedy clubs, nightly shows, movies, games, bingo, etc. There is always something happening somewhere on the ship.

Swimming
I’m not going to lie. I don’t love swimming on cruises. The pools are usually packed and it’s hard to find a chair near the pool. Except the water slides – waiting in line is worth it. There’s also options such as The Haven. They have their own pools, sun decks, etc.
Maybe one day I’ll splurge for the sake of a review. You know, for you.

Spa
The spa is usually my downfall on a cruise. I was introduced to the spa on the cruise we took from New York in the winter. Not only was it freezing most of the time, but I also tore my meniscus right before we boarded the cruise. My hubby offered to get me the spa package to make me feel better. Little did he know that it would be my new expectation for every cruise.
There are only a certain amount of thermal spa packages available. The thermal spa usually includes a variety of whirlpools, heated ceramic loungers, salt rooms, saunas, steam rooms, ice fountains, etc.

Gym
The gym is almost always packed out the first day or two on a cruise – and it’s usually the treadmills. The area with the weights and benches usually only attract the hard-core gym-goers. One cruise, this intoxicated peanut of a man tried to take some weights from another bodybuilder.
Bold move.
I was sure I was going to witness some sort of crime. Just as Mr. Bodybuilder was about to pummel the kid, a sweet, little lady walked between them and softly, but sternly told them to grow up. I kid you not, it was as if it was straight out of a movie!

Resorts

Internet
At a resort, you can choose how (dis)connected you want to be. Some resorts have free wi-fi in the lobby for an hour, some have free wi-fi throughout the resort. The thing I love about this is that I can still talk to my kids when I’m away.

Food
I haven’t been to a lot of resorts, but my experience so far hasn’t been amazing. At the resorts I have been to, I usually only eat to live, not live to eat. The last resort that I was at I found a sandwich and fries from the sports bar that was decent. I literally ate that every day for the whole trip. Food is not my favourite part of resorts.

Excursions
Resorts do offer excursions. I haven’t taken one yet, because I’m not entirely confident in them. Plus, there’s only so many excursions you can do when you’re stationed in one place the whole week.

Entertainment
I have split reviews on resort entertainment. Poolside entertainment looked fun, but didn’t pull at my attention. As for the nightly entertainment, it really depends on the resort. One resort had a show one night, but the rest of the week everything closed and everyone went to their rooms by 8pm. Another resort we went to had breathtaking shows every night and they even transformed the courtyard into a local market one night. Amazing.

Swimming
See that line where the sky meets the sea, it calls me. When we went to Puerto Vallarta, you could find us boogie boarding in the ocean non-stop. It wasn’t until the day we were leaving when we found out that the red flag had been up the whole week and the beach had technically been closed. Oops. But the waves were amazing! Although the ocean did steal my favourite pair of Fendi sunglasses. Just be sure to check the resort beach ahead of time as some beaches supersede others.
Now for the poolside. We went into the pool once. We were together. Then Matt came. Who is Matt? I don’t know, but he was single and available. Me? I was taken and happily married (while pointing to Brian). We tend to skip the poolside now at resorts.

Spa
When I’m at a resort, I won’t use the spa unless the weather is horrible. The last resort we went to we booked the thermal spa for 2 days because it rained for 5 out of the 7 days of our vacation. It did not even compare to the thermal suite on a cruise.

Gym
Ok, I’m split on this too. I’m guessing that each resort has different gym qualities. One had only 3 machines in it, one was a full gym. It’s never going to be my home gym, but it’s enough to get by.

In conclusion, I like both. I can’t decide which is better. Maybe you can help me. What do you like better – resorts or cruises? Comment below.

Stress Free Travel

Published on February 28, 2018 by Rowena FrancisLeave a comment

I LOVE traveling.

Ok, I don’t LOVE the travel part of it, but I do love being on vacation. I mean, who doesn’t, right?

When I was a kid, I would get so excited to go anywhere, that my trip started weeks (or sometimes months) before the day we were scheduled to leave.

Shout out to all my planners out there!

When my kids were little, I would make sure that I had every detail of every little thing worked out for the sitter (usually my parents!). Then, as they got older, I didn’t do any different! As a matter of fact, I’ve probably become more and more meticulous with organizing their lives before I leave. I have checklists and lists and notes and files and everything else you can possibly imagine.

Yes, probably a little over the top, but I want to make sure that life doesn’t skip a beat for them (or the sitter) just because the hubs and I are gallivanting across the universe (or lazing on a beach somewhere tropical).

Let’s get into how to make travel easy peasy.

Lemon. Squeazy.

Well, Looky Here…
A typical vacation for us is when I find a deal online, quickly check coinciding flights, book the vacation and then usually leave within 5 days of booking.

How?

I’m ALWAYS looking.

I mean, usually the day I get back from vacation, I’m already hitting up my fav travel booking sites. You know, just to see what’s out there.

Regardless, I have tried and true favourites that I lean towards.

Favourite Cruise Lines
Favourite All Inclusive Resorts
Favourite Airlines
Favourite Deal Finders

I watch for sales and deals, freebies and incentives. This not only gets me great deals but it keeps me excited about our next travel adventure.

Plan on Planning
I have basic travel planners, spreadsheets and lists ready to go at any given time.

Sounds a bit crazy, but if you have a base plan, it will take the unnecessary stress away from the travel process.

Some of my lists include

Packing List
To Do For Vacation
To Do Before Vacation
Schedules (for kids and pups)
Schedules (for vacation)

Be Flexible
Last minute vacations usually get you the best deals. However, it’s difficult to plan last-minute vacations if you are not flexible.

If you can, try to be flexible with things such as

Vacation time with your employer
Where you are willing to vacation
When you are willing to vacation

Be Prepared
There is seriously nothing like being prepared for something. I usually keep a pre-packed travel bag that has everything but clothes so I’m ready on the fly.

You never know when the most amazing deal is going to strike and if you’re prepared, you could be vacationing sooner than later.

I’ll leave you with one of my favourite travel stories.

The hubs wanted to go away on vacation.

I didn’t.

To appease him, I looked and looked for a deal, but was not finding anything that fit in our budget.

Grateful, I finally told my hubs that it wasn’t going to work out and asked if he could maybe switch his vacation time so I could find something at a more convenient time (not so close to Christmas).

Before he did, I thought I’d give it one last go. I found a 7 day cruise from Houston for only a few hundred dollars. I laughed and told him that I would go if we found cheap flights (under $100).

I did.

Ugh! I found $50 flights from Detroit to Houston and on top of it, the cruise line offered an on board credit of a few hundred dollars.

In the end, the trip only cost us peanuts and it was one of the greatest times we had.

Do you find travel planning stressful or do you thrive in the wake of lists and schedules? Comment below!

10 Days In A Carry On

Published on February 24, 2018February 24, 2018 by Rowena Francis3 Comments

My heart never cried to tour Israel. I liked the thought of it, but the overnight flight acted as a strong deterrent. I always figured I would have to wait for life on the other side to see Israel.

Then one day my father in law announced at church that there were still some seats open for the trip he was organizing. My heart leaped and I desperately wanted to be there. Still bugged about the long haul flight, I put it out there in my heart that if it was something I should do, it would have to happen without me asking about it.

The next morning at work, my father in law walked in my office and said something about how I should come on the trip.

Next thing I knew, we were sending our applications off. After a few minor obstacles, we were booked on the trip.

I was so excited that I started packing right away – literally 2 months before the trip!

My main goal was to pack in a carry on only. I like a challenge, but mostly I detest the hassle of dredging along with suitcases that could run me over if I lose control of it while walking downhill.

Although I worked and reworked my carry on over and over, I couldn’t quite get it under the 8 kg weight limit. By the night before our trip, I had it down to 8.6 kg.

However!

Due to an ice storm and our schedule being moved up by a day, the extra time I needed to shave off that last .6 of a kilo eluded me.

My daughter told me just to take her new Captain America suitcase and check it.

I did.

All that to say, this post is all about what I packed for my trip to Israel (in February).

Sleep/Awake Bag

Here is where I put everything that I will need to sleep on the plane and then wake up refreshed. Things I include are:

Sleep mask
Comfy socks
Compression socks
Sleep supplements & medications
Earplugs
Eye drops
Hand cream
Lip balm
Powder Face wash or cleansing wipes
Toothbrush & toothpaste
Makeup Bag

Makeup Bag

I usually save all my samples from Sephora and use them in my makeup bag. Some things I need more than a sample, so I will bring the original bottle (if it’s under 100 ml).

Liquids

I first put together all of my other bags and then whatever is a liquid, gel or aerosol, I take and put in my Ziploc bag.

Purse/Personal Bag

This is the bag that goes under the seat in front of me on the plane.

Sleep/Awake Bag
Headphones
Documents
Gum/mints/snacks
Water bottle
Phone/iPad
Journal
Pens
Sunglasses

Documents

I like to keep all of our important documents together.

Passports/ID
Tickets
Travel Documents

Carry On

Here is the clothing I packed for a 10 day vacation.

4 pairs of pants (1 pr of jeans/1 casual pants/2 leggings)
5 shirts
3 tank tops
Unmentionables 😉
2 pairs of pajamas
1 bathing suit
6 pairs of socks
2 sweaters (1 thick hoodie/1 cardigan)
Winter Jacket
4 pairs of shoes (Converse/Vibram 5 Fingers/Vibram Moccasins/Flip Flops)
Razor
Hair Accessories
Tide Travel Packs

All of this fit into my carry on, with the exception of my .6 kg overweight. I used everything I brought and never felt like I forgot anything.

Do you have other travel essentials that you bring on your travels? Comment below.

*Disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. There is no added cost to you.

6 Jet Lag Hacks

Published on February 21, 2018 by Rowena FrancisLeave a comment

It’s 2am. Somehow I have an internal alarm clock that went off. Now I can’t get back to sleep. You see, I’m warm and snuggled in my bed in Canada, but my body believes I’m heading out for a full day of touring in Israel.

Jet lag.

On the way there it wasn’t as bad. We landed and started our day. The roughest part was the next morning when I didn’t hear the wake up call and only bolted awake 20 minutes before the bus was scheduled to leave. I still had to get ready and pack my suitcase. I would have to bypass breakfast and put my makeup on in the bus. I made it, but it could be because the bus was late to pick us up. We’ll never know.

I’ll say this. The jet lag I experienced travelling 7 hours ahead didn’t seem as bad as the jet lag I experienced travelling 7 hours behind.

Here are my tips for by-passing jet lag as soon as possible.

Prepare

There’s nothing like going on a trip of lifetime. Then there’s nothing like going there with the expectation that jet lag won’t affect you. If you prepare ahead of time, your body will thank you later. If you are travelling ahead in time, go to bed and wake up an hour earlier each day for a few days before you leave. It will help alleviate the shock of time change. Use a sunrise alarm clock to help.

Set your time

When you set your watch/phone to the time zone that you are travelling to, it helps trick your brain into helping your body bypass jet lag. The best time to do this is as soon as you get on the airplane (or just before).

Stay awake

As soon as we landed in Israel, we went straight into touring. It wasn’t a hefty schedule, but it was enough to help us stay awake until the evening. Very smart and strategic. Try to stay awake during daytime hours and try not to nap or your body will grasp at straws and give you a hard time about switching time zones. I made the mistake of taking a nap the day we arrived home. When my kids came home from school and tried to wake me, I couldn’t get myself together and asked them if they were real or if I was dead. Oops!

Sleep

When bedtime comes, take supplements to help you sleep. The very first thing I use in my ‘get to sleep’ routine is essential oils. For some reason the doTERRA Peace blend knocks me out every time. Melatonin is also great for naturally getting your body to sleep. If Melatonin doesn’t quite do it, ZZZ Quill is a great over the counter sleep aid. As a last resort, if needed, see your doctor before your vacation for something stronger to knock you out.

Caffeinate

The morning after we arrived, I felt delirious. I’m sure it was a scene that, if my husband had recorded it, it would’ve made it onto America’s Funniest Videos. I could NOT get it together. I was awake and not tired, but I couldn’t think straight. My husband literally held my hand and walked me to the caffeine station. Within minutes, my brain was back to functioning and I was ready to see Israel.

Hydrate

Last, but not least, hydrate. Drink as much water as you can. Your body is made up of a whole lot of water and by replenishing it, it will do what it does at it’s best – function.

Have you ever experienced jet lag? What are some tips that you swear by? Comment below.

*Disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. There is no added cost to you.

Speaker

Published on February 14, 2018February 13, 2018 by Rowena FrancisLeave a comment

We’ve been going through a series on 7 Basics to Include In Your Sketch Notes.

I talked about how I like to Divide & Conquer my blank page so that it’s not mocking me with it’s flawless, pure and untouched fibers challenging me to draw designs worthy of it’s standards.

Yes, we decided that was dramatic.

But true.

Also, we talked dating.

Now let’s check out the next point.

Speaker

Pastor. Priest. Bishop. Evangelist. Teacher. Reverend. Prophet.

The list could go on. My point is that the first step in writing down the name of the person delivering the message is to know who it is.

Seriously?

Ok, you don’t have to know know them. Just know how to spell their name.

Honestly. Take it from someone who has had their name misspelled their entire life. With a name like Sherianne Rowena Ciaramitaro, I’ve had my name butchered more times than I care to count. It’s so bad, that I have a mental list of people who have spelled my name right and they hold a very special place in my heart.

Enough about that. Just please, spell their name right. If you must, google them or check their social media page. Something.

Why would it really matter if I even write the speaker’s name? I’ll tell you.

Imagine that one day you’re flipping through your journal and you come across this amazing, life-altering sketch note that just pierces your heart. You get lost in all of the deep, amazing words enlightening you as your eyes slowly scan the page.

But wait!

There’s no name on it! That must mean that I wrote those golden nuggets!

Alright, maybe you’re not like that, but I am. I have lots of journals and if there’s no name on a sketch, my first thought is whether I thought up those inspiring words.

Probably not. But I’ll never know.

Let’s move on.

Context

Read the next line out loud.

“I’ll be back” (The Terminator, 1984)

Let me guess. You read that quote in the voice of the one who spoke it. No?

Guess what. I know I’m strange, but when I go over my notes, I read them in the voice and energy of the speaker. It’s almost as if I can hear the message all over again. It revs me up again and again throughout the week!

If I don’t write the name of the speaker, I don’t know how to read it.

I’m lost. I don’t like being lost.

All this to say, knowing who the speaker was helps me keep things in context and relate back to when it was spoken.

I dare you to try it!

Let’s Date

Published on February 10, 2018February 6, 2018 by Rowena FrancisLeave a comment

Last week I started a series on 7 Basics to Include In Your Sketch Notes.

I talked about how I like to Divide & Conquer my blank page so that it’s not mocking me with it’s flawless, pure and untouched fibers challenging me to draw designs worthy of it’s standards.

Ok, that’s a little dramatic.

Nonetheless, I like to divide my page into sections.

First we talked Titles.

Today we are talking dates.

Dating is fun. I love it.

I date all the time. Well, there was a time I didn’t date. I can’t even tell you how long that lasted.

You have to admit that was funny.

Fine. I date my work.

Do you remember being in school and having to write your name and date in the top right hand corner? Yeah, that stuck with me for an eternity.

As a matter of fact, I still feel uneasy if I don’t have a name and date on my work.

Adding a date is good on a few different levels. At the very least, it time stamps your work. I use my sermon journal for every sermon I hear – including podcasts and teaching series that I buy with books. That means that although my journal entries are in chronological order (except that one time 2 pages stuck together – that page will forever be blank), they don’t necessarily go in order.

For instance, when we are serving in a ministry, I can’t do notes during service. I have to wait for the podcast to come out. Sometimes, in the day or two I’m waiting, I’ve already listened to another sermon. Therefore, the page that should be Sunday morning, might be some other message.

I know this because I date my work.

Dating also helps when you’re attending a conference.

The conferences I attend usually have a few day sessions, some afternoon breakout sessions and then an evening service. This can easily turn a 4 day conference into a 13 page journaling session. In order to know what day, date and session I’m on, I log it.

For conferences, I usually get fancy and doodle a design for the date or session. This helps me get excited for each of the sessions. Plus, I can do them ahead of time so I still have a title/date for when there’s no break in between sessions.

There are so many options with doodling dates and session numbers. You can tailor them into your title or you can keep them separate.

Most of the time I just plain, old write it in – just like school days.

Are you particular about dating your work? How do you write the date – extravagant or straight up? Comment below.

Mini Devos Psalms 27

Published on February 7, 2018February 7, 2018 by Rowena FrancisLeave a comment

It’s winter, y’all.

I mean, below freezing days of darkness. Now don’t get me wrong, I love winter, cold and snow, but there is something I could do without.

Darkness.

It’s dreary. It’s gray. It’s draining.

Then there’s days where the sun peeks through the gray skies and gives you hope for a new tomorrow. Hope that there’s warmer weather around the corner.

Those are the days when I just want to follow the sunshine around my house like a cat and soak in all the rays of light. I mean, I’m grabbing a pillow and blanket and making a bed wherever there’s a sliver of sunshine.

I. Just. Love. It.

This is actually one of the reasons why I love doing my quiet time in my office – the sun blindingly permeates the entire room for a good couple of hours in the morning.

Bear with me, I’m getting somewhere.

Yesterday was one of those light-bearing mornings and I took full advantage of it! I grabbed my Bible and my notebook and plopped myself down in a pool of light.

As I plopped down, my Bible slid open to Psalms 27.

(I love my Dake Annotated Reference Bible, but it is bigger than my lap!)

Usually, if this kind of thing happens, I’ll scan the page for any Scriptures that pop out at me.

So, I did.

And, I’d like to say ironically, but it’s really not, the verse I read was:

The LORD is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

I LOVE this verse, so I decided to doodle it.

Then, I decided to look up some key words in the concordance – light, salvation, strength.

No. Words.

Well, not from me after I read their meaning in the concordance.

As I reread the words in the Bible, I literally was experiencing what it meant.

On those days when your heart has been through those freezing days of darkness; those days when you’ve been pushing through the dreariness of your situation; the days when you are drained to your max and you just literally don’t know if you can even take it another moment.

These are the days when you don’t have to be afraid.

The LORD can be to you exactly what you need – illumination and light in every sense of the word.

He is your LIGHT.

He is your SALVATION.

He is your STRENGTH.

Of whom should we be afraid?

So, if you’re feeling this way, know that God is calling you to seek His face. Answer him with a desire to seek Him with your whole heart.

I’ll leave you with this:

Wait on the LORD.

Be of good courage.

He will strengthen your heart.

Wait, I say, on the LORD.

Do you ever have ‘aha’ moments when you’re reading your Bible or praying – times where you feel like you’re physically experiencing exactly what God has written on the pages of His book?

Comment below! I’d love to hear some of your revelations.

Your Title Here

Published on February 3, 2018 by Rowena Francis1 Comment

In my last post, I told you the 7 basic elements that I include in my sermon sketch notes. Today I want to start by diving in a little more in-depth.

Titles.

Do yourself a favour and write the title of the sermon.

Ok, it sounds a little obvious here, but trust me on this one. The title is a big deal. One time I forgot to write the name of the sermon and it is seriously still bugging me over a year later! Adding a title gives your notes a simple beginning.

I like simple.

Timing

The best time to draw your title is at the very beginning of the message.

Wow. That was revolutionary, innovative and world-shattering.

Mind. Blown.

Ok, I get it. That was an obvious one too, but do you know why it’s the best time?

Traditionally, the order of service begins with announcements, videos, offering and intros. This gives you a good chunk of time to lay out your title on your page.

Sometimes the preacher doesn’t say the name or says it half way through the sermon. Those are times when you can leave a dedicated space to go back in later and do your title.

Layout

There are so many ways to lay out your title. You can use a variety of lettering, scripting, doodles, frames, etc. However, if you are beginning, I encourage you to start with something simple. Try writing/printing the sermon title across the top of your page.

You can always go back in and add things to your title throughout the service.

Design

There are a few design essentials that I suggest to make your title pop.

Sizing.

Remember how I said that one time I forgot to write the title? I actually don’t know if I wrote the title because everything was written roughly the same size.

Ugh, call me punctilious or whatever, but I have been seriously considering going through the archives so I can listen to that message again and redo my notes with a title.

It really doesn’t matter where your title lands on your page, but the size does matter. Make sure that it stands out from your actual notes.

Font.

Yes, I’m going to call your handwriting font.

That’s a fun thought.

I usually like to use 2-3 types of font per page. At first, I literally just used my normal handwriting. Now, I’m trying to learn more lettering and calligraphy, so I’m starting to incorporate those into my designs.

Here are some great simple ideas for title fonts:

Block Letters
Handwriting
Fancy Script
Bubble Letters
Caps Lock
All Low Case
Messy

Thickness.

A great way to make your title pop is by using thicker writing. One time I made a spelling mistake in my title and since I was using a pen, I tried to go over it again and again with the proper spelling. The result? A nice thick title.

Maybe not nice.

But definitely thick.

And one you could see.

So, I decided to keep that format and now I go over my lettering at least a few times.

Bonus, going over the letters makes them appear cleaner and neater.

Dividers.

At the very least, I mentally separate my title from the rest of my notes. I visually create a section and I fill that space with my title. Since my journal is lined, I pick a few lines that I will use for my first 3 elements (title, speaker, date). I will generally incorporate frames and other embellishments to enhance the title.

Remember, these notes are for your benefit. They don’t have to be perfect or even done any way that anyone else thinks you should do them.

Do what works for you.

Sketch your notes in ways that will entice you to go back and read them over and over.

After all, these notes are your creative inspiration from the words God gave to your pastor.

Own it.

Love it.

Do it.

Since we’re on the subject of titles, what are the most creative sermon titles that you’ve heard? Comment below.

Divide & Conquer

Published on January 31, 2018January 31, 2018 by Rowena Francis3 Comments

7 Basics to Include In Your Sketch notes

Everyone loves a pretty picture. Sketching notes transforms words (that might normally go in one ear and out the other) into beautiful masterpieces. If you’re anything like me, when I first started I felt like the empty page staring back at me was intimidating and clearly mocking my inexperienced creativity – I had no idea where to start. So, I tried to do something only my husband knows how to do, I attempted a logical thought process.

Seriously.

That in itself could’ve been enough to send me careening into a downward spiral, but thankfully I survived. My logic?

Divide and conquer.

Seeing the page in sections helped to minimize the stress of having to fill up an entire page. When I first started, I would draw my title really big in the centre of my page. Then I would write notes around it. It did make it less intimidating, but it kind of looked like throw-up in a notebook.

Thankfully, I soon developed a formula that made sense to me and kept my notes from filing for insanity. This simple formula wrangles my notes together every time, whether I’m feeling the creativity or seem to have an empty crater for a brain.

This is the format that I use every time I listen to a sermon.

Use these 7 basic elements in your sermon sketch notes and you’ll look like a pro every time.

Title
Date
Speaker
Scripture References
Key Thoughts
Frames
Embellishments

There you have it!

Before you know it, the service is over, you are standing to your feet and you’ve created a masterpiece with the inspired words that God gave to your pastor.

Take your notes and purpose to mull on them over and over throughout the week. It really adds a spark to meditating on the Word of God, day and night.

Do you have any other elements that you add to your sermon notes? Let me know below; I’m always looking to expand my creativity!

Getting Started

Published on January 24, 2018January 26, 2018 by Rowena FrancisLeave a comment

So you’re interested in Creative Journaling – sermon sketch noting. This is one of my favourite things to do.

Now, I’m no expert, but I have a few tips on how you can get started in your creative journey. The info in this post are my recommendations for starting out.

Get some paper

Ok, if you’ve ever been to my house, you’ll see that I am a journal hog. I’m mesmerized by pretty covers and the smell of soft leather as I fan the pages it envelops across my face. This is the uniqueness that comes out in me. Now, you don’t absolutely need a journal, you can use any paper you would like. It took me a good year before I found my perfect journal – and I’m sure it will morph as time goes on. (Excuse the fact that my dog decided he loved my journal so much, he could eat it.)

One thing I do recommend for starting out, is lined paper. It can help with dividing up your page and writing neater. As your skills increase, your preference may change as well.

Does size matter? To some it does. I’ve used larger journals before, although it’s not my preference. I prefer to use 5×7 because it fits nicely in my purse, it’s the perfect size for my lap during service and it seems to always fit everything I want to write neatly on each page.

Get a pen

Find your favourite writing utensil. You can use pencil, pens, markers, etc. This is a preference thing and it’s best to start with something that you are comfortable writing with. I’m currently using Sharpie fine tip pens. They’re smooth enough to glide on the paper, but not too thick as to bleed through. When I practice, I sometimes use a pencil.

Be Patient

This is key, peeps! Be patient with yourself, you will not be a pro the first time you try this. It will get better, practice will enhance your notes. Remember that your notes are unique to you – and like you. Don’t compare your notes with others, because you’ll only ever be second best. Embrace your own quirky penmanship and drawing.

Practice, practice, practice

If I had a dime for every time someone said to me that they are not creative enough to take notes like me, I’d be rich. As a matter of fact, I’ve said that myself! Yes, there’s an aspect of creativity that goes into these notes, but anyone can do it! I believe there’s a spark inside of everyone, and if you practice, you will excel beyond what you thought capable.

Have you started sketch noting sermons? Leave a comment below on how you got started, I’d love to know!

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