A goal without a plan is just a wish.
Most of the time, people get overwhelmed by the things they see other skilled people doing on the Internet, and resort to accepting that they can’t do what others do. However, that’s not right. Everyone is capable of everything, and it’s just us that says we can’t.
If you make a big mistake in your Bullet/Aesthetic Journal (or actually anywhere else), it’s totally fine, and all you need to do is forget about it and move forward.
In case you feel really bummed and exasperated at yourself for totally destroying or smudging up the page (or doodle or whatever), here are a few tips and tricks that can get you started again:
1. Stick a piece of paper on it!
The most efficient way is to grab a colourful/decorative paper and stick it onto your big mistake. Then, you can write the same thing (or even something else) on top of that paper … and presto … you’ve covered your mistake, and the best thing is, no one will ever be able to guess so!
2. Turn it into something else!
For example, say you messed up a doodle or a big embellishment. The best way to cover it up is to turn it into something else, such as a black floral pattern, etc (this can be done for small mistakes too). For big mistakes, it’s better to turn the entire page into something different, like a doodle page or an interesting illustration.
3. Stick a big picture onto it!
Another nice way to cover up a big mistake of yours is to glue/tape a picture of yourself, your family/friends, or of some sort of scenery/abstract art. This not only covers up your terrible mistake, in fact, it causes your Bullet/Aesthetic journal page to look better and more pleasing to the eye.
4. Glue the pages together!
If the mistake you made is truly terrifying and ugly and disastrous, go ahead and glue up the pages, so that you start all over again (and hopefully avoid making mistakes again)!
5. Make a collage!
Another interesting way to cover up your mistake is to collect bits and pieces of pictures and quotes from different magazines/newspapers, and then go ahead and glue them onto the page, creating your very own physical collage. You can also make a patterned mosaic if you wish.
6. Create a dutch-door!
You can also hide your mistake by creating a dutch-door in your Bullet/Aesthetic journal, by folding or cutting a page in half (while making sure to fold up or cut the mistake) which can be used as a separator or a divider. If you find this confusing or incomprehensible, you can search online for pictures of ‘dutch-doors in journals’ and get your doubts cleared!
7. Tear/Cut the page!
Now, this may sound completely insane to you. Tear out a page of my precious journal? NEVER! But actually, I find this method actually quite nice and feasible. You don’t literally need to tear out the page, really. You can cut it out as well, and make sure to glue back the remaining strip of paper onto the other page so that it doesn’t jut out and annoy you. If you resort to tearing the pages, you might find other pages from your journal slipping or falling out (so please avoid that).
If you want to know how to cover up mistakes that are minor and not quite disastrous, please see: Covering Small Mistakes in your Journal; Hacks and Tips.
Click here to download and print your very own copy of The Ultimate Guide to Bullet Journaling.
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