One thing that's very important for me is that the journal be a place where you abandon any sense of judgment.

It can be sentence fragments. It can be lists. It can be doodles. There's no right or wrong way to do it.

I rarely go back and read my journals because I don't

want to ignite that pilot light of self-consciousness. It's really a place where you come as you are.

I'm Christine Cyr Clissette. I'm Kyra Blackwell. I'm Rosie Garan, and you're listening to The Wirecutter Show.

This episode is called Journaling Through Life's Plot Twists.

Hi, guys. Hi guys.

Hi there.

So we're doing something a little different.

Yeah.

I mean, you know, I've worked here a long time and we have a lot of coverage on the site that is really supportive of a creative practice. Right.

So we have reviews for musical instruments,

for things that can help you become a better cook, art supplies. You obviously don't need to

buy gear or new things to be creative. Anyone can be creative, watch kids. They'll play around

with sticks out in the mud and they're very creative. But I do think that if you are approaching a creative practice and you really get into it,

having the right tools can, it's the right tool for the right job, right?

So I think there are some real benefits to having that.

So whether you find joy in making elaborate meals or working on a novel, playing music. We're going to talk about strategy for unlocking

creativity today. And our guest is Suleka Jouad. She's an artist, she's a journalist, she's an

author, she writes the substack called The Isolation Journals, and her most recent book is called

The Book of Alchemy,

and it explores how journaling can help unlock your creative potential.

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