#also i wish tumblr had separate systems for site-wide organization and blog-specific organization

[anartificialsatellite]

I've had a stupid fucking human AU in my head for no less than decade in which Amelia and Kiku meet in college and have an oops!baby and she takes him to meet her family and they're all hella country but also generally very nice and warm up to him like, instantly and he's kind of overwhelmed but also super relieved they weren't pissed about the whole situation and it's just cute.

There's no plot past that, I just think about it sometimes.

[studyfeather]

Hi!! I was wondering if you had any advice for a newbie studyblr / bullet journalist ?

Hello there, lovely anon!! ♥ I actually joined the studyblr community pretty recently (just this month!) so I hope I can answer your question well /// !! Since I’m pretty new, there’s still quite a bit I have yet to learn myself! 

➸ advice for a new studyblr

Don’t be afraid to just start. 

Honestly! There’s no need to feel insecure about your posts, spreads, handwriting, picture quality, stationary - everyone in the studyblr community is so sweet and positive and helpful I begin to feel spoiled. I hope you do to!

Don’t feel self conscious about anything. You’re beautiful, wonderful, and perfect just the way you are. There is no better you than you!

Stop comparing your posts and blog to other people’s. There’s a lot for you to learn, and it won’t all come immediately. Notes, followers - it takes time. 

Reach out to other studyblrs!! 

Say hi, send asks, make friends! Make comments on other’s posts, send compliments or help where you can. Just being active in the community can help you get attention but also give you a wonderful time. A studyblr is to help you grow, and this is a great way to keep you motivated in doing so.

Along the same line, try to find ways to interact with your followers!

Tags, Tags, Tags! 

A lot of studyblrs will track a tag and will often reblog your content if you tag your original posts with it! You can find out what tag to put by checking out a studyblr’s page (for example, I track #studyfeather). You can make a list for yourself if that helps! (: But try not to be too overwhelming or overuse it. Maybe switch up which tracked tags you use from post to post. 

Make a tag for you to track! It would make sense that if you’re using tracked tags to make one for yourself to spread the love. 

Have a tag that is specific to your original content (mine is #featherpost)!!! It will make it nice and easy for those who come across your blog to find what you’re posting about. Having original content helps others have more interest in your blog!

A lot of what you are reblogging can serve as a resource for yourself. I like to reblog posts that inspire me, or have spreads I might try, masterposts, etc. If its important for you to find what you’re reblogging for later, make a tag system for yourself. For example, heres @ / studypetals’ tags page or @ / studyquill’s navigation page if you need any ideas. This is a great idea if other people begin using your blog as a resource as well. 

Take advantage of all the information you see. 

There are so many posts that address procrastination, time management, stress, note taking, school - anything at all - that is made available to you. It’s one thing to see the information, but it’s another to make use of it. (And don’t be afraid to share your knowledge either!) You can even make posts about trying out different advice if that helps motivate you to try something out.

Make an introductory post!

Help others get to know you better by putting together an introductory post! It’s never too late to make one, so don’t worry about making one if your blog has been up for a bit.

From what I’ve discovered, introductory posts tend to have the following information (not every one has ALL of this, it’s up to you what you’d like to add): name, age, school year, why you started a studyblr, your classes, some of your favorite studyblrs, other blogs you have (and other sites you’re on), any anything else you’d like to say/add. 

If you use tracked tags or tag studyblrs you love, it can help get your blog noticed! (:

Post original content!

I touched on this earlier, but this is so important. One of the best ways for your studyblr to succeed is posting your own work and sharing it to the community. You never know how many people will love it, be inspired by it, follow you from it, or contact you because of it.

Be fairly consistent in posting original content. I try to post at least once a week even though I’m pretty busy. It helps motivate me to keep my bujo and studyblr going! You can try out the 100 days of productivity or some studyblrs put together monthly study challenges you can keep up with. As an example, here’s a May Study Challenge I might try out!

In posting original content, make sure you link information you’re referencing to help others that much more!

Queue your posts!!

A great way to keep your blog active is to queue your posts. I have my posts queued at 10 each day and try to keep at least 20 posts in my queue at all times, in case a couple of busy days keep me from adding more. Some people unfollow inactive blogs - and this can be a way to prevent it. 

The only thing I don’t queue are original posts and asks, but it’s up to you if you decide to use the queue system or not!

➸ advice for a new bullet journalist

Real quick!! I would advise taking a look at the bullet journal’s official website to help understand the basics of bullet journaling. 

It’s designed to be quick and customizable way for you to keep information and tasks organized. A great way to make use of this (that I’ve found) is to make a key for each of your logs. You can see my key here. You can also search tumblr for bujo keys to see what others have come up with. If you do want to make a key, make it so that it works for you!  It can be as simple or detailed as you want, with or without signifiers, etc. If you don’t like this system, that’s just fine!

Discover different journal options and where to find them.

There is no set journal to use, however there are popular choices among the studyblr community: Moleskine, Leuchtturm1917, and Muji journals - but it is NOT limited to these. Working with a regular notebook works just fine as well! 

It’s one thing to find and purchase something online - but I like being able to find what I’m looking for in person. It saves shipping + handling costs, and I get to it immediately. And, sometimes, they can be cheaper too! I found my moleskine journal I’ve been using at Barnes and Noble, and have also seen Leuchtturm1917 journals at my school’s book store. (The temptation is real every time I walk past OTL) 

Your bullet journal is for you, so let’s make it that way.

A big part of having a studyblr is to help yourself in becoming more productive in learning and improving a lifestyle (or this may just be how I see it). So! There is no set format for you to use a bullet journal. It’s up to you to figure out what works best for you.

You can take inspiration from other people’s post to help experiment with different spreads and layouts. (Be sure to credit/tag if you do! Just to be safe.) 

You can find out different things that you can add to your bujo! Habit trackers, daily/weekly/monthly/yearly spreads, lists of things to keep track of (books to read, tv shows and episodes to watch, shopping/wish lists, bucket list, etc), anything you’re interested in. Depending on your interests and areas you wan’t to use a bujo to help you with, this can vary. If you want, you can test out different ideas to see if you like it or not. It will take time to find what you like, so don’t stress about it in the beginning. You’re just starting, after all!

There is always something for you to do, it’s just a matter of finding out what that is. If you need any help of finding something to do, feel free to message me! (As long as you don’t mind me asking a bunch of questions haha.)

Don’t be afraid to use pencil first when making your spreads.

Me being me, trusted myself to use pen right off the bat. Boy, do I regret that XD It got to the point where I purchased an erasable pen but I’m finding nothing can beat pencil before pen. But before you erase the pencil - make sure the pen has dried. I can’t stress this enough. I’ve gotten impatient multiple times and go ahead to erase, and instantly wished I hadn’t. You can try to find pens that prevent this from happening, but waiting is the best alternative. Something you can do is make a spread at night, and wait to erase when you wake up in the morning. You can keep your bujo open to the page you worked on for it to dry better.

You don’t need any fancy or expensive stationary.

Seeing the pastel highlighters, wide variety of pens and miscellaneous tools it’s easy to think you need to have it all but . . . you don’t have to have any of it. Especially if you are low on funds, don’t worry about getting anything new. Just work with what you have! I have been using pens I’ve owned for years and have hardly touched to see what I can do with them and am pleasantly surprised! I have a bunch of supplies that I have gotten for school that haven’t been used that I plan on finally putting to use. 

Your basic school supplies with notebooks, highlighters, pens and pencils, post it notes, can take you as far as you wish!

Having a difficult time coming up with a spread? Here’s some ideas! 

Try out different hand written fonts. This can include headers/titles and subheaders/subtitles. Try headers, banners, and dividers too! Here’s some different ideas: x | x | x | x

Give your spread a theme. Disney, movie, music, history, art, cartoon shows, books - anything at all! This can help with finding art to fill in blank spaces to give your spread some more interest. Here’s a post with a bunch of ideas you could use.

Colors! Try out different color combinations! Being an art student, I’m overly conscious of colors. They can help set a mood, evoke certain emotion, some colors work best with others (be smart when using complimentary colors), etc. Here’s a site that covers basic color theory. But . . . this is me being nerdy. This can take quite a bit of thought - but you honestly don’t have to (: !! It’s best if you stick to one or two colors within a page not to overwhelm what others are seeing, especially if you’re wanting to keep things minimal. If you want me to go deeper into this, and talk more about contrast and whatnot . . . I can make a separate post as not to clutter this one ♥

Make goals for yourself! This can be included in a habit tracker, but doesn’t need to be. They can be as small as going on a 20 minute walk each day during this week, being sure to stay hydrated, doing something with a family member or friend, completing or starting a big project or assignment, etc. 

Find some quotes and add them! Here’s some quote masterposts I’ve come across: x | x | x | x

When taking pictures, be conscious of lighting.

The best kind of lighting is natural lighting. Taking pictures outside (or inside) during the day will help your image quality! I know before I said picture quality doesn’t matter much, but this can be a simple and easy way to help improve your posts. 

If natural lighting isn’t helping you the way you want, you can take a look at different apps with photo editing capabilities or filters. I have a horrible app finding ability, and just use Photoshop (you can get PS CS2 for free here) or Clip Studio Paint to edit my photos. My favorite tool to use is the tone curve. However you can see this post to look at other options, like apps (it also links to other posts you can look at)!

Have a good time!

Honestly, I feel this is what it boils down to. As long as you are enjoying what you’re doing and continue to have a passion for studyblr related content, you’ll succeed. Don’t stress about it and take one post at a time.

I’ll start putting together a post of how I started my studyblr in case that may help as well! Thank you for asking, anon! Hopefully this helps, and that I was able to cover everything! T o T Sorry I kinda went on a bit of a tangent in some areas.