By Hilary Lowe and Chathushka Kiriella
Creative journalling is a reflective practice that combines writing, images, collage and other creative materials to help people explore ideas, experiences and emotions in a more open and personal way. In this blog post we, Chathushka Kiriella and Hilary Lowe from the Human Resources, Work and Employment research group (HRWE), examine how this approach can be used in educational and professional settings to support reflection, wellbeing, connection and conversation.
Creative journalling is becoming an increasingly important strand of our collaborative work. It develops out of our own personal journalling practices, and we have brought this into an educational space. Sitting within the Human Resource Management cluster, our interest lies in how creative, low-pressure activities can support self-efficacy and employability outcomes.
Creative journalling creates opportunities for reflection, wellbeing and meaningful conversation, particularly in academic and professional settings where people may not always feel comfortable expressing ideas through conventional discussion alone.
Recently, we presented our work at UWE’s Festival of Research, where our presentation was awarded the prize for best presentation. Following the positive response, we were keen to share the approach more widely, elicit some feedback on our ideas for further work but, most importantly, to give colleagues within the HRWE group an opportunity to experience creative journalling for themselves at the group’s away day.
Our HRWE Away Day took place in the beautiful Bristol City Hall in July 2026. During our session, colleagues had the opportunity to experiment with a range of materials to create a journal spread inspired by a personally meaningful theme. Papers, images, words, stickers and washi tape provided a route into reflection, with colleagues creating pages that were personal, thoughtful and often unexpectedly expressive. While some chose to reflect on the day itself, others focused on a significant life event or memorable moment. One of the previous sessions had been an excellent overview of the UWE RISE beacons by Prof. Hugo Gaggioti and some of our colleagues even incorporated RISE into their spreads.
One of the most interesting aspects was watching colleagues engaging with the materials. Some approached the activity immediately, while others were initially more hesitant. However, as the session developed, many of those who had seemed reluctant gradually became absorbed in the process. This gradual shift from uncertainty to engagement is one of the things that makes creative journalling particularly interesting to us and, most certainly, the way in which the HRWE staff engaged in our awayday session mirrored our experience of how students engage with critical journalling.
The activity does not require artistic skill, nor does it ask participants to produce a polished outcome. Instead, it creates space to pause, make choices, notice connections and represent ideas in ways that may be difficult to articulate verbally.
Nevertheless, for some participants, it can be difficult to overcome the initial nervousness about needing to create something perfect or special.
The activity encouraged everyone to pause and reflect and express their thoughts creatively, resulting in a collection of individual pieces that captured different experiences, memories, and perspectives. At the end of the session, we invited colleagues to share their experiences and reflections. The feedback was encouraging, with participants discussing both the enjoyment of the activity and its potential value as a reflective and developmental practice. We also shared our plans for taking the research further, and these ideas were met with a positive response from the group.
The session provided valuable insight into how people respond to creative journalling in a workplace and academic context, particularly the ways in which initial reluctance can give way to curiosity and immersion. It also reinforced our interest in exploring how creative methods can support reflection, connection and wellbeing. We are now looking forward to developing this work further, building on what we learned from the HRWE away day and continuing to explore the possibilities offered by creative journalling as both a pedagogic and research practice.