Sometimes, when words don’t come easily, an image can express so much. Anita Chaudhuri discovers the joy of photo journalling

Anita Chaudhuri

THE JOY OF JOURNALLING is something I discovered at the tender age of 10. I vividly recall receiving my first diary, a five-year volume with a pillar-box red cover. Best of all, it had a padlock and key. No need for the ‘Top secret: Keep out!’ stickers I was so fond of back then.

I’ve kept a journal ever since. There’s a simple joy in documenting for posterity the rocky times, as well as the happy ones. I’ve always incorporated imagery on my pages, sticking in photos cut out from magazines, ticket stubs and brightly coloured doodles, but it was only recently that I discovered the concept of visual journalling through photographer Susannah Conway’s online course, Journal Your Life.

‘The power of journalling with words and images is that it combines creativity and mindfulness with writing,’ explains Conway. ‘People get scared at the thought of writing words on the blank page. It can feel a bit like being at school, where you have to get the grammar right and maybe you think your handwriting isn’t good enough. Taking a photo with your camera phone can feel easier and more accessible than writing.’

PHOTOGRAPHS ANITA CHAUDHURI

“ I started my photo journal when something unthinkable happened. I ran out of words. I sat down, looked at the page and… nothing