Hi friends—Welcome to today’s trail stop. Today we’re exploring how the choices we make shape the design, style, and lens of our storytelling. Whether you’re playing around with paper, arranging photos, journaling in lists, or choosing what not to include, those choices are storytelling moves. This lesson is about noticing your patterns and playing with them on purpose.
You don’t need to overhaul your creative practice. You don’t need to have a specific aesthetic. But you do have a storytelling style—and that style has a point of view. Today’s lesson is all about tuning into it.
What We’re Focusing On
Design is how your story is organized
Style is how it looks and feels
Lens is how you see the story—and how you invite others to see it
Design: The Bones of the Page
Design is about structure—what goes where and why. Even if you don’t think of yourself as a “designer,” your notebook pages, photo layouts, and all the story choices you make have a structure. Maybe it’s a list, a cluster of images, a spread with a photo on one side and journaling on the other. That’s design. It helps your story breathe and gives the reader (even if that reader is just future-you) somewhere to land.
Design is the framework you’re building for your stories to live inside.
Campfire Reflection
Where do your eyes go first when you look at your pages?
Style: Your Story’s Signature Look
Style is the vibe. It’s your font choice, your color palette, the kind of photos you print, the margin doodles, the washi tape, the messiness or orderliness of it all. Your style tells the reader a lot about you before they even read the words.
And the good news? You don’t have to “pick one” and stick with it. Your style will evolve. You might even have multiple styles depending on the project or season. That’s normal. That’s good.
Campfire Reflection
What parts of your current style feel intentional? What feels accidental?
Lens: How You See the Story
The most powerful part of this equation is your lens. It’s the perspective you bring when deciding what story to tell, what to leave out, what moment to zoom in on. It’s the reason two people can witness the same thing and tell completely different stories about it.
Your lens is shaped by your identity, your values, your mood, your audience, your season of life. It’s always there. Becoming more aware of it helps you make stronger choices—and tell more honest stories.
You can experiment with this too. Try shifting your lens on purpose. What happens when you tell a story from your pet’s point of view? Or from a zoomed-out “big picture” lens instead of a daily moment? It’s a powerful tool.
Campfire Reflection
What lens are you using most often in your stories lately? What other ones could you try?
Creative Challenge: “Design Your Voice”
Create a page that plays with your storytelling style. This is your chance to intentionally notice and tweak how you design and present your stories.
You might include:
Recreating an old layout or notebook spread with a totally different design
Stripping it way back: use only one supply (pen, photo, paper, whatever)
Going maximalist: use ALL the colors, fonts, textures, stickers
Changing up your lens: tell the same story two ways
Making a list: What do you think your style is? What does your notebook say?s
Remember: This isn’t about “fixing” your style. It’s about noticing and naming it—and maybe trying something new, just to see what happens.
Wrapping It Up
Every story you tell has a shape. It has a look. It has a voice. You’re already doing this—even if you’ve never thought of it as design. Even if your “style” is “whatever’s in reach.” Even if you’ve never said the word “lens” outside of a camera app.
You don’t have to force anything. But paying attention to these parts of your process can make your storytelling feel more yours. It’s about building self-awareness, not self-judgment.
You’re allowed to evolve. You’re allowed to experiment. You’re allowed to make pages that look like you.
Join the Conversation
What’s one detail you’ve noticed about your design or style lately?
Or: What’s something you’re curious to try with your storytelling lens?
Drop it in the comments—one word, a sentence, a whole story—anything goes.
