Have you ever bought a new spiritual journal only to feel too intimidated to start the first page?
Professional illustrators Hayley Francis and Melissa Esplin want you to know one thing: There is no “right” way to keep a notebook. Rather than treating their spiritual notes like art galleries, they use them as low-stakes workshops to explore ideas, stay focused, and invite the Spirit.
Here’s how they do it.
Hayley: Note-taking as Revelation
Instead of doodling out beautiful images while watching general conference, Hayley takes standard notes, poised for the phrases and messages that stick out to her.
“That first pass, I’m mostly just taking notes for myself,” she says, “and they’re usually not as pretty.” It’s hard for her to listen to the speakers if she’s focused on drawing, though she’ll doodle continuously to keep her hands moving.
It’s later, while preparing during the week for Relief Society lessons, when Hayley thoughtfully fills her notebook with illustrations related to conference talks. Then during class, she’ll sometimes record comments from women in her ward in calligraphy. She says that the act of filling in her notebook during church or during her personal study is integral to her revelatory process.
“It might sound funny, but I think taking notes is an act of faith,” Hayley says. “I think it’s just one more signifier to the Spirit … that if you receive revelation, you are intending to write it down somewhere and go back to it later and actually act upon it.”
Hayley believes that physical note-taking is ideal for those who might struggle to focus or feel connected to digital study. She often uses the General Conference Addresses, Journal Edition because its wide-lined margins, durable paper, and spiral binding give her the space she needs to explore ideas. “I can highlight things; I can use [the] side to draw. It’s wonderful,” she says.
Hayley’s Tips
- The best drawing tools are the ones you’ll actually use.
- Your notes are for you, not anybody else.
- Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. It doesn’t matter if your notes aren’t perfect.
- Don’t buy an expensive notebook you’ll feel too intimidated to use.
- Just do it—getting started is the hardest part!
Melissa: Note-taking as Spiritual Exercise
Many years ago, one of Melissa’s close friends left the Church, an experience that tested the strength of Melissa’s own testimony. “Not to say that my testimony completely hinged on this one friend,” she explains, “but I saw people leaving, and [about] certain aspects of those [relationships, I wondered,] ‘Was that real?’”
To refocus and rebuild her testimony “from the ground up,” Melissa began bringing notebooks to church and doodling during sacrament meeting.
“It was this attempt to get me off of Instagram and Amazon during church,” she explains. “My youngest was four years old when I started taking notes, and it was a little bit chaotic. There were some scribbles from her in there. But it really helped me get off the screen and start listening to what resonated with me.”
Melissa’s strategy for choosing what to write down depends on the situation. If she’s in sacrament meeting and not resonating with a talk, she’ll pinpoint the theme and then begin writing her own thoughts. Next, she’ll start scripture-chasing—looking up verses and finding quotes that fill in the gaps.
“Oftentimes, when there’s a talk that I don’t resonate with, usually there are a lot of notes,” she says. “If there’s a talk that I really do resonate with, it boils down to [writing] an invitation and a promise.”
Melissa records her takeaways in calligraphy and adorns them with seasonal doodles, like clovers and flowers in springtime or fonts she’s recently seen. She also often uses clouds to enclose shorter quotes. “I’m constantly pulling from what’s happening around me, what’s inspired me that week,” she says.
Melissa approaches conference talks similarly, looking for invitations and associated promises. Because her style involves quick notes and calligraphy, she looks for notebooks that offer a bit of structure. She particularly enjoys studying in the General Conference Addresses, Journal Edition because the lined margins help her maintain straight lettering without needing a ruler. But she also embraces that it makes room for imperfection. “The paper is nice and thick,” she says, “so if I make a mistake, I can add some white-out and it’ll hold up.”
Melissa’s Tips
- Don’t write everything down word-for-word. Write the feelings.
- Start with a pencil to lower the stakes.
- Use a waterproof pen to preserve your notes for posterity.
- Draw quick visuals to help retain memory of talks or lessons.
- Use a white Gelly Roll pen to cover mistakes.
- Embrace your humanity and your imperfection, and just start.
Make conference notes your own
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