Author: Jodie

When a small idea sprouts from an activity you love and really changes your life, it’s amazing how fast things can change.

Illustrare began as a bit of a different idea initially – a small side project within an already established business. It was laughed at and not taken seriously by other people involved at the time, so it got shelved.

Then 2 friends who worked together got talking about it privately and discussed how one of them had kept journals for years… “Why don’t we try it ourselves?”

Illustrare was born as a concept.

It’s grown a lot since then, and the idea developed further than we could’ve imagined when we made that decision. And we’ve grown along with it.

We’re so proud of how we’ve developed ourselves and this business; we’ve learned new skills and developed existing ones, we’ve made something real, and we’ve shrugged off the haters.

Now as it approaches Christmas, we’re filled with hope and ambition to have a good time with Illustrare and see where the journey takes us.

Don’t let anyone ever make you doubt yourself or your dreams.

Here’s an easy guide for making a dopamine menu, feel free to follow along and give it a try yourself; we’ve included some suggestions and examples for you to use!

What is a dopamine menu?

It’s a set of “courses” that are filled with options of activities that produce dopamine for you. You have your appetiser/starter, main/entrée, sides and dessert courses; plus there’s also a specials board for those activities that require a little something extra.

The reason for making a dopamine menu is that it’s good for busy brains to have an easy reference point that can be accessed for dopamine fixes – whether they are in need of a quick one, or a longer one. It can be hard to consider activities that are beneficial to your mental health, when you’re in the midst of being stressed or overworked. Scientific studies are also starting to show that creating and using a dopamine menu is a particularly effective technique for people who have ADHD.

Let’s define what each course is about:

Appetiser/starter – these are quick activities that take very little preparation and don’t keep you busy. They aren’t there to distract, only to provide a quick burst of dopamine.

Main/Entrée – longer activities that give a greater mood boost and usually take longer to do. Just like the main course of a meal, they should provide long-lasting satisfaction.

Sides – do these alongside another task that’s boring or uninteresting, so they boost your mood instead of letting it drop.

Dessert – don’t partake in these all the time! Again, these are a type of quick fix, but like real desserts, aren’t good for you if the only thing you eat.

Specials – these activities are designed to be a bit more unique and take some additional preparation, can be a bit more expensive or might even be a bucket list item. We like to create a separate menu for these activities – just like you’d usually find in a restaurant!

Remember, you don’t have to eat the courses in order and that sometimes, it can be better to just have a side for a quick, but effective dopamine fix! There are no set rules for using a dopamine menu.

So how do you put a dopamine menu together?

Firstly, brainstorm activities that give you a mood boost without causing regret, and then break those down into which suits each course. Pick options that are realistic and manageable for yourself, rather than what you think would be good by social measures.

Secondly, pick how you want to display these in an easy-to-access manner. We’re going to use one of our limited edition journals for our menu and make it into a double page spread, but you can do a digital version, or you could make a single page ‘menu style’ that can be put on the fridge, on the wall, in your car etc. Maybe it’s your style to use sticky notes – just make it something that’s good for your own use!

Thirdly, make the items you need for your activity accessible. Don’t let barriers get in the way of starting, as it can be easy to be put off. Some examples include, placing a book on the coffee table ready to go or having the correct TV channel ready for the morning by changing it the night before. Think of it as preparing your ingredients.

Finally, get some barriers in place to stop overindulgence in unhealthy activities, such as doing lots of options from the desserts’ menu. You could try putting timers on your phone to limit social media usage, or make yourself complete a chore before having a snack.

The most important factors are making your dopamine menu fun AND useful – so enjoy the process of making it and take the time to make it uniquely yours. Playing around with some fun marketing is a good way to achieve this!

Are you wondering what to buy for those special people in your life? Let us give you some ideas!

We’re going to be a bit cheeky here and suggest our very own journals! Our “Love Game” and “The Depths” journals would make perfect presents for anyone who loves to journal in any form, or simply for just writing. They use high quality 200gsm white recycled paper, so any medium can be used without fears of the paper deteriorating or bleeding through. You can use them guilt-free as they’re eco-friendly! They’re also limited edition with bespoke covers made by us – what more can you ask for?

Let them know that you really care with a quality and loving present.

Did we say we also offer bookmarks and prints?

So, what else could you do? Why not write a special message in the journal or fill out it with special messages and pages? If that’s a gift that you know would make someone feel truly special, then it’s worth seeing what you can do!

You could also give the gift of stationary in the form of:

– Stickers

– Pencils – sketching, coloured, watercolour, charcoal – endless possibilities

– Fountain pen and inks

– Coloured inks and stamps (provide image)

– Memo papers (provide image)

– Washi tape

A really nice idea is to coordinate presents with other people to provide a full “kit” for anyone that loves to write, read, journal or be an artist. That way the receiver gets a fresh journal to start with, pens and pencils to write with and other bits and pieces to explore how they want to journal. On the other hand, if you know how your person likes to use their journals, you can give them items that match that. For example, if you know they like to create monthly themes, you might give them a collection of memo papers that allows them to make a number of matching themes.

Why not read some of our other blogs about what a journal can be used for and why it might make a great present! May we suggest a junk journal or a scrapbook?

We can hear you asking: what is a junk journal?

Typically, it’s a type of journal or something similar to a scrapbook that you can collect recycled and found materials in to make artsy spreads that suit your style. They’re a great way to collect memories for places you’ve been, things you’ve experienced, or even food and drink that you’ve had.

The style will naturally vary from person to person, but that’s the beauty of it, and it makes it extra fun when showing junk spreads to each other – since every page will be unique! Some people keep them as a way of collecting a little bit of everything they do in one place, some people keep them purely as a way of doing their bit to help the planet by recycling, and some just use it purely as a creative outlet.

Junk journals can be made in a number of ways:

– Themed pages for a place you’ve visited

– Colour matched content

– One-page spreads dedicated to a restaurant or café

– As inspiration for future plans

– As an art journal

We like to use our journal as a way of keeping memories, but we also like the idea of combining this approach with making a journal into a gift for a close friend – perhaps as a memento of times we’ve spent together. Of course, you can use it as an everyday journal for writing or even as a planner – there’s nothing wrong with using your junk journal pages as a backdrop.

Some people like to make their own journal from scratch using a variety of methods: sewn book bound, ring bound or adhesive bound. We’re using our own Illustrare journal for ours, you can see an example below.

So what’s next? Collect some materials from anywhere, grab a glue stick and get going! Remember, you don’t need to have a theme, it’s entirely optional!

Here are some ideas on what you can collect:

– Receipts

– Travel tickets, such as train or bus

– Stickers and packaging from food and drink

– Newspaper and magazine clippings

– Old books and postcards

– Glue and washi tape

– Scissors – if you don’t want to tear things for that casual look

See how you go with your new junk journal and let us know via our socials! We’d love to see what everyone makes!

What can you do RIGHT NOW to make 2025 your year?

Try making some simple changes to your life before 2024 ends in order to have a great start to 2025; have a look at our quick tips below for some ideas!

– Create space for yourself by decluttering one unnecessary item a day

– Block off time in January for yourself – do it today

– Write down 3 lessons you learned in 2024

– Decide on your word of the year and the energy you want to put out into the universe

– Write down 3 things you’re proud of from this year

– Take a step towards achieving your dream – it can be big or small

– Take one mental health day to decompress before the end of the year

Why not journal about each step you take?

You can make the tip about creating space into a habit tracker, try an entire page dedicated to your dream and the moves you’re making to achieve it, or you could make a mind map for your word of the year!