Interview - Haley O'Brien - Journautical

Haley O'Brien - Journautical As part of my assignment for my Diploma in creativity, I set out to interview a number of people flourishing on Instagram. The assignment focused on the impact Instagram had had on society. If you want to see more interviews check here!

Clean lines, minimalism and a gorgeous feed! What more could we have asked for when we interviewed Haley from Journautical for the assignment?

WHEN DID YOUR JOURNEY START?

I began bullet journaling in September of 2017 and created my Instagram account at the end of October 2017.

How did you get into this niche?

When I started learning about bullet journaling, I began following a lot of bullet journal accounts on my personal Instagram. I saw how kind and friendly the community was, and I wanted to be involved, so I created my own account. My account grew far more quickly than I ever would have expected! I hit 20,000 followers 3 months after starting the account. I didn’t know that my growth was so abnormal; while I was excited for the number, it was never my focus. I am just genuinely grateful to have reached so many people and made so many friends who share a similar passion.

DO YOU HAVE A DAY JOB?

I am a UX (User Experience) Designer. I studied Graphic Design in college, and have always been artistic, so bullet journaling fit in well with my interests and talents. I see bullet journaling as solving a design problem—I am extremely deliberate in creating a layout that is functional and presents the information in a logical way. It’s also similar to UX Design, because both focus on iterating on designs to make them more functional.

WHAT WAS YOUR DEFINING MOMENT? AND WHATS NEXT FOR YOU?

Reaching 10,000 followers was a really celebrated moment for me, especially because it came so quickly. However, I never had a follower goal or even considered one. Having an organic following that grew so quickly, and never feeling like there was an “I’ve made it” point, I think kept me from falling into the bad habit of caring about the number of followers or likes on a post. I’m now developing more of the “business” side and creating content to inspire and support the community.

DO YOU HAVE A GOOD SUPPORT NETWORK

I’ve been fortunate that my family and friends have all been really supportive.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PRODUCT OR TIP?

As a self-claimed perfectionist, it took me a long time to start bullet journaling because I was worried everything had to be perfect, and I didn’t want to make a mistake. As I began bullet journaling, the I realized how individualized and unique it is for everyone (which of course, is why it’s so popular). Because of this, it does take a little time to find your stride in creating layouts that work best for you. Try to let go of the mistakes and embrace the process; it will make you appreciate your bullet journal system much more.