Artist, writer and globe-trotter Tamara Moan loves to chronicle her travels. But take a look at her journals and you'll be surprised: Drawings, maps and watercolors fill the pages alongside writing. The diverse approach to journaling is Moan's way of documenting not just where she's been, but marking her experiences as well.

Moan is sharing her approach in a one-day, five-hour workshop at the Academy Art Center, titled “;Recording Your Journey,”; which utilizes traditional and nontraditional means to compose a travel journal, whether that journey has been across the globe or across an emotional landscape.

“;We do a bunch of different exercises, half image-oriented, half writing-oriented, about memory and perception, paying attention to detail. ... We pull in all the senses,”; she says.

One method Moan has used is creating an experiential map, comprising verbal and visual notations of how one experienced a space.

“;It relates like a real map; it traces where you walked—where you sat at a corner or stopped by a tree, and the birds and bugs you saw there,”; says Moan. “;The point of the journal is to record for yourself rather than for posterity.”;

Moan says she believes her class is especially beneficial in this age of quickie electronic communication, a la text messaging and Twitter.

“;These days, people spend a lot less time thoughtfully putting something down on paper. It's short, in the moment, stream-of-thought-type communication. This class synthesizes (thoughts and experiences). It slows people down enough for them to record ... in a reflective and cohesive manner.”;