YouTube can be a surprisingly lovely place to find creative inspiration. Beyond the polished tutorials and productivity videos, there is a growing community of Australian YouTubers sharing their real relationships with paper, planning and creativity.
Some create detailed journal spreads. Others explore planners, stationery, illustration or the realities of running a creative business. What connects them is a love of making things by hand and finding meaning in everyday creative rituals.
If you enjoy stationery, journaling, planning or simply watching someone make something beautiful, here are eight Australian YouTubers worth following.
1. Erin Smith
Based in Brisbane, Erin Smith is a creative planning enthusiast, stationery lover and book lover. Her journey began when she discovered bullet journaling in 2017. She quickly became hooked on the freedom to create a planner around her own life.
Today, Erin shares journaling, stationery and reading content on YouTube. Her videos explore bullet journals, monthly setups, weekly planning and the different notebooks she uses for everyday life.
Her approach feels personal rather than prescriptive. A journal does not need to look perfect to be useful. That is part of what makes Erin’s content so enjoyable. You get ideas without feeling that you need to copy her exact style. She also brings books, fountain pens, travel memories and everyday life into her creative practice.
Why follow: Follow Erin if you want practical journaling inspiration with plenty of personality. Her videos are especially lovely for anyone who enjoys decorative planning but still wants their journal to work in real life.
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ErinSmith
2. Planned By Jysla
Jess, the creator behind Planned By Jysla, is a Sydney-based stationery designer and small-business owner. Her journey into creative work began with a love of stickers, planning and journaling.
Her YouTube channel started with studio vlogs in 2019. Since then, it has become a window into life as a creative entrepreneur. You will find studio vlogs, planning content and behind-the-scenes glimpses of running her stationery business. There is also an honest look at the less glamorous side of creative work.
Her philosophy centres on creating a life that feels right rather than following the safest path. Jess talks about productivity, motivation, learning new skills and building a business from scratch. That honesty gives her videos a particularly encouraging quality. You are not simply watching someone make stationery. You are watching someone build a creative life.
Why follow: Follow Planned By Jysla if you enjoy stationery and small-business content. It is also a great channel for anyone considering turning a creative hobby into a career.
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@plannedbyjysla
3. Marcsmellow
Marcela, the creative behind Marcsmellow, is a Sydney-based designer, artist and stationer. Her work grew from a love of journaling, memory keeping and soft vintage aesthetics.
Her YouTube content centres around creative journaling, collage and paper crafts. Expect vintage-inspired pages, ephemera, stickers and journal ideas that make everyday memories feel special.
Marcsmellow’s style is soft, nostalgic and tactile. Paper becomes more than a place to write. It becomes a way to preserve small moments. That philosophy runs through her handmade journals, journaling kits and ephemera too.
Her content is particularly inviting if you are new to collage journaling. She has created beginner-friendly videos designed to help people get started without worrying about rules.
Why follow: Follow Marcsmellow when you want to slow down and play with paper. Her videos are a beautiful reminder that journaling can be about collecting memories rather than documenting everything perfectly.
Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@marcsmellow
4. Abracadeborah
Deborah is a Sydney-based illustrator and creative business owner. Her work moves between digital illustration, traditional mediums, fantasy and storytelling. She started her fantasy-inspired Honey Mustard Club in 2020. She later opened AbracaDeborah as a second shop focused on original art and fan art.
In late 2023, she began documenting her journey as an artist and small-business owner on YouTube. More recently, her videos have followed her experiences selling art at markets.
Her videos offer something slightly different from traditional journaling channels. You might find an art journal project, a drawing session, a creative challenge or a behind-the-scenes look at preparing for a market.
Her latest content also explores field journaling and drawing from observation. The result is a channel that feels like a creative diary. You see both the finished work and everything that happens around it.
Why follow: Follow Abracadeborah if you love illustration, fantasy and creative entrepreneurship. Her channel is a lovely reminder that creativity can be a career, a business and an ongoing experiment.
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@_abracadeborah
5. May Paper Co.
May Paper Co. is an independent planner studio based in Adelaide. The brand specialises in refillable planners and stationery for people who still prefer paper.
Its philosophy is simple: your planner should adapt to your life. That idea also makes its content particularly useful for anyone trying to find a planning system that actually works.
May Paper Co. explores planners, inserts, organisation and analogue habits. Its broader content also covers travel journaling, routines, hobbies and ways to make planning feel less overwhelming.
There is a strong balance between function and aesthetics. Pages need to look good, but they also need to earn their place in your planner. Rather than presenting planning as another productivity challenge, the brand treats paper as a tool for creating a more intentional everyday life.
Why follow: Follow May Paper Co. if you love functional stationery and flexible planning systems. It is especially useful if you are still searching for a planner setup that fits your life.
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@maypaperco
6. Lined Musings
Lined Musings is a wonderful channel to explore if you love Hobonichi, Traveler’s Notebook and analogue planning.
The channel is known for calm planner content, including weekly setups, planner updates and notebook-related videos. It has also featured mid-year updates involving Hobonichi, Traveler’s Company and Plotter systems.
There is something wonderfully unhurried about this style of content. Instead of rushing through a tutorial, the videos give you time to look at how another person actually uses their planner. The focus is less on creating the most elaborate spread and more on finding a system that supports everyday life.
Lined Musings is also frequently recommended within planner communities for its relaxed presentation and soothing voice.
Why follow: Follow Lined Musings when you want quiet inspiration. It is perfect for those evenings when you want to watch someone plan, organise and create without feeling rushed.
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@linedmusings
7. Hungrygalstudios
If planner systems are your thing, Hungrygalstudios is one to add to your watch list. The channel has a strong focus on ring planners, Filofax, Traveler’s Notebook and other analogue planning systems. Recent videos have covered pocket-ring setups, Filofax organisers and mid-year planner changes.
What makes the channel interesting is the exploration of different systems. Instead of treating one planner as the answer, the content shows how different formats can work for different needs.
You will find setup videos, unboxings, comparisons and planner updates. These videos can be particularly useful when you are considering moving into a new planner system. There is also plenty of inspiration for people who enjoy personalising their planners with inserts, covers and accessories.
Why follow: Follow Hungrygalstudios if you enjoy exploring planner systems. It is a great source of ideas when you are curious about rings, Filofax and Traveler’s Notebook setups.
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Hungrygalstudios
8. Kiran Baclay
Kiran Baclay is a Melbourne-based creative whose work spans illustration, stationery and textiles. Her shop includes cute stickers, journal ephemera and handmade textile pieces.
Her creative practice is rooted in making and documenting. Kiran has spoken about using journaling to document her creative journey while also capturing footage for YouTube. Her work also embraces the idea of finding beauty in imperfections.
Her approach is especially interesting because it connects creativity with everyday life. In an interview about her creative journey, she described discovering wabi-sabi through a pottery experience and learning to appreciate flaws rather than hide them. That perspective feels particularly relevant to journaling. A page does not have to be perfect to be meaningful.
Why follow: Follow Kiran if you love cute stationery, illustration and creative journaling. Her work is a gentle invitation to experiment, make things and embrace the imperfect parts of the process.
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@kiranbaclay
Why follow Australian creative YouTubers?
There is something special about following creators who live and create in Australia.
The seasons are different. The light is different. The markets, small-business landscape and everyday references feel familiar. More importantly, these creators show that there is no single way to be creative.
You can use a bullet journal to organise your life. You can fill a Traveler’s Notebook with memories. You can build collages from scraps of paper. You can turn illustration into a business. Or you can simply sit down with a notebook and make something because it feels good.
That might be the best reason to follow them. Not to create the perfect spread. Not to buy every new notebook. Just to find a little inspiration to make something of your own.
Save these creators for your next creative rabbit hole
From planning systems to collage journaling, illustration and stationery businesses, these eight Australian creators offer plenty of inspiration. So grab your favourite notebook, make a cup of tea and settle in. Your next creative idea might be only one video away.
