I'm so impressed!!!!!! I love how you use yours for EVERYTHING. The element of art (sketches and collages) are especially cool.
I've been keeping a joint notebook with two friends since 2016. Each of us has a journal at any given time, and then about 4 times a year, we mail to the next person. That way, it feels both like journaling, but also like writing a letter to a friend. It's "journaling for an audience," if you will. I like to call it Sisterhood of the Traveling Journals :)
The journals began when we were 22. We documented the most turbulent time of our lives! First jobs, losing jobs, relationships, engagements & marriages, moving states, moving countries, making friends, losing friends, having a child, etc. I feel I know them on their deepest level, and they know me.
And you're so right about sometimes not liking the person you see on the page, or reading back on an old entry and not recognizing that part of you anymore. It's fascinating and I wouldn't trade it for the world!
I don’t know why I have never thought to put everything in one notebook! As a huge supporter of the one pile method for any papers/documents I need to archive, the one notebook method speaks loads to me. Time is the best organizer. Thanks!
It takes a bit of organization work, but I love it. The index is key. I get to see everything I was up to and thinking about at a certain time all in one place. Thanks for reading!
I have started to keep a commonplace notebook (which sounds very similar to what you do) again after doing one from late high school to early college. I find what you said about looking back at your old self so accurate. It’s so hard and cringeworthy to go back but at the same time, I appreciate that person and so glad I have it.
Loved loved loved this! I have never kept a journal (but love the idea !) but I had many notebooks that became everything in one place. Except I never saw them as record keeping so there was no index or anything. I wish I was more organised now looking back. Oh well.
The photos here are just basic desktop printer on copy paper. They might not last, honestly. I did just start using a portable Kodak printer to print from my phone, though—so far, so good.
last year, i searched for all my old journals in my parents' bedroom and me and my sisters' old bedroom, and the earliest journal is from 2013 (when I was 13yo). i numbered all notebooks and apparently, I have 86 of them now!
I have notebooks since I started art school in my 18's. Yes it's amazing to see how with time they 've evolved to less and less collage and sketches and more diary braindump. Life happens I guess.
But you know what? I've started again thanks to Substack and posts like yours who totally revived my creativity. So THANK YOU for sharing this to the world. It's so precious.
2 great takeaways for me in your post : notebooks are a tool for processing and a weapon against perfectionism 👌
Thanks Emily! I’m so happy to have been a little nudge. If it makes you feel any better, right now my notebooks are also mainly brain dumps and messy diary entries.
Less collage and drawing during this winter now with two kids! But the great thing is that a notebook can be whatever you need it to be 📓
Love the level of organization. I just got a paper republic portfolio so I can grab one book but keep all my little preferred notebooks separate (personal journal/brain dump, sketching, and lists). Inspired by the notes on what you’re reading/watching. Did a digital collage today but missing my old collage practice. A good kick to start up again! Thanks for sharing.
Do you have a printer? How do you get the little book cover image alongside your notes and your photographs? What’s your favourite source for collage?
I just used a basic desktop printer, nothing special.
I love using old LIFE magazines or National Geographic’s—the vintage ads are my favorite! And right now I’m using this drawing reference book, filled with models posing, a lot.
Our notebooks are similar! I've been doing morning pages for decades, but over the last 10 years my bujo/planner/commonplace book/junk/art/writing all gelled together into one book that goes everywhere with me - I feel lost without it! Morning pages still stay separate. It's fun to be able to flip through my external hard drive years later and remember exactly what was going on when I made those pages.
I enjoyed this post so much. As a seasoned journaler myself going through a moment of lack of inspiration to journal, this motivated incredibly to restart. Thank you!
I'm so impressed!!!!!! I love how you use yours for EVERYTHING. The element of art (sketches and collages) are especially cool.
I've been keeping a joint notebook with two friends since 2016. Each of us has a journal at any given time, and then about 4 times a year, we mail to the next person. That way, it feels both like journaling, but also like writing a letter to a friend. It's "journaling for an audience," if you will. I like to call it Sisterhood of the Traveling Journals :)
The journals began when we were 22. We documented the most turbulent time of our lives! First jobs, losing jobs, relationships, engagements & marriages, moving states, moving countries, making friends, losing friends, having a child, etc. I feel I know them on their deepest level, and they know me.
And you're so right about sometimes not liking the person you see on the page, or reading back on an old entry and not recognizing that part of you anymore. It's fascinating and I wouldn't trade it for the world!
Paige, I ADORE this. Please tell me you have plans to scan and/or archive these books!
Now I do!! 😅
I don’t know why I have never thought to put everything in one notebook! As a huge supporter of the one pile method for any papers/documents I need to archive, the one notebook method speaks loads to me. Time is the best organizer. Thanks!
It takes a bit of organization work, but I love it. The index is key. I get to see everything I was up to and thinking about at a certain time all in one place. Thanks for reading!
I have started to keep a commonplace notebook (which sounds very similar to what you do) again after doing one from late high school to early college. I find what you said about looking back at your old self so accurate. It’s so hard and cringeworthy to go back but at the same time, I appreciate that person and so glad I have it.
Loved loved loved this! I have never kept a journal (but love the idea !) but I had many notebooks that became everything in one place. Except I never saw them as record keeping so there was no index or anything. I wish I was more organised now looking back. Oh well.
This is so helpful in thinking of how to evolve my journaling practice. Thank you!
Any favorite tools you use? like a specific printer for the photos for it or anything?
The photos here are just basic desktop printer on copy paper. They might not last, honestly. I did just start using a portable Kodak printer to print from my phone, though—so far, so good.
Yours looks like mine, and after reading this, I’m really glad it does… this was awesome, Nathaniel !
Thanks Ryan!
last year, i searched for all my old journals in my parents' bedroom and me and my sisters' old bedroom, and the earliest journal is from 2013 (when I was 13yo). i numbered all notebooks and apparently, I have 86 of them now!
This is so good! Accepting my imperfections is exactly what I need, with a nonrestrictive notebook and mindset. Thanks for writing this
this is rad as hell dude
Looks like we have a similar method. I also don’t like calling my notebook a “bullet journal” but I certainly do use many of Ryder Carroll’s methods: https://open.substack.com/pub/areasonabledoubt/p/my-year-on-paper-2024?r=4zwti&utm_medium=ios
I have notebooks since I started art school in my 18's. Yes it's amazing to see how with time they 've evolved to less and less collage and sketches and more diary braindump. Life happens I guess.
But you know what? I've started again thanks to Substack and posts like yours who totally revived my creativity. So THANK YOU for sharing this to the world. It's so precious.
2 great takeaways for me in your post : notebooks are a tool for processing and a weapon against perfectionism 👌
Thanks Emily! I’m so happy to have been a little nudge. If it makes you feel any better, right now my notebooks are also mainly brain dumps and messy diary entries.
Less collage and drawing during this winter now with two kids! But the great thing is that a notebook can be whatever you need it to be 📓
I'm curious, what system do you use to print photos from your phone? I've been wanting to do that too
In the past I just printed from a crappy desktop printer. But I did just buy a portable Kodak printer that I’ve started using in my notebook
Love the level of organization. I just got a paper republic portfolio so I can grab one book but keep all my little preferred notebooks separate (personal journal/brain dump, sketching, and lists). Inspired by the notes on what you’re reading/watching. Did a digital collage today but missing my old collage practice. A good kick to start up again! Thanks for sharing.
Do you have a printer? How do you get the little book cover image alongside your notes and your photographs? What’s your favourite source for collage?
I just used a basic desktop printer, nothing special.
I love using old LIFE magazines or National Geographic’s—the vintage ads are my favorite! And right now I’m using this drawing reference book, filled with models posing, a lot.
Our notebooks are similar! I've been doing morning pages for decades, but over the last 10 years my bujo/planner/commonplace book/junk/art/writing all gelled together into one book that goes everywhere with me - I feel lost without it! Morning pages still stay separate. It's fun to be able to flip through my external hard drive years later and remember exactly what was going on when I made those pages.
Yes—I love revisiting my notebooks!
I enjoyed this post so much. As a seasoned journaler myself going through a moment of lack of inspiration to journal, this motivated incredibly to restart. Thank you!
Thanks Gabi! I go through those moments too. Right now, I'm lucky to scribble a half-finished thought!
I loved reading this post! I am also a fan of the "one journal to do it all" method, which really works for me.