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I gave up social media for Lent and got annoyed whenever I had to reactivate the first few weeks because I wanted to copy out a recipe, the name of a painting I forgot, a book a friend had suggested, etc. When I was on the bus a few weeks later, I reread Elisa Gabbert’s essay “Notes on Keeping a Notebook,” which outlines her own experiences with a commonplace book / the utility and beauty of writing down small details. I started using a little goatskin-bound one I bought online a few years ago and haven’t looked back since. I never leave the house without it and spend more time leafing through that than checking for texts when I’m out & about now.
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Ive tried journalling and keeping a diary. it never worked for me and it doesnt for a lot of people. it was probably cause i always felt like it needed to have an aesthetic or look like the ones on pinterest.
But there arent any real expectations for a commonplace notebook. anything that comes to my mind, or i see something that i think is cool, i just write/draw/paste it into my notebook.
1d ago
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I do not have it together enough to do the regimented bullet journal thing nor am I equipped with a workshop of washi tape colors and stationary stickers for those beautiful journals that are more like scrapbooks than notes. What I am capable of is word vomiting directly into a random and unattractive notebook every passing thought, borrowed scrap of inspiration, or theoretical weekly exercise routine I am experimenting with. I think this lowbrow mess is the most rewarding type of journaling beyond doing it for an actual therapeutic purpose. When a bunch of librarians I work with told me this genre of journal has a name and a history going back to the Renaissance I was delighted. My common place books are ugly and valid!!
Apr 1, 2024
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It's basically just an analog notes app, but it's something separate from your phone that allows for a little more disconnection from technology. Plus, it's tangible. So you can have a visual representation of the amount of thoughts or ideas that you've had over time. You'll have a collection of mini books that you can go back through and see where your mind has been. I'm about to finish my third little guy, and it's fun to have a collection of pages that represents my ingenuity and reminds me of memories I've forgotten. Sometimes I make myself laugh when I go back through or I contemplate something I said or I disagree with a comment I made a while back, or I feel inspired to rehash something I'd written.
Today I went back through and found a drawing I don't remember doing. I found a short grocery list from who knows when. I found a bunch of ideas I want to go back to. I found these comments too: "A vape is sitting on the subway seat next to me. Should I hit it and see what happens?" and "I'm on the six early in the morning and just watched a homeless man light another homeless man's crack pipe. Sharing is caring."
Mar 7, 2024
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I’m so rabbitpilled.
Feb 22, 2024
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you’re free, but at what cost?
Mar 8, 2024
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I love Sufjan Stevens, Tori Amos, Mitski, the Carpenters, etc. a lot, but for about a week and a half a month, I’ll only listen to classical music. It’s like an acid peel for the soul, and I always feel refreshed afterwards. You have to be really making an effort to classicalmaxx as well & trade up your standard compilation choices for Lawes, Saariaho, Dutilleux, Lutyens, Gesualdo, etc.
Feb 27, 2024