I have a gazillion notebooks. I keep them all in a huge basket under my desk. Part journal, part sketchbook, part ideas, part planning, part notes from classes and books, part interesting-things-I-overheard, they go back some ten years and are in no thematic or chronological order. Whenever I need a notebook, I dip my hand into the basket and grab one. So long as there’s a free page, it’s useable. And so, if you were to flip through the pages, you might find notes from an instagram webinar I did eight years ago (delightfully out of date now) alongside a “List of Stuff to Add to TinTin” - TinTin being our tiny Airstream trailer - that I jotted down just a month ago.
I used to think my lack of order was a problem but now this is one of my favorite aspects of these books. My jumbled up, continually circling around, chaotic at times notes are some of my most precious works, because they’re just so me. When I read them, I realize for one, that I’ve been writing about the same topics FOREVER! I’m continually re-visiting my creativity: How do I share it? How do I make money from it? What exactly is it? Second, I grasp how bloody hard I’ve worked at this creativity thing and how many classes I’ve taken, books read, notes written about it and dreams forged. My wild creative life is in the pages of these notebooks.
I’m in London now and as usual when I travel, I brought a notebook with me. This one I must have started (I don’t date anything) around eight years ago (I can tell from the address in the front) and it begins with the word “Rockstar” and currently ends with “Own Your Smallness” - both notes from either books I was reading or courses I was taking at the time. From rockstar to smallness is quite a de-growth transition! Yesterday, I opened up the notebook to write but no words came, so instead I flipped through the pages speed-reading my eight years of ramblings and without thinking too much, I picked out twelve phrases that stood out to me. I didn’t aim for twelve, that’s just how many I happened to highlight.
Here they are:
Stop thinking, start doing
Become more of yourself
Protect what matters
S/hero your art
Learn to be, not just do
Don’t overwork it
Have a strong opinion
Bring in your tools
Have boundaries
Be kind to yourself
Stay on your own side
Tell your own story
Gosh, they read like chapters of my own personal self-help book! There are so many ways I could use these snippets of advice to myself. Since there happen to be twelve, I could spend a year dedicating a month of thinking or writing to each topic, or use them as starting points for art. I could use the list as a springboard for writing a mission statement, or make oracle cards for myself, or create illustrations for each, or make a poster for my studio wall (definitely doing that!) All this from my chaotic notebooks! Who knew my scribbles might actually offer guidance?
Creatives often look to videos, books, exhibitions, other artists’ work for inspiration, but if you’re what is often termed “a mid-career” maker/artist/crafter, that’s to say, you have a few years of experience behind you, then mining your own work for inspiration and guidance can be a useful exercise. If nothing else, it helps you reflect on your own Rockstar qualities and how you’ve made it this far.
Give it a go! And if you do, let me know what your list looks like.
Be kind to yourself, Rockstars!
Until next time.
JC
RESOURCES
If you’re in London there’s a great little exhibition of artists’ books at the British Museum that runs until 17 September:
https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/artists-making-books-poetry-politics
Another London resource, a visit to London Centre for Book Arts is a must (you can shop online too)
I came across this wonderful vintage stationery shop yesterday. You can pick up a vintage notebook online or in the shop:
It would be interesting to read journals that were all written during the pandemic.
My journals are full of ....everything: current events, politics, doodles, photos, photography notes, lol Mine are meticulously dated so it's strange to go back to see what my mental state and work flow was like during the noted time.
I date everything in my notebooks, reassuring that I'm not the only one who has lots of them 'on the go' little ones, smart ones, scruffy ones. I don't belive that you just pick one at random tho 😂 I do have one dedicated to knitting notes, in an effort to keep them all together. Also love a scrap of paper, often literally the back of an envelope, mainly for to do lists.