This week’s Notebook Addict has been intensively documenting his life in daily journals, kept over many years. The photo below shows 5 years’ worth of notebooks, from 1985 to 1990. I love how beat-up they are, totally covered with writing and doodles.
Here’s 15 more journals covering 1994-2005:
Here’s what Sean has to say about his notebooks and journaling habit:
For the past 25 years, since I was 11 years old, I’ve been writing a daily (more or less) journal. I’ve just completed my 43rd volume in a series that has captured more than two thirds of my life. This collection of my daily activites, hopes and dreams, thoughts and opinions, prayers and meditations, short stories and sermon notes, to-do schedules and grocery lists is probablly the most valuable physical possession I own. Money can’t buy it and it is literally irreplacable. These tattered notebooks are so valuable to me that when we moved to and from and Saipan, I hand-carried all forty-something volumes rather than risk losing them with my suitcase or in the mail.
He’s now continuing his journal online in a blog. Read more at Here in America: A Life in Words and Pictures.
I love how used journals look. It’s weird, but whenever I open a new journal I initially don’t want to “ruin” it, but once it’s filled up I love how beat up it looks. lol
Victoria
Yes, exactly. These are so beautifully lived-in. I’d be curious as to how others break-in a new notebook–I’ve read about people just scribbling up the first page to break the spell. Sometimes I’ll carry a new one around in my bag for a month before actually using it, just so it gets beat up a bit and becomes less intimidating. These are really inspiring!
I’m pretty sure this is my favorite page on the blog right now:)