I loved this post from the “Writing at Large” blog, about tracking goals and resolutions in a notebook. The dense lists and checked-off boxes are very satisfying. My “resolutions†are, however, S.M.A.R.T. goals: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound. I manage them using the least used notebook that I had lying around (a Baron Fig Confidant), … Continue reading Tracking Yearly Goals in a Notebook
Dan Currie is a stand-up comedian based in Lansing, MI. One of his favorite things is his notebook: My favorite thing is a notebook I acquired back in 2014. Over a four-year span, I’ve had it at hundreds of shows. My friend and fellow comedian Carl Johnson booked me and a group of other comics … Continue reading Dan Currie’s Comedy Notebook
I cam across this week’s addict in the r/notebooks community on Reddit. What a lovely and well-organized desk corner, with easy access to a LOT of notebooks! From Migo984’s comments: I’ve been looking for a way to store my “in-use†and new notebooks and journals whilst keeping them to hand on my desk. Recently I … Continue reading Notebook Addict of the Week: Migo984
I lived in Brooklyn for years, but never went to Gage and Tollner, an old-fashioned steakhouse that was an institution there for over 100 years until it closed in 2004. They’re working on reopening soon, and in the process, came across some amazing artifacts. From an article in the New York Times: For an individual, … Continue reading Gage & Tollner Notebooks from the 1960s and 1970s
This is quite fascinating! Sixty-two years ago in the western city of Pori, a mysterious sealed envelope from a wealthy banker named Rafael Mellin was handed over to the local association Pori Seura. The group was established in 1901 and promotes the city’s culture and historical preservation but also is active in local environmental and social issues. Two … Continue reading Century-Old Secrets in a Finnish Banker’s Notebook
A gallery in Long Beach, CA has an exhibition of sketchbooks, on view until March 20, 2020: The personal sketchbooks of more than 20 local artists will be on display at Flatline gallery, Saturday night. Unique to each artist, sketchbooks tend to be full of observational studies and jotted-down ideas; they’re candid representations of an … Continue reading The Sketchbook Show
A fascinating article from the BBC about Japan’s traditions around the use of paper. Towards the end, there is a mention of the popularity of using planners such as the Hobonichi Techo: There are also still strong advocates for paper’s analogue charm in a world that is becoming increasingly digital. Japan’s so-called “techo culture†celebrates … Continue reading Japan’s Obsession with Paper
I recently came across a mention of notebooks used by Beethoven: Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) is recognized the world over as a composer of musical masterpieces exhibiting heroic strength, particularly in the face of his increasing deafness from ca. 1798. By 1818, the Viennese composer had begun carrying blank booklets with him, for his acquaintances … Continue reading Beethoven’s Conversation Books
The February 29th New York Times has a piece by Tess Taylor, talking about her pilgrimage to California, to visit as many places photographed by Dorothea Lange as she can. She also read Lange’s pocket notebooks, now archived at the Oakland Museum of California. Ms. Lange, best known for her Depression-era photographs of migrant laborers, … Continue reading Dorothea Lange’s Notebooks
Here’s another story found via a reader tip. (Thanks Nicholas!) In a new book called Facebook: The Inside Story, author Steven Levy talks about Mark Zuckerberg’s notebooks, and it turns out that Levy even has some pages from one of the early notebooks. Zuckerberg has supposedly destroyed the rest. THE YEAR IÂ first met Zuckerberg, he … Continue reading Mark Zuckerberg’s Notebooks