I have a couple of Moleskine’s Japanese Albums, but I’ve never actually used one. The elongated spread of pages always seems daunting to me, but I love to see the way other artists take advantage of this format. American illustrator Chris Russell is one of the best I’ve seen. Large narrative paintings by seventeenth century … Continue reading Chris Russell’s Humanity Notebooks
This week’s addict shared these photos of her journals: Wow. I love all the intense patterns and color, which I think looks even better because of the standard shape and size of all the journals. Jacqueline is using a Dyan Reaveley Creative Dyalog standard TN cover that she painted, and made her own inserts featuring … Continue reading Notebook Addict of the Week: Jacqueline
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
Ok, maybe it seems a little crazy but this is a serious question: should we be thinking about disinfecting notebooks during this Coronavirus pandemic? (The same question would apply to pens.) Imagine you are sitting in a cafe, writing in your notebook. You set it on the tabletop. What if the person sitting there before … Continue reading Disinfecting Notebooks
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
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