In a Notebook – Life Between Pages
On carrying pockets of inspiration
Like many list lovers & neat-freaks out there, I pretty much depend on my moleskine. (Depending on the year, I might switch it up and get a different agenda or maybe just a plain little notebook!) But it is basically what my mind would look like if it were organized onto paper: a collection of internal monologues, quotes, songs, pictures, doodles, reminders…anything that goes through my little electric mind goes straight in there.
I used to write journals when I was younger, but would find myself cringing at the words years later; change in a person is especially evident through their writing, and in some ways I wanted to leave certain things that were a part of me in the past and just evolve without looking back. So taking advantage of the technology era I’ve been born in, I resorted to livejournal and online blogs. Which are per-fect, because you can put your thoughts down and be sure that any persona non grata stays away. All the neon font colors and blinking links seemed much more appealing when writing down my literal thoughts through a screen than actual paper. But not completely.
The computer became a part of me but I could not take it everywhere, and so I have always had notebooks lying around and in my bags (did I mention my stationery obsession?!) to scribble thoughts down so they do not escape me as quickly as they came to me. My preference for moleskines is based on the fact that they are so simple and plain, meaning I can use my colors freely without them clashing with certain patterns or colors of any regular agenda. I guess I should mention that I color code everything!
These little pockets of inspiration, to me, are highly personal, even if they are not literal accounts of events in my life. And most of the time they are not; these thoughts tend to take the shape of lyrics in a song I liked, an event time written down, to-do lists…
On Keeping a Notebook – Joan Didion
“That woman Estelle,” the note reads, “is partly the reason why George Sharp and I are separated
today.”
I recommend reading this short essay for inspiration, I never get tired of re-reading it!
[...] Collect your favorite pieces of writing in a notebook. [...]
I cannot wait to get my Moleskine. I can just imagine the time I’ll spend using it. Ah, I’m so excited. I’m going to bookmark this essay to read a bit later. :)
I got my moleskine agenda and it is basically an extension of my body haha! Definitely read the essay, it isn’t too long but it is quite inspiring :)
Wow, you sound like the ideal list writer I strive to be! I love lists too, especially color coding, you should see my stuff for school. I just can’t keep one notebook though, I have like 5 I use at the same time. I always loose them, then refind them a week later. I’ll be checking out that essay too.