Tuesday, December 05, 2006

shared thoughts.

Ok, so I've been messing around in Photoshop. Don't ask me why except for that I took a picture of myself with my new journal. And I don't know why I did that either, but hey...I felt inspired.

It was a busy (but fun) day. It's been a day OFF...and even better: a day off WITH a car. Ah, sweet heaven. Usually V. needs the car for work but, because I have been unwilling to bike my sorry ass around in this cold weather, I opted to get up at the crack of dawn and give him a ride all the way across the city just so I could have transportation for the rest of the day. It was worth it.

I got a spontaneous haircut, bummed around uptown, thought about my blogging friends, went out for coffee with a rather large pile of books, hung out in a few bookstores (yes, I go to bookstores on my days off from the bookstore--I'm a geek), looked for a new sweater (although everything I liked was ridiculously expensive), did a little grocery shopping (where I stopped to smell bunches of peonies--*deep breath* ahhhh...), drove my wolfie with me everywhere, found a little gift for Loralee and (for the highlight of the day) bought a new journal!

In my opinion, there is nothing better than a virgin journal. It's like getting new socks and underwear....but better. Yesterday morning I finished the very beautiful handmade journal that Tara Dawn sent me a couple months ago. And today I set out with the intention of finding a simple spiral bound notebook due to inspiration from Dancing Willow and Natalie Goldberg.

Doing a post every day in November for NaBloPoMo primed the pump for more writing. It felt good to write everyday, even when I sometimes didn't have the energy for it. Granted, I missed 1 or 2 days, but I'll forgive myself. November is over and I intend to continue posting on a (nearly) daily basis. But I also have noticed that, lately, I allow myself to be a lot more raw in my handwritten journal. Right now I like rawness...or, at least, I think a little rawness would do me good. I need to swear every other word and complain and cry and not worry about how stupid I sound. Ok, so I do a lot of that here anyway, but...

Like Dancing Willow is doing, I like the idea of filling up 1 spiral bound notebook a month. However, in the process of today's bumming around, I found an extra cheap and very fat journal that felt so smooth and wonderful in my hands (that's what I get for picking it up in the first place!). It fell right open (in just the right way) and was filled with page after page after page of white graphing paper. I couldn't help myself, and abandoned my spiral notebook intentions in exchange for the big fatty.

I don't even know how many pages are in it, except to say that there's too many to count. Generally, I don't like big journals because I get sick of myself before I get to the end. Well, this time around, I thought I'd try out my staying-power. If it comes down to it, I'll write one word per page until I get to the end. Whatever's necessary. It only cost 8 bucks and will last me the better part of the winter. Not to mention, it's the kind of journal that will almost certainly inspire some serious drawing as well...and, for this, I've decided to start carrying ink and colored pencils with me in my already over-loaded purse.

Like always, I'm ready for a new beginning. I've been thinking about my creative habits a lot lately. Actually, I live my life around those habits. Today was just a little celebration of the little things that make life colorful.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

i've noticed that too! (i mean, the thing about being more raw in the journal due to blogging) it's like blogging gets the polite stuff out of the way and i don't feel like i have to write my journal for a possible audience (i don't know who, but there always seemed to be a possibility).

ps- sorry i didn't get to see you on my recent foray to the cities - we were in town for all of about 12 hours - it was fairly crazy. perhaps over break (weather permitting). but i still luvs you :)

Anonymous said...

Nothing like pen and paper to get the creative juices flowing. I blog but I have a pen and paper journal on the night stand beside my bed and I carry a small spiral notepad in my back pocket everywhere I go.

Getting a new journal is something that could only be exciting to we writers isn't it?

Kristine said...

Hello across the miles...
Sounds like you had a good day. I love the photoshop pic. Great haircut!

Endment said...

What inspiration -A new journal!
For me sharp pencils, crisp paper equal inspiration!
I am filling up the thin "Mead Composition" books each month - with nearly whatever comes into my mind - then I also write on those delicious crisp creamy pages in the elegant journals.

Keep writing - - - Keep writing :)

Anonymous said...

okay...i *used* to journal ALL.THE.TIME up until i turned...ooh, i guess until i started having sex. (blush). which i was sort of late to. and then i kept trying, again and again, and nothing really stuck...until i started blogging. but maybe i'm talking more about journal as diary...because i recently bought a moleskine and i likes it.

i love pictures of you. they make me smile. lots. and lots.
i'm glad you got yourself the creative gift that your heart wanted, sweetie.

Anonymous said...

You know, I love days like this. When there is nothing but empty space in front of you and you can fill your day however you wish to. I've been really trying hard to journal but I find for me that it's hard to keep up. I must look into why because it's something I think is important for the mind and the heart. I wish everyday could feel like today = full of hopes and possibilities!

Anonymous said...

hooray for new journals that inspire!

and i love that you go to bookstores on your day off. that's awesome. :-)

oh, and new digs are up!

Jamie said...

Great pic! I love how it really shows the features of your face.

And what a great way to spend the day. I love the way you abandoned your original journal idea and went with love at first sight! Isn't it so awesome when something calls your name like that?

I laughed when you said you like shorter journals because you get sick of yourself. Maybe this journal will take you past that stage into the "omg, I'm so brilliant! Look at the raw genius! I love me!"

And who wouldn't love a fellow, Sag! I hope you have some marvellous plans for your b-day. Mine's tomorrow! Here's to us enthusiastic, passionate, brainy, arty, archers!

Deirdre said...

It sounds like wonderful journal. I have so many half-filled journals that I dare not buy a new one until I've finished every page. There's something seductive about all that fresh white paper. I love this picture of you too. It makes me want to play with the camera again.

silverlight said...

A journal a month!! Wow!
I have a hard time doing one year.
Maybe I'm too constraind in my
outlook.