Greetings Alicia! I am new to your channel. I can't believe it took this long for the YT algorithm to recommend you. Your interest in journals, fountain pens and hiking are all things that I enjoy as well. I just watched your AMA Part 1 video from 7 months ago. Would you permit me a late question? I was wondering if you have a recommendation for a good fast-drying ink brand. I have a few Pilot Metropolitan and a couple of Lamy Safari pens and have used a variety of inks. But every time I determine to use my fountain pens again, I start to write, then get frustrated because I smear the ink, or turn the page too soon and get a ghost image on the facing page. That drives me back to my life-long main media of a good mechanical pencil. I currently use an Uni Kuru Toga 0.5 pencil. I want to be a fountain pen guy, because I do enjoy them. I just get frustrated so easily with the smearing. My favorite journals (for your paper reference) are Leuchtturm and Dingbats. Thank you for sharing your thoughts in video. I have enjoyed them. -Randy
Hello Randy! Welcome! I appreciate your being here. Nice to meet you, kindred spirit! I’d be happy to help, if I can. My first thought was Gouletpens has a search filter for various ink properties, one of which is “fast drying.” When I did a little search, here is what came up: www.gouletpens.com/collections/bottled-ink?ink_properties=Ink+Property%3AFast-Drying&pf_t_ink_properties_and_condition=true The thing I appreciate about Gouletpens is that they have an ink chart that can be found in the description of any inks they carry. There you’ll find a rating for dry time, so, if you have a color or brand you like, you could check it out specifically and see what the dry time is on their chart. My second thought was, have you considered having a blotting sheet in your notebook? I use these all the time, and they’re quite handy to have when turning the page. Instead of having to wait for the ink to dry, the blotting paper will absorb it. Blotting paper: www.gouletpens.com/products/herbin-ink-blotting-paper-full-sheets-white My final thought was using different paper, something not coated and more absorbent, but I think Leuchtturm will already check that box for you. Ink takes much longer to dry on papers like: Tomoe River Paper, Rhodia, or Mnemosyne. (Which is why they can be more fun to see shading and sheening on.) Anyway, thank you again! I hope I was able to help.
Hi! I just gave birth when I found your channel (this was about 2 years ago) and although I loved being a new mom, I felt like my world was changing too much at a fast pace. But watching your videos gave me so much peace and quieted my world temporarily. You inspired me to start journaling and love the action of writing and penmanship, and it really got me through the baby blues and it made me a better mom. So thank you so much for making these videos. Sending so much love and appreciation from me to you :)
I read on the journaling subreddit that our journaling doesn’t need to be a coming of age novel 🤣 it’s so freeing to let go of perfection and not having to share externally, a private oasis in this busy world of social media.
Write like nobody’s reading is such great advice, perhaps the best advice you can give. When I was drawing as a kid, I was always so down about my drawing. I was so focussed on drawing as real as I could that I didn’t appreciate the progress I had made or even the enjoyment. I feel the same about writing. It’s good to suspend the critical faculty and just write. I have written over a dozen journals and I have never re-read one of them. Will I? Probably not. Maybe my kids will. I don’t know.
It´s interesting what you say about the effects of knitting, Alicia. I knitted my way through highschool. It was a big thing in the 80s and the teachers didn´t mind. I always felt that I could be more focused when knitting. At the tender age of 52 I was diagnosed with ADHD. So in hindsight knitting back then was a strategy to reign my hyperactive brain in.
Hi Alicia! When I was in grade school, I had a lovely teacher who encouraged journaling. She was the first person to tell me to write from the heart and that the only person who would ever read it is me. I never forgot that so “write like no one is reading”resonates and is such great advice. ❤
Thank you for posting that. It is very encouraging and inspiring on a very simple doable scale. I need reminders like that. I also really appreciated that you shared on the Hemingway Jones show that there are times when you aren't inspired. I often idealize people like you and imagine they are all constantly singing songs of joy and pouring out creativity like an ever flowing fountain, that makes me beat myself up. Oh the comparison...I used to think I didn't have that because I am not snagged by it in appearances or material things but the spirit of life lived I compare all the time and wish I could only do better. Sigh. I need to stop that nonsense and you sharing your reality helps me remember that. Thank you for your channel.
I began keeping journals around 1978 (I am 67). I won't go into all the why and wherefores, only to add my agreement to your wise thoughts about the process, the experience. I've come to the same place. I do have other writing projects, sometimes using a laptop too. I've come back to long hand and my love of fountain pens. Perhaps I'll return to pen and ink drawing as well. I've subscribed, for your content that I see, but also for your conversational, low-key style. It's the same approach I use on my channel, not by design but just as I am.
Great thoughts. There's something magical about the act of journaling - it isn't just about the words that make it to the page. And, like you, I think having a good pen and nice paper does make the act much more enjoyable.
Thanks so much Jared! There really is something magical about the simple act of journaling. It’s a really special thing to have, so many ways one can be fulfilled by it.
I am completely new to your channel. (Actually I am lurking here a while). I just want to say thanks for your content. It is so refreshing to see your honest personality. Greetings from Ireland.
I’ve just started my first journal with a good Leuchtturm 120gr (a Christmas present) and a Sailor profit Jr, and I felt silly for what I’m writing… you saved my new habit probably 😂 Thanks a lot 😊
I journal in the morning too. But this year, I've added a 5-year journal to the mix and I'm using that one for a brief daily summary before bed. I also have a health tracking journal, a reading + writing journal and a longterm collections journal which I use as I have things to enter.
+1 on the 5-year journal! The long form journal is great for serious reflections, but there’s something so gratifying about looking back at personal growth year over year just in the little blocks on that date.
Alisha, my current journalling approach is largely inspired by your carefree attitude to it. I’ve been treating my main journal as a safe space for expressing my thoughts, and a manuscript that show a glimpse of a less filtered side of myself for some future readers (can be myself in the future) to see what I was experiencing at a time. Since I’m a chronic perfectionist, I had to use quantity to measure my contribution to the journal, because my usual work priorities demand good quality of thinking skills and that gives myself high standards. If I use the same standard in my safe space for personal expression, it’s just too exhausting and discouraging. So even if it’s an usual approach for myself, i had to let go of my usual standards and just get writing instead of feeling feeling like I did nothing. My fellow journalling friends, whichever way you’ve decided to journal - as long when it gives you comfort, it’s absolutely valid and beautiful.
I have been enjoying your channel for a couple of years now but I think the first video I ever watched was the one where you talked about what, where, why you journal. It resonated with me because it aligned so closely with my own what/where/whys. (And I’ve been hooked ever since!) I encourage people to try journaling with whatever they have on hand and love your advice to write as though no one will ever read it and to let go of any expectations that it has to “be” anything. Sometimes I sit and write lines just marveling at the beautiful ink and/or pen that I’m writing with. Just the act of doing it can sometimes be enough. It doesn’t matter what you write. I think it does help to write with supplies you love (which don’t have to be fountain pens and fancy Japanese paper...) I love to start the day early with coffee and writing. It’s my(for lack of a better term) self-care! I recently joined an online journaling club (Through Wonder Pens pen shop in Toronto) and it has been very interesting. The host gives a prompt and we all write in silence for about 25 minutes. I have never used prompts to journal before (and I’ve never journaled with other people) so it’s been fun to think differently when I’m writing. No one shares what they write, it’s just everyone writing on their own, together! Ok clearly I could go on forever so I’ll stop here!
This is awesome to hear !! I just started with a journal and I had no idea what to write, so I said to myself, "just write anything, figure it out on the go", so that's what I did !! I'm just enjoying getting ink on paper !! So it was so awesome to hear this, THANK YOU !!!
I love that you journal by candlelight. Such a callback to great journalists of the past - and that includes the mundane character of your entries. I often comment on the pen and ink I'm using that day, as well.
I am feeling a great sense of solidarity watching this video. I had the same realizations about writing just to write. Even the mundane. The pointless. It doesn’t have to be epic or good or meaningful. The writing is therapeutic.
I just recently did the 1 pen, 1 ink, 30 days challenge in a hope for it to rekindle my appreciation for fountain pens and writing, but I got tired. The last 10 days I stopped writing, the clean out of my nearly empty pen felt ... sad, and the next refill of the pens I was excited for to begin anew felt different. Getting into that writing space is tough sometimes. I fell into that trap of wanting to make every entry worth it or profound like you mentioned, but writing the same thing each day felt nonsensical because there wasn't evolution or progression in thought. What I'd like to do sometime is write up a ton of journal topics and place them on a paper in the journal so that I can have fall backs when I just don't feel inspired. Drawing from spoons somedays is tough, but when you have a spare spork... it might not be a perfect match to what you want, but it gets the job done!
This video absolutely nails it! Everything you said is right on! My exact experience with journalling over the past year since I got started. I absolutely love your channel. Found you months ago and really enjoy your content.
What is your favorite Coffee? Do you use a pour over? Just curious. Love you channel and purchased an 823 because of you. Thank you for all the great content.
I love how you mentioned that before you wrote and had to make it sound like a novel. I kind of still do that sometimes but I am learning to let go as well and just let the words flow. For me it is already a habit. I do it daily, sometimes multiple times. Thank you for this chat, very helpful! ❤❤❤
@9:30 Sounds like knitting is a "Zen Activity" for you. I heard a Buddhist Monk describe it this way: Everyone has a monkey 🐒 who lives in there mind. If you give the monkey something to focus on, it frees your mind to think deeply about something else. If you dont give your monkey 🐒 something to do, your moneky will get curious and become a distraction. So, Monks focus on their breath while doing other activities. For you, it's focusing (but not really focusing), on knitting.
@@adventuredenali for me, in my younger years, it was "card tricks," I would always have a deck of cards in my hands, shuffling them, one hand cuts, one handed shuffling, etcetera. These days, I focus on my breath, like traditional meditation.
Nice to see you back in 2023. Happy New Year, then. I have a very similar approach to journaling. I enjoy writing with ink and pen itself, and often that gives me the opportunity to sort out my thoughts. I can that way remember what I liked that day or what not, what I worry about, or just what I did. That way, it is going to be a book of life. Life, however, is not always poetic... I have the Idea, that when I am old or have died, someone could flip through those Pages and see, how it was some decades ago, and even if something is mondaine, it may be a greeting from a long gone era one day. For instance, if we read about telegrams beeing sent today, or Computer Terminals, that gets us the Idea that Times were different back then, and even listening to some music 10 years ago from CD or Ipod is nowadays a nostalgic memory... And the writing itself changes. My Grandma (*1911 in Western Europe) used to write very neatly in a cursive style called "Current", which is now even difficult to decipher, because the Letters are partially very different from what I learnt as cursive in School. I recently discovered a video where that alphabeth and the rules of using it are explained, so that I am now better at reading old Handwriting... Maybe I'll even learn to write it some day. Would be nice if not everyone is able to read my thoughts right away but no need for any coding just by using some ancient letters that few know by heart today... She later adapted to cursive with latin letters, but her numbers looked still like "Korrent", which is almost caligraphic, if written nicely. That was a standardized handwriting from a Time when no Typewriter was used at offices, and so much of the needs of business was kept track in Books, where Entries would be hand written, and had to be done nice to leave a good Impression to whom ever read it later. So that can get us a sense for history and how times change, whilst remarking, that everyday life's joys and worries are still similar.
I’m a bedside hospice worker, I journal when my patients are sleeping. I journal about my own experiences… I use the traveler’s company passport size system, and the Keweco Liliput fountain pen, tomoe river paper and random sketch pencils for doodles, a pocket watercolor palette aswell… My supplies and journal are all scrub pocket size… I enjoy a quality place to put down my emotions… Knitting is an amazing hobby I would love to learn…
Lovely video. Thank you. I'm pretty hew to journaling. It started as a way to keep track of my psychotherapy sessions and little exercises or aides memoires of my mental health. Just a simple notebook and a ballpoint pen. In the last 6 months it's become so much more and now I like a nice journal and a fountain pen. Like you I just enjoy the experience of writing and much of what I write is nonsense, just the everyday stuff really but it creates a space where I can process stuff from my therapy too.
Hi Alicia. I thought about this long before when I started journaling at young age. Back then, I just wrote my feeling, about that day and mostly rubbish. Growing up I started writing like someone would read it so I wrote a little bit nice, I guess. Then I heard somewhere someone said, write like no one would read it. Because no one could if we don't let them, right? So yeah. Now I just write whatever I want, however I want and do whenever I want. And thanks to you too. Love your simplicity in journaling.
I started a scarf last fall. I want to finish it this fall after i write my master's thesis. Ive also started journaling. Coincidentally I play the cello and uke too. I'm now trying piano.
I love this video - it's so true. I write for the pen/ink/paper thing but also the alleviation of overthinking. Just to pull ideas or thoughts or anxieties out and on to a page really helps me. But in that I struggle with carrying my journal around, especially now I have combined a Midori MD journal with an hobonichi planner in a leather cover. Having a planner is essential for my job and everyday stuff, and I wanted to always have my journal too. How do you get over that fear of potentially exposing yourself in that way?
Yes, that’s how I’ve journaled for 40+ years. It soothes me, it’s where I work out stuff that is bothering me or where I talk about stationary and stationary related things. Like you said it’s the sensory act of pen on paper.
I love that we share some of the same amusing fascinations! I too seem to be inexplicably interested in the “fuel economy” of my ink supply in a given pen, and get excited to try a new pen/ink/paper combination. Your morning ritual sounds amazing. I have 3 kids so the only quiet time among the work and school schedules is late night, so evening candlelight and journaling with tea (or whisky, who’m I kidding 😆) is so relaxing. There’s something so focusing about candlelight!
My two hands aren't coordinated enough to knit...but I love to crochet (my two hands can't handle two needles, but I am pretty darned good with one hook!). I loved hearing about your journaling, but I was also hoping to see a close-up of the pattern of your hat (and the yarn you are using). I LOVE yarns. I find nearly the same fulfillment from them as I do from my pens and inks.
Another great video Alicia - thank you! I’ve been a subscriber for years and especially enjoy your journalling content! By the way - which Purl Soho hat pattern are you knitting?
Hello! I had a question on what journals you like? I just got a Travelers company journal to start. But feel like I’ll waste it starting out? That also feels silly lol
I’ve always struggled with keeping a journal. I felt silly writing down the boring stuff. So I’ve decided to make a collage journal instead of just writing. It’s less pressure for me I think :)
Great advice all around. I've found that it doesn't matter what I start to write; IF I write, it will lead somewhere I want to go. I see a lot of instruments and cases in your videos - ukuleles and cellos at least. Do you relate journaling to practicing at all?
Hi Alicia, after all your videos singing of your love of Leuchtturm1917, i ordered one and it just arrived. My first Leuchtturm, it's the scary yellow one in A5 size with 5mm squares (cause i have super small writing). Amazon were doing the scary yellow ones a lot cheaper than the rest (probably because no one will buy scary yellow when there's other colours available at the same price). And so i had to write in it with every pen i have straight away. Even the 1.5mm italic that flows rather plentiful enjoyed it immensely. Yes, i'm crazy enough to think that a good flowing 1.5mm italic is a good choice for a 5mm line (somehow it worked though and is legible). Anyway, i really like Leuchtturm1917. So thank you for all the suggestions.
That’s so exciting! I love your story of the “Scary Yellow Leuchtturm with the 5mm squares.” Glad to hear all your pens seem to match well, even the 1.5 italic! What do you think of the squared paper? I generally love grid paper, but have yet to give the Leuchtturm version a try.
@@adventuredenali The grid is really nice, very fine and light coloured. Much less intrusive than the heavy Rhodia blue/purple grid which i find totally overpowering and annoying. The Leuchtturm is more similar to the Rhodia white cover grid. I got the grid mostly because i really like 5mm line spacing and i didn't know if i could see a lined guide paper through the paper clearly enough and didn't want to get a blank notebook only to find i couldn't see lines through it. But now i've checked that i can see my lines i think my next one will have blank pages and i'll use a guide paper at 5mm, but the grid one is totally fine for now and i'll certainly be using up the whole book.
The way you talked about how you keep track of how long it takes you to finish a candle and your stationery. hahaha I thought I was odd. I have a log for how long my pencils take to finish. I keep track. Doing that made me realise how much I was hung up on getting something "new". Pencils last a while! My journal is the same just mundane but writing through that opens me up to dig deeper. This takes a lot of effort and can't be sustained or even expected as the norm every time you sit to journal I think.
How long DOES it take to use up a candle? 🙃 Do you still do collaging or stick stickers jn your journals? I loved hearing about that because that is how I stifle my white page anxiety. And I always wanted to figure out how you do/design those collages that look like page frames! Thank you for a meditative video before work!
Have you ever considered a Twitch stream for Journaling/knitting/hanging out? That'd be such a nice calming community space for folks to work on creative projects togeter!
One of my things on what to journal about is to use Pixabay. I have it set to the latest photos and just pick one photo off the front page, print it out A7 size, stick it in my journal and write something about it. I also grab free magazines from my library and elsewhere and cut pictures out of those too. Example: Yesterday was a picture of a cat watching something. So i wrote that the cat was watching a dog barking at a squirrel in a tree and then added in the carnivorous cat's judgemental thoughts about the stupid omnivore's hunting strategies being so woefully inefficient. Writing your implanted thoughts, conversations and ideas into the minds of animals can be a ton of fun. If people can't some find inspiration for writing on Pixabay i don't think there's any hope. LOL
I have a journal that is restricted to personal essays, words of wisdom, and good memories. My intent with this content is for my kids to find them after I die because they are 24 and 26 now and never listen to anything I have to say (probably because it always comes across as a lecture.) By documenting it in a journal they will discover later, (hopefully many years from now,) they will be more receptive, so I can haunt them from beyond the grave. 😁
Could you share where you got the chunky hat pattern for your hat. Was it also from Pearl Soho. I’m rusty and not big on real tiny needles and yarn. Is there a name for this pattern. It looks really cute. Especially for a small item like a hat I think I would prefer a chunky pattern. Thanks
Almost never. Every once in a while I’ll look up something specifically, and sometimes then I get lost in perusing the journal I pulled out. But mostly, I don’t look back.
So refreshing to hear content creators like yourself that are authentic to a real-life representation within their journals. Have you heard/seen Janetthecrazy? Her style is unique to her and also very genuine. I appreciate your insight/reflections. Organic journalers unite! ❣️✨
I struggle with writing in front of my spouse…I always write when I’m alone in a room. This sometimes keeps me from writing when I want to. Have you ever experienced this? How did you overcome it?
I also can’t write in front of my husband or other people (I feel like a spotlight is on me and just feel so self conscious). Have to do it in private. Maybe one day I will work up to going to a coffee shop just like Alicia!
@@mollyshaughnessy9477 I think I would be okay in a coffee shop setting as long as no one could see over my shoulder. I follow “overall adventures” and asked her how she writes in front of her husband and she said they talked about it and he understands and knows her journal is off limits. It isn’t even like I am always writing something private I just feel like I don’t want to be questioned about what I’m doing. Glad to hear I’m not the only one.
I have a TH-camr recommendation for you. Elise Buch, who vlogs cottage renovation and decorating (kind of like Ariel Bissett), and she also runs a shop where she sells vintage boho-style clothing.
@@adventuredenali Just a bit of silly Brit humour, you know, sidling up to things, being a bit obtuse. You tackle things in a more straightforward fashion 😂
Greetings Alicia! I am new to your channel. I can't believe it took this long for the YT algorithm to recommend you. Your interest in journals, fountain pens and hiking are all things that I enjoy as well. I just watched your AMA Part 1 video from 7 months ago. Would you permit me a late question? I was wondering if you have a recommendation for a good fast-drying ink brand. I have a few Pilot Metropolitan and a couple of Lamy Safari pens and have used a variety of inks. But every time I determine to use my fountain pens again, I start to write, then get frustrated because I smear the ink, or turn the page too soon and get a ghost image on the facing page. That drives me back to my life-long main media of a good mechanical pencil. I currently use an Uni Kuru Toga 0.5 pencil. I want to be a fountain pen guy, because I do enjoy them. I just get frustrated so easily with the smearing. My favorite journals (for your paper reference) are Leuchtturm and Dingbats. Thank you for sharing your thoughts in video. I have enjoyed them. -Randy
Hello Randy! Welcome! I appreciate your being here. Nice to meet you, kindred spirit!
I’d be happy to help, if I can. My first thought was Gouletpens has a search filter for various ink properties, one of which is “fast drying.” When I did a little search, here is what came up:
www.gouletpens.com/collections/bottled-ink?ink_properties=Ink+Property%3AFast-Drying&pf_t_ink_properties_and_condition=true
The thing I appreciate about Gouletpens is that they have an ink chart that can be found in the description of any inks they carry. There you’ll find a rating for dry time, so, if you have a color or brand you like, you could check it out specifically and see what the dry time is on their chart.
My second thought was, have you considered having a blotting sheet in your notebook? I use these all the time, and they’re quite handy to have when turning the page. Instead of having to wait for the ink to dry, the blotting paper will absorb it.
Blotting paper: www.gouletpens.com/products/herbin-ink-blotting-paper-full-sheets-white
My final thought was using different paper, something not coated and more absorbent, but I think Leuchtturm will already check that box for you. Ink takes much longer to dry on papers like: Tomoe River Paper, Rhodia, or Mnemosyne. (Which is why they can be more fun to see shading and sheening on.)
Anyway, thank you again! I hope I was able to help.
@@adventuredenali Thank you so much! That’s a huge help.
Hi! I just gave birth when I found your channel (this was about 2 years ago) and although I loved being a new mom, I felt like my world was changing too much at a fast pace. But watching your videos gave me so much peace and quieted my world temporarily. You inspired me to start journaling and love the action of writing and penmanship, and it really got me through the baby blues and it made me a better mom. So thank you so much for making these videos. Sending so much love and appreciation from me to you :)
Wow, that’s incredible. Thank you so much, I am honored. Congratulations on being a mom. ❤️
I loved the journaling chat but mostly this video made me want to go knit something again. 😂
I read on the journaling subreddit that our journaling doesn’t need to be a coming of age novel 🤣 it’s so freeing to let go of perfection and not having to share externally, a private oasis in this busy world of social media.
Write like nobody’s reading is such great advice, perhaps the best advice you can give. When I was drawing as a kid, I was always so down about my drawing. I was so focussed on drawing as real as I could that I didn’t appreciate the progress I had made or even the enjoyment. I feel the same about writing. It’s good to suspend the critical faculty and just write. I have written over a dozen journals and I have never re-read one of them. Will I? Probably not. Maybe my kids will. I don’t know.
It´s interesting what you say about the effects of knitting, Alicia. I knitted my way through highschool. It was a big thing in the 80s and the teachers didn´t mind. I always felt that I could be more focused when knitting. At the tender age of 52 I was diagnosed with ADHD. So in hindsight knitting back then was a strategy to reign my hyperactive brain in.
That’s so incredible you intuitively used knitting to help you focus, and wonderful your teachers supported that!
Love this!!!! I think that’s why they are allowing the fidget toys even in high school now! It helps kids focus on the teacher and their work!!!❤
Hi Alicia! When I was in grade school, I had a lovely teacher who encouraged journaling. She was the first person to tell me to write from the heart and that the only person who would ever read it is me. I never forgot that so “write like no one is reading”resonates and is such great advice. ❤
Thank you for posting that. It is very encouraging and inspiring on a very simple doable scale. I need reminders like that. I also really appreciated that you shared on the Hemingway Jones show that there are times when you aren't inspired. I often idealize people like you and imagine they are all constantly singing songs of joy and pouring out creativity like an ever flowing fountain, that makes me beat myself up. Oh the comparison...I used to think I didn't have that because I am not snagged by it in appearances or material things but the spirit of life lived I compare all the time and wish I could only do better. Sigh. I need to stop that nonsense and you sharing your reality helps me remember that. Thank you for your channel.
Loved the knitting while talking about journaling. Very peaceful. Thank you
I’m glad! Thank you for watching. :)
I began keeping journals around 1978 (I am 67). I won't go into all the why and wherefores, only to add my agreement to your wise thoughts about the process, the experience. I've come to the same place.
I do have other writing projects, sometimes using a laptop too. I've come back to long hand and my love of fountain pens.
Perhaps I'll return to pen and ink drawing as well.
I've subscribed, for your content that I see, but also for your conversational, low-key style. It's the same approach I use on my channel, not by design but just as I am.
Great thoughts. There's something magical about the act of journaling - it isn't just about the words that make it to the page. And, like you, I think having a good pen and nice paper does make the act much more enjoyable.
Thanks so much Jared! There really is something magical about the simple act of journaling. It’s a really special thing to have, so many ways one can be fulfilled by it.
I am completely new to your channel. (Actually I am lurking here a while). I just want to say thanks for your content. It is so refreshing to see your honest personality. Greetings from Ireland.
I’ve just started my first journal with a good Leuchtturm 120gr (a Christmas present) and a Sailor profit Jr, and I felt silly for what I’m writing… you saved my new habit probably 😂
Thanks a lot 😊
I journal in the morning too. But this year, I've added a 5-year journal to the mix and I'm using that one for a brief daily summary before bed. I also have a health tracking journal, a reading + writing journal and a longterm collections journal which I use as I have things to enter.
+1 on the 5-year journal! The long form journal is great for serious reflections, but there’s something so gratifying about looking back at personal growth year over year just in the little blocks on that date.
Alisha, my current journalling approach is largely inspired by your carefree attitude to it. I’ve been treating my main journal as a safe space for expressing my thoughts, and a manuscript that show a glimpse of a less filtered side of myself for some future readers (can be myself in the future) to see what I was experiencing at a time. Since I’m a chronic perfectionist, I had to use quantity to measure my contribution to the journal, because my usual work priorities demand good quality of thinking skills and that gives myself high standards. If I use the same standard in my safe space for personal expression, it’s just too exhausting and discouraging. So even if it’s an usual approach for myself, i had to let go of my usual standards and just get writing instead of feeling feeling like I did nothing.
My fellow journalling friends, whichever way you’ve decided to journal - as long when it gives you comfort, it’s absolutely valid and beautiful.
I have been enjoying your channel for a couple of years now but I think the first video I ever watched was the one where you talked about what, where, why you journal. It resonated with me because it aligned so closely with my own what/where/whys. (And I’ve been hooked ever since!)
I encourage people to try journaling with whatever they have on hand and love your advice to write as though no one will ever read it and to let go of any expectations that it has to “be” anything. Sometimes I sit and write lines just marveling at the beautiful ink and/or pen that I’m writing with. Just the act of doing it can sometimes be enough. It doesn’t matter what you write. I think it does help to write with supplies you love (which don’t have to be fountain pens and fancy Japanese paper...)
I love to start the day early with coffee and writing. It’s my(for lack of a better term) self-care!
I recently joined an online journaling club (Through Wonder Pens pen shop in Toronto) and it has been very interesting. The host gives a prompt and we all write in silence for about 25 minutes. I have never used prompts to journal before (and I’ve never journaled with other people) so it’s been fun to think differently when I’m writing. No one shares what they write, it’s just everyone writing on their own, together!
Ok clearly I could go on forever so I’ll stop here!
This is awesome to hear !! I just started with a journal and I had no idea what to write, so I said to myself, "just write anything, figure it out on the go", so that's what I did !! I'm just enjoying getting ink on paper !! So it was so awesome to hear this, THANK YOU !!!
That’s soooo fantastic! Good for you! Happy writing!!
I love that you journal by candlelight. Such a callback to great journalists of the past - and that includes the mundane character of your entries. I often comment on the pen and ink I'm using that day, as well.
I am feeling a great sense of solidarity watching this video. I had the same realizations about writing just to write. Even the mundane. The pointless. It doesn’t have to be epic or good or meaningful. The writing is therapeutic.
Love this...
Can you do a video of your updated Journal cover collection?
I just recently did the 1 pen, 1 ink, 30 days challenge in a hope for it to rekindle my appreciation for fountain pens and writing, but I got tired. The last 10 days I stopped writing, the clean out of my nearly empty pen felt ... sad, and the next refill of the pens I was excited for to begin anew felt different.
Getting into that writing space is tough sometimes. I fell into that trap of wanting to make every entry worth it or profound like you mentioned, but writing the same thing each day felt nonsensical because there wasn't evolution or progression in thought.
What I'd like to do sometime is write up a ton of journal topics and place them on a paper in the journal so that I can have fall backs when I just don't feel inspired. Drawing from spoons somedays is tough, but when you have a spare spork... it might not be a perfect match to what you want, but it gets the job done!
I really like your candle holder. So much that I'm looking for several of them.
Isn't it wonderful to use your hands to make things!....it feels so nice and accomplished.
I enjoy listening to your chatty videos, while I clean and organize 😊 Thank you !
This video absolutely nails it! Everything you said is right on! My exact experience with journalling over the past year since I got started. I absolutely love your channel. Found you months ago and really enjoy your content.
What is your favorite Coffee? Do you use a pour over? Just curious. Love you channel and purchased an 823 because of you. Thank you for all the great content.
I love how you mentioned that before you wrote and had to make it sound like a novel. I kind of still do that sometimes but I am learning to let go as well and just let the words flow. For me it is already a habit. I do it daily, sometimes multiple times. Thank you for this chat, very helpful! ❤❤❤
Love this! Been journaling for almost two years now. So in love with the inspiration that you bring with fountain pens and cursive penmanship!
@9:30
Sounds like knitting is a "Zen Activity" for you.
I heard a Buddhist Monk describe it this way:
Everyone has a monkey 🐒 who lives in there mind. If you give the monkey something to focus on, it frees your mind to think deeply about something else. If you dont give your monkey 🐒 something to do, your moneky will get curious and become a distraction. So, Monks focus on their breath while doing other activities. For you, it's focusing (but not really focusing), on knitting.
Wow, that’s so interesting! Thank you for sharing. Have you discovered a way to focus your monkey?
@@adventuredenali for me, in my younger years, it was "card tricks," I would always have a deck of cards in my hands, shuffling them, one hand cuts, one handed shuffling, etcetera.
These days, I focus on my breath, like traditional meditation.
Nice to see you back in 2023. Happy New Year, then.
I have a very similar approach to journaling. I enjoy writing with ink and pen itself, and often that gives me the opportunity to sort out my thoughts. I can that way remember what I liked that day or what not, what I worry about, or just what I did. That way, it is going to be a book of life. Life, however, is not always poetic...
I have the Idea, that when I am old or have died, someone could flip through those Pages and see, how it was some decades ago, and even if something is mondaine, it may be a greeting from a long gone era one day. For instance, if we read about telegrams beeing sent today, or Computer Terminals, that gets us the Idea that Times were different back then, and even listening to some music 10 years ago from CD or Ipod is nowadays a nostalgic memory...
And the writing itself changes. My Grandma (*1911 in Western Europe) used to write very neatly in a cursive style called "Current", which is now even difficult to decipher, because the Letters are partially very different from what I learnt as cursive in School. I recently discovered a video where that alphabeth and the rules of using it are explained, so that I am now better at reading old Handwriting... Maybe I'll even learn to write it some day. Would be nice if not everyone is able to read my thoughts right away but no need for any coding just by using some ancient letters that few know by heart today... She later adapted to cursive with latin letters, but her numbers looked still like "Korrent", which is almost caligraphic, if written nicely. That was a standardized handwriting from a Time when no Typewriter was used at offices, and so much of the needs of business was kept track in Books, where Entries would be hand written, and had to be done nice to leave a good Impression to whom ever read it later. So that can get us a sense for history and how times change, whilst remarking, that everyday life's joys and worries are still similar.
I’m a bedside hospice worker, I journal when my patients are sleeping. I journal about my own experiences… I use the traveler’s company passport size system, and the Keweco Liliput fountain pen, tomoe river paper
and random sketch pencils for doodles, a pocket watercolor palette aswell… My supplies and journal are all scrub pocket size… I enjoy a quality place to put down my emotions…
Knitting is an amazing hobby I would love to learn…
This was lovely
Thank you Ashley!
Lovely video. Thank you. I'm pretty hew to journaling. It started as a way to keep track of my psychotherapy sessions and little exercises or aides memoires of my mental health. Just a simple notebook and a ballpoint pen. In the last 6 months it's become so much more and now I like a nice journal and a fountain pen. Like you I just enjoy the experience of writing and much of what I write is nonsense, just the everyday stuff really but it creates a space where I can process stuff from my therapy too.
Hi Alicia. I thought about this long before when I started journaling at young age. Back then, I just wrote my feeling, about that day and mostly rubbish. Growing up I started writing like someone would read it so I wrote a little bit nice, I guess. Then I heard somewhere someone said, write like no one would read it. Because no one could if we don't let them, right? So yeah. Now I just write whatever I want, however I want and do whenever I want. And thanks to you too. Love your simplicity in journaling.
I started a scarf last fall. I want to finish it this fall after i write my master's thesis. Ive also started journaling. Coincidentally I play the cello and uke too. I'm now trying piano.
I love this video - it's so true. I write for the pen/ink/paper thing but also the alleviation of overthinking. Just to pull ideas or thoughts or anxieties out and on to a page really helps me. But in that I struggle with carrying my journal around, especially now I have combined a Midori MD journal with an hobonichi planner in a leather cover. Having a planner is essential for my job and everyday stuff, and I wanted to always have my journal too. How do you get over that fear of potentially exposing yourself in that way?
Yes, that’s how I’ve journaled for 40+ years. It soothes me, it’s where I work out stuff that is bothering me or where I talk about stationary and stationary related things. Like you said it’s the sensory act of pen on paper.
I love that we share some of the same amusing fascinations! I too seem to be inexplicably interested in the “fuel economy” of my ink supply in a given pen, and get excited to try a new pen/ink/paper combination.
Your morning ritual sounds amazing. I have 3 kids so the only quiet time among the work and school schedules is late night, so evening candlelight and journaling with tea (or whisky, who’m I kidding 😆) is so relaxing. There’s something so focusing about candlelight!
I need that slow hat pattern ! Lol. Great share on your journaling process. Mine style is a hot mess and I own it 😂😂😂
I love the videos where I just feel I'm chatting with a good friend 😀
My two hands aren't coordinated enough to knit...but I love to crochet (my two hands can't handle two needles, but I am pretty darned good with one hook!). I loved hearing about your journaling, but I was also hoping to see a close-up of the pattern of your hat (and the yarn you are using). I LOVE yarns. I find nearly the same fulfillment from them as I do from my pens and inks.
Another great video Alicia - thank you! I’ve been a subscriber for years and especially enjoy your journalling content! By the way - which Purl Soho hat pattern are you knitting?
Hello! I had a question on what journals you like? I just got a Travelers company journal to start. But feel like I’ll waste it starting out? That also feels silly lol
I’ve always struggled with keeping a journal. I felt silly writing down the boring stuff. So I’ve decided to make a collage journal instead of just writing. It’s less pressure for me I think :)
That’s wonderful! It’s great that you found a way that works for you!
Do you find that the book you’re reading influences your writing style?
Hmm great question! There have been times, certainly. Especially when reading something older, the language so obviously different.
Great advice all around. I've found that it doesn't matter what I start to write; IF I write, it will lead somewhere I want to go. I see a lot of instruments and cases in your videos - ukuleles and cellos at least. Do you relate journaling to practicing at all?
Hi Alicia, after all your videos singing of your love of Leuchtturm1917, i ordered one and it just arrived. My first Leuchtturm, it's the scary yellow one in A5 size with 5mm squares (cause i have super small writing). Amazon were doing the scary yellow ones a lot cheaper than the rest (probably because no one will buy scary yellow when there's other colours available at the same price).
And so i had to write in it with every pen i have straight away. Even the 1.5mm italic that flows rather plentiful enjoyed it immensely. Yes, i'm crazy enough to think that a good flowing 1.5mm italic is a good choice for a 5mm line (somehow it worked though and is legible).
Anyway, i really like Leuchtturm1917. So thank you for all the suggestions.
That’s so exciting! I love your story of the “Scary Yellow Leuchtturm with the 5mm squares.” Glad to hear all your pens seem to match well, even the 1.5 italic! What do you think of the squared paper? I generally love grid paper, but have yet to give the Leuchtturm version a try.
@@adventuredenali The grid is really nice, very fine and light coloured. Much less intrusive than the heavy Rhodia blue/purple grid which i find totally overpowering and annoying. The Leuchtturm is more similar to the Rhodia white cover grid.
I got the grid mostly because i really like 5mm line spacing and i didn't know if i could see a lined guide paper through the paper clearly enough and didn't want to get a blank notebook only to find i couldn't see lines through it. But now i've checked that i can see my lines i think my next one will have blank pages and i'll use a guide paper at 5mm, but the grid one is totally fine for now and i'll certainly be using up the whole book.
The way you talked about how you keep track of how long it takes you to finish a candle and your stationery. hahaha I thought I was odd. I have a log for how long my pencils take to finish. I keep track. Doing that made me realise how much I was hung up on getting something "new". Pencils last a while! My journal is the same just mundane but writing through that opens me up to dig deeper. This takes a lot of effort and can't be sustained or even expected as the norm every time you sit to journal I think.
How long DOES it take to use up a candle? 🙃
Do you still do collaging or stick stickers jn your journals? I loved hearing about that because that is how I stifle my white page anxiety. And I always wanted to figure out how you do/design those collages that look like page frames!
Thank you for a meditative video before work!
Sounds like exactly what I tend to write about, I just enjoy it so much its baffling it makes no sense but its so much fun
Have you ever considered a Twitch stream for Journaling/knitting/hanging out? That'd be such a nice calming community space for folks to work on creative projects togeter!
Helpful, thanks!
Great!
I like writing animal notes and sketch the animal next to it... to do lists.....and funny quotes my husband says sometimes.
That sounds like a lot of fun.
love this video, all what said is true, journalling is such a stress reliever. Can you share the exact video for this pattern from purl soho. thank u
One of my things on what to journal about is to use Pixabay. I have it set to the latest photos and just pick one photo off the front page, print it out A7 size, stick it in my journal and write something about it. I also grab free magazines from my library and elsewhere and cut pictures out of those too.
Example: Yesterday was a picture of a cat watching something. So i wrote that the cat was watching a dog barking at a squirrel in a tree and then added in the carnivorous cat's judgemental thoughts about the stupid omnivore's hunting strategies being so woefully inefficient.
Writing your implanted thoughts, conversations and ideas into the minds of animals can be a ton of fun.
If people can't some find inspiration for writing on Pixabay i don't think there's any hope. LOL
I have a journal that is restricted to personal essays, words of wisdom, and good memories. My intent with this content is for my kids to find them after I die because they are 24 and 26 now and never listen to anything I have to say (probably because it always comes across as a lecture.) By documenting it in a journal they will discover later, (hopefully many years from now,) they will be more receptive, so I can haunt them from beyond the grave. 😁
Could you share where you got the chunky hat pattern for your hat. Was it also from Pearl Soho. I’m rusty and not big on real tiny needles and yarn. Is there a name for this pattern. It looks really cute. Especially for a small item like a hat I think I would prefer a chunky pattern. Thanks
I believe she talks about her yarn and hat at the very beginning of the video.
I am just like you, except swap out morning for night (last thing before bed) & coffee for herbal tea. ♡
Journaling is like exercise for me. I feel it in my body if I don’t do it, and it feels bad.
I'm so incredibly jealous that you can just "walk" to your local coffee shop!
Do you read old journals?
Almost never. Every once in a while I’ll look up something specifically, and sometimes then I get lost in perusing the journal I pulled out. But mostly, I don’t look back.
Thank you
So refreshing to hear content creators like yourself that are authentic to a real-life representation within their journals. Have you heard/seen Janetthecrazy? Her style is unique to her and also very genuine. I appreciate your insight/reflections. Organic journalers unite! ❣️✨
I struggle with writing in front of my spouse…I always write when I’m alone in a room. This sometimes keeps me from writing when I want to. Have you ever experienced this? How did you overcome it?
I also can’t write in front of my husband or other people (I feel like a spotlight is on me and just feel so self conscious). Have to do it in private. Maybe one day I will work up to going to a coffee shop just like Alicia!
@@mollyshaughnessy9477 I think I would be okay in a coffee shop setting as long as no one could see over my shoulder. I follow “overall adventures” and asked her how she writes in front of her husband and she said they talked about it and he understands and knows her journal is off limits. It isn’t even like I am always writing something private I just feel like I don’t want to be questioned about what I’m doing. Glad to hear I’m not the only one.
I have a TH-camr recommendation for you. Elise Buch, who vlogs cottage renovation and decorating (kind of like Ariel Bissett), and she also runs a shop where she sells vintage boho-style clothing.
Thank you for the recommendation! I’ll have to take a look!
...best to approach everything from the side
How do you mean?
@@adventuredenali Just a bit of silly Brit humour, you know, sidling up to things, being a bit obtuse. You tackle things in a more straightforward fashion 😂
@@321bytor oh haha, I see! XD
I rather like ‘sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow.’
I love it: skip the mobile and journal instead!