2016 - In a Minute Ago

Finding threads of a story while traveling

I am not sure what I feel about omens as sometimes they sound like new age clap trap but I did pause to think about the person who carried this shell on a pilgrimage. This shell dated at 1200 AD was found in the old city at Bristol. Now, the interesting thing about this shell is that this type of shell is not found in British waters. The scallop shell is the symbol of St James and worn by pilgrims as a sort of badge while walking the Santiago de Compestela in Spain. In times past it was believed to …

Journaling is not about perfection

Art Journals / Journaling9 Comments

Journals don’t have to be perfect. This applies to all types of journals, studio journals, written journals, art journals or what I call observational journals. A quest for perfection is a curse. They do not have to hand crafted pages of mini masterpieces on each opening. Something that really puzzles me is someone saying they have a collection of empty notebooks that they do not use because they might “spoil” them. Using them is what makes a notebook better. An empty notebook is just paper but put some ideas down or some doodles it takes on a life and becomes …

83 year old diarist shares his hobby of a life time

Historical Journals / Journaling / Written Journals11 Comments

John Gadd is an 83 year old diarist who over his lifetime has filled 151 volumes with four million words. His journals weigh in at half-a-tonne. In his journal he also includes photographs, illustrations, cuttings from newspapers and everyday items like food wrappers, tickets, and mementos. These bits of ephemera add to the story of one man’s life. His diary starts in 1947 and has been kept ever since which means his diary is eight times the size of War and Peace John Gadd said ‘To begin with the diary was quite hard work and pretty boring. But after a …