Category: Journaling

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 …

How to Choose a Journal

Art Journals / Equipment and Supplies / Journaling / Written Journals15 Comments

In response to questions I have made a video on How to Choose a Journal. Hopefully people who are looking for a journal that they can both write and sketch in, will find my thoughts useful. If you want to write in a journal or sketch in journal choices are easier than if you want to mix the two activities in one book. To summarise what I look for when I choose a journal is Size – it has to fit in my handbag Paper weight and quality – I like to be able to sketch A stitched binding must …

Why a site about Contemporary Journaling?

Journaling35 Comments

Much of modern life has become about collecting experiences. Once it was buying the t-shirt (collecting objects) now, people take a selfie (collecting the experience) to illustrate where they are, and what they are doing. I have nothing against selfies as such. I do wonder what is actually happening when people dash here and there, seeing this and that, and take a selfie to mark the day. In sketching or writing in a journal, it forces you to slow down, to think a moment, to make connections between this idea and that idea, to internalise the experience, so it can be part of your history, your …