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I figure between the ADHD, Fountain Pens and a few CC threads we probably have enough people for a dedicated journalling/writing + drawing things down in a journal thread, so here we goooo... Why Journal?
At the end of the day, though, you don't need any justification or reason for doing it. Sometimes people do things just because, alright? What would I need? A book to write in and a pen, possibly a highlighter too if that's your jam. If you're not sure this is something you'll enjoy over the long term, just use an exercise book you already have, gotten from a friend, neighbour, etc. Is there a difference between a diary, planner and bullet journal? Honestly, I use these somewhat interchangeably, but here's a rough idea: Diary - usually to keep a daily/weekly log of what you did. Can come with or without days/dates written in Planner - for planning ahead, usually come with the days/dates already printed in Bullet Journal - usually a journal that's a hybrid of the two to help you log your day and plan for the future Why's it called a bullet journal? Technically, bullet journalling isn't the book itself, it's a system of journalling/notetaking outlined in the 2013 book The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll, who has ADHD and needed a method to "track the past, order the present, and design the future". While you can use the book to get started, it's not necessary (there's a few videos on how to get started with the system). Bullet Journalling has largely developed a life of its own complete with youtube videos, stores selling official and unofficial bullet journals, instagram hashtags, and widespread adoption by online communities such as 'studytube' (yes this is a thing, do not look it up unless you are okay with your YouTube recommendations becoming a pastel nightmare world with titles such as 'huge back to school stationery haul'). Quick rundown of the syntax: . = task x = task completed > = task migrated < = task scheduled - = notes o = events Do I need a bunch of expensive stationery? Absolutely not! I mean, I have to actively resist not spending a fortune on the associated nonsense, but I am also someone who never really grew out of their 'nice stationery' phase as a child. At the end of the day - don't feel pressured into buying stuff you're not sure you'll use or if it'll work for you. Picking a journal If you'd like to buy a journal, there's really only four things you need to work out - size, page thickness, whether it's blank, has lines, a grid, or dot-grid, and whether or not you want dates, years, etc printed on it already. Size - you can get journals in many standard paper sizes, the most common ones being A5 and A4, that and the number of pages is something you should gauge based upon how you plan to use it Page thickness - thicker paper means less bleed through if you're using markers, highlighters, paint, etc, but also means the books are heavier and/or you'll churn through the books quickly if you discover writing an entire stream of consciousness is your new hobby Blank/lined/grid/dot-grid - blank if you're an artist or can write in a straight line with no worries, lined if you're only planning on writing, grid and dot-grid for those of us who want the flexibility to draw but also can't write in a straight line. Some other factors you may want to consider: Spine - traditional bindings vs ring bindings Pen holders - might be good to consider getting a book with a pen holder inbuilt if you're worried about losing your pen(s) Paper colour - yes you can get them with black pages and just write in a gel or paint maker Some journal brands (may expand on this later, anyone with these - share your thoughts):
Other Stationery While I would like to discourage people from buying a bunch of stuff they don't need or may regret later, I admit a part of the fun is the flimsy justification for buying/using cute stationery. Here's a few things I've used myself or have seen others use that may help the habit stick and/or scratch your stationery itch:
I like the idea, but what should I journal? Up to you, but here's some ideas if don't know where to start:
Do I need nice handwriting? Nah, so long as it's legible enough for you to read back (assuming you'd like to read it back at some future point, that is!) How do I improve my handwriting? It's probably to do with how you hold the pen and/or the amount of pressure you're using. The only way to get better is to practice, and I'd possibly suggest using a fountain pen or a brush pen with a stiff tip to retrain yourself out of Hulk-smashing the tip of the pen into the paper. I've been trying to do handlettering tutorials, for which I'd recommend trying something like the Pentel Sign Brush Pen to get used to the technique. I'm left handed and have done calligraphy in the past, but I still found I've frayed some of my nice Tombow brush markers because I don't have the technique quite right yet, alas. Okay smartypants, what's yours look like? Mine is very much an ode to imperfection, but here you go... Inside cover + what I actually use most days:  Wrote the bullet journal symbols onto a post-it and taped it inside the page with some washi tape so I could have a fold out reference. The feelings wheel sticker is from RedBubble (not super impressed with the quality, but oh well), while the bird sticker is of a Carnaby's Black Cockatoo, which are an endangered species only found in Western Australia. Actually, going to shamelessly plug the conservation centre I got it from here - Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre. Buy a sticker, help save these hilarious can openers with wings - the conservation centre ships internationally! January cover page/habit tracker. I find habit trackers are a horrible idea for me personally, but apparently they work for some people...  How it started:   How it's going:  ... The moral of this story is different things work for different people and the important thing is to have fun and do what makes you happy. Related Threads: Fountain Pens:I strongly support any and all financially crippling fountain pen purch Ask me about childhood and adult ADD Adult ADHD Thread: You're not lazy, stupid, or crazy. froglet fucked around with this message at 14:41 on Mar 9, 2022 |
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Mar 7, 2022 07:19
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Placeholder for misc stationery stuff! 
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Mar 7, 2022 07:20
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Mercury Hat posted:Here's my current monster with a salt shaker for scale. Nice! I added some pics to the OP of how I started and it's going now I've now got far less time for fun layouts since the Christmas holidays, but I'm still journalling and enjoying it. 
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Mar 9, 2022 16:26
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Siivola posted:Since then I also bought a hardcover A5 Leuchtturm for school notes (I feel bougie as poo poo but gently caress that get nice things in your life), and while it feels fancier than the softcover, it's actually too thick to comfortably write on both sides of the page. Oh, it doesn't lay flat? I've defs seen people use bullclips and so on to hold the pages in place, but it could be when you next need a new notebook you may want to consider whether or not it lays flat(ter) is an important characteristic. WRT: covetting pencils or whatever: The thing I tell my friends who are not stationery people (heh) is that I only count it as a waste of money if I don't use it and/or it lands up as a part of my 'too nice to use for anything but special occasions' shrine. I try not to have too much 'special occasion' stuff, coz that's as much of a waste as frivolously using brush ink pens to, I dunno, write shopping lists, but I still occasionally think 'no, I cannot use that! It is for a special occasion!'. I'm working on it There's also how, as far as vices/obsessions go, stationery can be a lot more affordable than the myriad other things people pour their money into, and if you're pretty sure you're done enjoying a new pen or whatever, you can give them away to anyone in your life who thinks it may be fun, friends children, leave it in a friends house and they'll forever wonder where they got it, etc. Xand_Man posted:Any suggestions as a lefty to keep your hand from becoming an inky/graphite-smudged mess?  fellow leftie! It really depends on the type of paper, the type of pen (or pencil), and what you're doing with it. That... Isn't very helpful, but here's a few thoughts: Pencils - I find the grade of pencil will determine how much graphite I accrue on my hand while drawing (8B, smear it all over the page, HB, not so much), and smoother paper means more transference while textured paper means less, but honestly... Righties probably get that too (when it comes to drawing, that is). If I'm super committed to drawing/writing in pencil, I use a piece of baking paper under my writing hand (and, uh, maybe try not to press down too much). I've also heard about artist bridges but my art is more kindergarten than Kahlo, so I've never felt the need. Pens - if you're wanting to do fancy calligraphy, I suggest trying either a Pentel sign brush pen (they're cheap, are widely available, and come in a heap of colours), or a cheap and cheerful fountain pen. The thing about writing with fountain pens or doing calligraphy is that you need to sort of hold the pen at a semi-consistent angle and let your shoulder do most of the work, and while that may come more naturally to right-handers because they pull the pen left to right, for lefties it's harder because they push the pen left to right. It means it's harder to learn and you're more likely to break your pens while learning, so do yourself a favour and buy something cheap and cheerful that you won't be too heartbroken about mangling first, then get the nice pen (... or not, it's up to you!).
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Mar 16, 2022 15:35
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Thanks to the mod who fixed the tag! I got excited and wanted to  and landed up with a Shitpost tag, heh. Also, I keep trying not to sink too much money into this obsession, but after buying a new journal coz I heard the manufacturer wasn't going to sell to overseas suppliers anymore, the company I got mine from did a "mystery bundle" of their journals almost as soon as I received mine and...  If I were 25 years younger I would 100% be the target demographic of unboxing videos, and if stationery companies did subscription mystery boxes of misc stationery here in Australia, I'd probably go broke  (And any Aussies who are suckers for mystery notebook loot boxes like me - the place I got mine from has one left). ... I've just remembered I havent used my new fountain pen yet! Coz I wanted to wash it out and dry it first. I know what I'm going to do today!
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Mar 26, 2022 04:40
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Keetron posted:Five pages from filling a sketch journal and now I am so much in doubt what to do next.  "Stop buying stationery" "No!"Meanwhile, that mystery box I ordered never arrived. It got to the airport of my state and never left the depot (or it got stolen). I'd finally caved and bought some Mildliners, too...  Oh well, I've still got plenty of pages in my current journal. I'm taking a bit of time off after Easter, so I'll have more time to regroup, and work on all the misc goals that I've written down in my journal but have been dilly-dallying on (like the books I started but haven't yet finished, heh). I recently got some black cockatoo washi tape, which is super nice, will try to make a spread that isn't completely covered in my usual journal drivel purely to show it off, but no promises...
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Apr 16, 2022 16:08
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Chaosqueen posted:This weekend I created my May theme. I have been looking forward for months to make a Harry Potter theme (Rowling sucks, but I still like the stories), last week finally the stickers arrived. Gosh these are all so lovely, well done. Dunno bout the rest of you, but the good thing about this wretched hobby is it does give me an excuse to at least try drawing, even though I turbo-failed art in school. And my mystery box arrived! Hurray. The A5 book isn't to my taste, but I had a feeling that would happen and I know just the person to give it to, while the others I'm going to use for tabletop RPG stuff. I'm about 30 pages from the end of my current journal, so I'm slowly going through setting up the new one - I drew a calendar for the year in my first and was surprised how useful it was, so I'm going to do that again...
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Apr 26, 2022 15:07
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Keetron posted:When did the Leuchterm 120g came out? I ran into it last month in Switzerland, not having seen it locally before and now I see it all over the place even in my local postoffice / stationary store. From what I've seen, it's only a recent thing (as in, within the last... 6-12ish months or so?). This may depend on where you are, I remember hearing about them early last year, yet I've only seen them stocked at bricks and mortar stores here in Australia in the last 6 months. Chaosqueen posted:Hi, A bit late, but these are adorable!  Mercury Hat posted:Good luck on the drawing practice. If you keep a diary-style journal you can try including a little doodle about your day. It doesn't have to be every day or anything complex. Also if you're just looking to practice or warm up, try using pen instead of a pencil you can erase, it helps me commit to my idea and also move on if it's not looking the way I want. This is advice coming from someone who's been drawing forever though. It's harder to pick up creative hobbies as an adult, you have to push through that self-conscious feeling. Congrats on the new journal! It's good to try something different then went back when it didn't work for you. I kinda want to go from A5 to B5 to give my sinister goblin writing hand (I'm a lefty) more space Speaking of new journals... I started a new journal recently, I could share the stuff I've drawn in it soon. Though I'm no accomplished artist like many here, it's still fun to do!
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Jan 3, 2023 06:31
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sb hermit posted:Do you use fountain pens? If so, what kind of ink do you use? I have one fountain pen, it's a Platinum Preppy Blue Black one, and... I got it coz it wasn't particularly expensive, but the nib is thicker than I expected (which isn't a bad thing given my various lefty writing peculiarities), but the ink colour isn't my fave and on my journal the blue-grey doesn't look great and that + how thick the nib is means I can't fit in as many words and don't like how it looks so much. I personally prefer a more Royal Blue colour, my usual journalling pen is a bright blue rollerball needlepoint (I like the needlepoint pens coz they discourage me from pressing too hard on the paper/at too harsh an angle). Also, if anyone here's a lefty and wanting to try brush lettering/hand lettering but are daunted by fountain pens - I cannot recommend Pentel Sign Pens enough. They are far cheaper and have a flexible tip, which makes them way more forgiving than brush markers. It means you won't destroy them as quickly if you've got any funny writing quirks, and you don't feel too bereft if you mush the tip over time since it won't happen within 15 minutes of using it. They also have an excellent colour range and you can buy singles, which is important if you're a chaos goblin like me who likes colour and occasionally loses/destroys individual pens. I have the Brush Ups set in primary colours, and while I kinda covet the pastels set, I didn't think I'd use them enough*, so I bought the blue from the pastel set by itself coz it better matches my preferences to the blue in my existing set. * I may still get the pastels. I tell myself this is a cheaper hobby than drugs or alcohol. 
froglet fucked around with this message at 07:17 on Jan 4, 2023 |
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Jan 4, 2023 02:15
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Keetron posted:Just don't get into fountain pens, that is equally financially crippling. Hahah. Ahahaha. Haaaah. Guess who impulse-bought a Lamy Safari while on holiday today... While testing the nibs on my journal at the store, one of the sales staff asked "Is that an Archer & Olive journal?" Why yes, yes it is, for this is one of my obsessions.
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Jan 16, 2023 08:16
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Keetron posted:Lamy Safari, the gateway drug to pen collecting. Everything considered, it is not even that stellar a pen but it is good in getting people hooked. Haha I'm on holiday right now, so I think working out where to upload my pictures of the tests I did in the back of my journal then sharing them is a bit beyond me right now since I'm on mobile. Shame they don't sell in the EU, I thought you'd get a few stockists there at least - the stationer I got mine through is no longer restocking them coz they won't supply to Australian stockists, but maybe that's a worldwide thing? froglet fucked around with this message at 06:19 on Jan 17, 2023 |
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Jan 17, 2023 02:45
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Pixelante posted:This seems like it belongs here. Man, I want one... Hey goons! It's been a while. I finished off my last journal and started a new one a few months ago. The new one is a blackout journal. As in, all-black pages. It's been fun, but as I suspected I prefer regular white paper - I have more pens that work on white paper and the ink in the gellyroll pens I use for the black paper take ages to dry, which is a bit of an issue when you're left-handed. That and the 1.0 pens and thickness of the ink doesn't work great with my handwriting. Although my blackout journal isn't even a third full, I'm planning on moving onto the new journal in the new year. I figure it's more important to go back to something I will actually enjoy using more, and I can still use the blackout journal for doodles, notes, stickers, jotting down recipes and spicy opinions like Final Fantasy IX being the best FF game.
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Dec 10, 2023 15:21
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HopperUK posted:Goddamn if I spent that on a journal I would simply never use it. I already have a bit of 'I will ruin it' anxiety when starting a *normal* notebook. Good grief yeah while I frequently tell myself I unthinkingly spend comparable amounts of money on eating out without thinking twice, so why beat myself up over some pens or a journal, that kind of money is probably the point where my brain spiders would start menacing me. DurianGray posted:This is correct. I actually have some FFIX-themed washi tape - my partner gave it to me for Christmas one year. It's fricken adorable.
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Dec 11, 2023 17:24
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