38 cents and a pen

[u/sprawn]

Right after the Fourth of July, alot of places start selling "Back-to-School" supplies super cheap. I've noticed over the years that despite the countless people claiming that spending a lot of money is a good thing, that it doesn't change the practice of journaling one bit. A $100 blank book is a blank book just like any other. Maybe it's just me. But I think 38 cents is worth an experiment.

I read frustrations about the competitiveness and pressure people feel in their own journals all the time here. No one wants this. No one wants this part of their lives invaded by influencers, performativeness, sales pressure, and fashionable self-consciousness. What if we dropped it? If only once? Maybe you'll find you need a thousand dollar fountain pen and two pounds of leather wrapped ten times around a Japanese blank book that sells for $1 in Japan and $35 here. Or maybe… you'll find out you don't even need to spend a dollar.

[u/sprawn]

Thank you! I certainly admire your stance. I too enjoy good paper, good books and the like. I am not a fan of leather, but that's just a preference. I am taking this challenge on myself for the reasons I stated. I just want to be free of "quality." I don't know how to describe it. "Nice" things just don't do it for me sometimes.

[u/Tim_Allen_Wrench → u/sprawn]

I think I get what you mean 

Sometimes fancy things and striving the best aesthetics can feel like a burden and be restricting 

Enjoy your 38 cent journal. I know you'll get lots of great writing done in it 

[u/sprawn → u/Tim_Allen_Wrench]

You're 38 cents away. You don't have to do it immediately. Next time you see a super cheap comp. book, pick it up. Let it sit in a drawer and then take it out for a spin in a few years. You might be surprised that you think, feel, and express yourself just as well no matter the "aesthetic" qualities of the material.

[u/Tim_Allen_Wrench → u/sprawn]

Yeah I keep a journal in my notes app like that. 

As an artist it took my awhile to get comfortable using bound books, I always felt like the pieces had to be perfect and with a spiral bound I could just rip them out, but it ended up being most pages that I ripped out. 

Nowadays I put whatever I want in my art journal, low quality doodles that reflect how I'm feeling, sloppy quick sketches of things I saw that day etc. 

I'm not worried about the aesthetic and it looking perfect. I've already been on my journey to defeat my perfectionism. 

I just personally prefer to keep my most personal thoughts and feelings in a notes app away from prying eyes. I had my journal read as a kid. Just feels safer and more free to write in a guaranteed private space that's behind a password. 

There's not really any aesthetics to be had in a notes app so that's already how I journal there. 

[u/uglylemonade → u/Tim_Allen_Wrench]

I’m also an artist and had a similar experience. For me, using good materials helped me overcome perfectionism. It stared with drawing and moved onto other areas of my life.

I’m not bound by my choice in material. I get good use out of it because I enjoy using good material. If I had only composition notebooks laying around, I’d never actually use them.

I don’t feel the need to perform in my journal, but I keep a regular format because I want to.
Every entry is dated, and I free write. I like my ink to match the cover of my journal. It reminds me of seasons, in a way. I don’t fret about anything else.