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On keeping sketchbooks

attainablefelicity.mattkirkland.com

31–40 of 86 posts

Re: On keeping sketchbooks

#31
This is great inspiration. And I like the humble tone of this article. It isn't telling me to do something but is moreso presenting an idea and how it helps the author.

I have never been a good or consistent journal writer nor can I draw, but I'd like to. I have been buying some Muji notebooks to try and find a notebook size and style that I know I will consistently use.

Re: On keeping sketchbooks

#32
This reminds me of the various people who kept commonplace books in the "19th century and the Renaissance": https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonplace_book

This additionally reminds me of a Bullet Journal; for me, a Bullet Journal fulfills the role of the author's sketchbook; the creator, Ryder Carroll, brands it as a planner, diary, sketchbook, calendar, and a 'catch-all for life': https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullet_journal

Re: On keeping sketchbooks

#33
post #3

Posts like these make me wish I could be consistant and keep a single notebook until its done and then move to the next. I always end up starting a project or scibbling down a thought on random scraps of paper. I try to organize and consolidate but really there is not much point after the fact since, if the note is made, transfering it is just busywork. I leaned into it last couple of years, I have a 2 corkboards (a…

I bought a Supernote recently as a note-taking device, and that's worked out really well. It's almost like pen on paper to write on, but I can open new documents freely to make notes in, then consolidate them later because they're all already in one place. The stuff that's just working out or temporary diagrams I can delete later, and the rest I can archive.

On the other hand, I have gone from having a clutter of paper on my desk to having a clutter of notes on my Supernote, so maybe I've just moved the clutter from one place to another. But at least it's now less visible!

Re: On keeping sketchbooks

#34

> Plus, I love the disconnectedness of a sketchbook. I can sit and think and plan in a sketchbook, and it doesn’t distract me from what I’m doing. This is why I still keep pens and physical notebooks on my desk. It's so much faster to flip it open and start writing than opening a 99th browser tab and navigating to an empty page on Notion, all while more desktop notifications start popping up on screen. Another side b…

Note taking is keeping the receipts for conversations and ideas. Most of the time you move on. Sometimes you need to go back and find the receipt.

Re: On keeping sketchbooks

#35
Helps to reign in the inner dialogue. At some point, a soft, friendly voice was discovered. She'd tell me to be nicer to myself. Seemingly we're 3-4, maybe 5 ppl inside this skull. Lately she changed into a nice granny and I found that it would be nice if she became my dominant self.

The current dominant self is all about herself, addicted to gaming, distracted, annyoing and anxious, and yearns for the end of life when frustrated. I'd never noticed these things if I hadn't given them a voice.

goes like this:

I'm dumb, I'm worthless, everyone would be better w/o me

her voice: What happened?

current me: I can't do this, this should be easy, I want to be dead

her voice: That so? What's your fear with this?

current me: I could be seen as lazy, I'd rather be dead than be seen as lazy

her voice, ironic tone: seems rational

Then the voices just stop and I can refocus... it's really weird. Anyways. Journaling really helps!

Re: On keeping sketchbooks

#36
During the Renaissance/Enlightenment, there was a lot of discussion among intellectuals on how to best keep notebooks/journals. A widely used system was to carry a small pocket notebook which was filled logbook style, with things entered as they came up. The material from the pocket notebook would later be transcribed to topically arranged journals. I believe I've read reference to this practice going back to Classical times. Given the frequent discussion of jornaling on HN, I'm surprised at the lack of discussion of this method.

Re: On keeping sketchbooks

#37

oh if I could draw worth a damn, it is probably all I'd ever do. I used to draw a lot as a kid, I just never got good at it.

if you're willing to spend a bit of money and and put in the effort, you can learn a lot of classical art skills from www.nma.art

Its sort of a netflix of art lessons (although a bit more money since its niche). very high quality stuff.

focuses on classical art skills rather than modern styles of art.

Re: On keeping sketchbooks

#38
I finally got rid of most of my sketchbooks and diaries this year. I found keeping mine vain. (I'm not saying you keeping yours is vain, but mine definitely was). It was liberating, like getting rid of a lot of burden of thoughts and impressions I wanted to rid of by putting them down to paper in the first place

Re: On keeping sketchbooks

#39
post #36

During the Renaissance/Enlightenment, there was a lot of discussion among intellectuals on how to best keep notebooks/journals. A widely used system was to carry a small pocket notebook which was filled logbook style, with things entered as they came up. The material from the pocket notebook would later be transcribed to topically arranged journals. I believe I've read reference to this practice going back to Classic…

Can you recommend sources to find out more about this?
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