Notebook Love
I am a list-maker. I make lists of lists to remember my lists (because doesn't the checking off of things feel so good?). I have found more convenient ways to keep track of all my to-do's, thoughts, questions, and ideas but there's something about writing in a notebook with my favorite pen I can't let go of. So if you crave a fresh sheet of paper to mark up with tasks or are longing to vent on a page because you can guarantee she won't peep a word, this list of notebooks may be of interest to you:
The Confidante
The notebook I turn to when the world goes quiet. She holds my ponderings, frustrations & everything in between. Same.
The Nature Lover
I got these cute little things at a paper show. The covers are made of natural ultra-thin wood veneer & printed with a gold foil stamp. They feel like you just chopped down the tree to take notes but without the guilt of deforestation. The supplier assured me with enough facts that I believe the company is sustainable & replenishes more than what they take. Same (send a request) or similar.
The Go-Getter
This planner has enough space for the busiest of days, a secret pocket in the back for those inevitable scraps of unreadable-yet-important notes and a cover that makes you want to get shit done to the tune of any musician at Woodstock. Similar for 2014
The Idealist
Nothing like a classic to let your craziest ideas run free. I jot down fleeting thoughts from poems to personal branding exercises in this notebook. Some of the ideas come to fruition, some don't. They all hang out together here, judgment-free. Similar.
There are so many great resources to find the perfect notebook. I've listed a few of my favorites. Where do you find your gems?
Calm amongst the storm
I've never been one to stand calm and wait for the good to come to me. I've always chased what I wanted. If I didn't, my want may change its mind and go looking for someone else to love. For instance, in 3rd grade it was the cutest boy at recess I'd chase after. By the time I reached high school, it was a starting spot on the varsity basketball team. The latest dream I had a death grip on was becoming a graphic designer with a college degree. I guess I thought if I worked harder than anyone there wasn't a chance I would not get what I was running after. I would will it to happen if nothing else. But now I'm starting to question if the running is towards something or just in circles.
With life as my teacher (no more professors, woohoo!) I'm thinking it would do more good to sit still and listen than to chase blindly. Lately, I've exhausted myself with worry and overanalyzing. I've actually become a control freak as a reaction to these mind games. Seriously. I control how the toothbrushes sit on the bathroom sink. I move them back in place if they're positioned differently than how I left them. I put ingredients back in their rightful places before Joel has used them to make dinner. I pick up before things get out of order, afraid of those messy thoughts. I make decisions at work to cover all the bases but I often miss the mark. Quality, not quantity. No heart.
“If you have patience, you have the whole world at your feet, for everything worthwhile in life comes to he who stands calm.”
This quote keeps popping up in my head as I go about my days this week. It's become my mantra I didn't consciously choose. "Stand calm. Stand calm. Stand calm." Methodical and comforting, like the rain I've been hearing at night. I think whoever wrote this was on to something. Maybe the answer is in slowing down, not speeding up. I think my body knew it before my heart and head could catch up. I was compelled all summer to take pictures of my feet in the different places I wound up. I didn't know it then but my feet were trying to tell me something."Emily, let's stand calm."
Coaster Spruce-Up
This weekend was the first weekend I've been home since July! Being "bored" has been a luxury as I sit with my hard cider next to the open window to feel the fall air & watch the sun dance between the tree branches. I forgot how open your mind becomes when you let yourself sit still. Which is how this set of 4 coasters came to be. They've been laying around our living room, blank canvases waiting to be filled. I was inspired by these Luvocracy beauties on Pinterest. Instead of repinning, I decided to repurpose.
What you'll need:
White acrylic paint (I used acrylic gesso because it's all I had. Worked great but it was a bit thick)
Cork coasters
Paintbrushes
Total project cost: $10
I've been loving triangles & geometric patterns lately. I'm not sure if it's because they're the direct opposite of circles—which I've been obsessed with since design school (seriously, so many circles in my portfolio!) —or because triangles are a symbol of change.
I don't do well with the uncertainty that comes with change. Doodling triangles & incorporating them throughout my house is my attempt to embrace change a little more than I have in the past. I think more lessons are learned when you accept what life has handed you rather than fight it. Of course, this is super easy to write & super challenging to do. How do you embrace change? I'd love to get better at it.
The fear of beginning
It has taken me 3 years to get here. My heart is pounding & my head feels dizzy. I'm not sure why. It's purely a space to share my thoughts, my experiments, the things that make me want to get up & DO. But it also feels a lot like jumping off a cliff, not knowing where I'm going to land.
I have a secret to admit...I don't always feel brave. I am terrified of failing. I don't want people to know I can't do it all. So that's what this is for me. A place that says, "you are brave, girl, not in spite of your weaknesses but because of them".
I am excited to explore whatever that means. And after 3 years of talking, stewing, doubting & annoying my people about starting this, I finally understand this word in its entirety: begin.