Journals? Choice matters depending on what styles and results you envisage. My favourite ones at the moment are ring binder type self made ones. Single sheet papers can be added, subtracted or moved about. You can make one so easily with two punch holes in the paper and old beautiful jute cord holding it together. A hard cover front/back for protection. I have found myself tearing wallpaper blank lining paper or hand made cotton papers to make these. The old leather Filofax I have carries hole punched hand made paper too. 

The book journals are useful too. But I tend to keep them for private thoughts. Over the years I’ve looked back and realised angst, self criticism, worrisome thoughts and negativity can be evident between the covers at times. Cathartic in letting it out. No joy in re-reading though. The ring binder journals are simply filled with nonsense and whimsy. Alongside experimentation with pen and ink and additional song lyrics. 

Nowadays? I simply cannot go into a stationer shop. I always, without fail, buy a book filled with blank ready for writing action paper inherent. Get home and……they end up staying on the shelves, under the stairs for years. Alongside many more. My grandchildren are finding great joy in the fact that when they visit us, they get given their own new journal to start up the mind’s adventures. I love the hand drawn pictures and thoughts they show us. Never thought of us grandparents and parents looking like their results! Really! That old! I’m waiting for one to show up of us using walking sticks.

Here below is a fairly recent acquisition. En Route. Travel journals are strange affairs. Why? Because I don’t travel abroad. Never have. And the assumptions in many travel journals is that you are off on an aeroplane, train or boat. Worked in a travel agency when I left school. They had this huge basement that was ideal for rehearsing in with my band. We could keep all the equipment there too. The manager was a kind hearted guy. Loved him to bits. In his inherent character and personality he really was a truly wonderful and humble man. Travel agents clerks do have opportunities to get around the World. I never took advantage of any of the free ‘educational’ holidays. Sent by Travel Company’s to experience and learn about what they offered through their brochures. Then feedback to customers. Went to Jersey for a weekend once….and that was it. My colleagues loved me. More holidays for themselves. In seven years I went nowhere. Not interested really. I simply love everything about Great Britain. 

Please tap on each photograph to enlarge.

So a travel journal is a strange addition to journal choice. But I do love aesthetically pleasing tactile and visual opportunities in book choice. This En Route journal was found for a £1 in a charity shop. Aesthetically it’s a lovely find. It may be able to be modified into a podcast meetings journal. Whilst a fantastic inclusion for insight and planning for journeys, The Practical Stuff section may not be appropriate for my own uses. Can be taken out. But the Travel Notes pages are there for the taking. Trip, Date, Today’s Itinerary and Notes can be used. Especially with individual podcast experiences. A section for each. Rather like the Dream Journal blog Inwrite previously. The red dividing sections have a pocket on the back which is great for leaflets. The back has a plastic sealed pocket bag. So, again, useful. The Sketching pages are grid design, the Travel Notes journal pages have ideal line spacing for my style of handwriting and some lovely quotes at the bottom of each page. Keeping in touch addresses/phone pages, with Emergency and Expenses information at the back section too. But then again this journal may stick around for years on a shelf. Under the stairs.

Or, at hands reach in the VeeDub should inspiration come calling at the drop of a hat. It may be too tempting to resist that story out there. And so start up the engine…..and seek what exists on that new horizon.

VeeDub. Creating future ambience.