Hi there! I’ve been running The Notebook Doodles since 2009, it started on Blogger/Blogspot as a personal blog for my thoughts and creations at the time. It has now evolved very differently throughout the passing years, less personal content (though I am starting to do explore this option again recently) and more inspirational quotes that I find enlightening for myself. I am no longer blogging daily but I have moved on to Instagram and Tumblr.
It started since I was pretty young, I remember keeping simple notebooks and writing down my daily thoughts in them as early as pre-teens. I remember keeping tallies of different things to keep track of my life, I still have a fun time re-reading my old notebooks because it was so silly and innocent back then. I kept journaling throughout my teenage years, high school was very eventful so I had plenty to journal about. Overall, I’ve always liked to write things down for as long as I can remember. It was the process of just writing things down that made me happy. The earliest time I can recall is going on road trips with my family and writing down number plates as we drove past other cars, this is even before I was old enough to know how to journal or what journaling was all about :)
Yes and no :) Consistent in a way that it would mostly be about my daily life and events, and not consistent in the way that I did them in. My style has changed so much throughout the years, I was so fond of cute little notebooks when I was younger, and now I am just happy with a clean cut notebook with no graphic or design to it. I guess with age, you gradually change your sense of style of everything in your life, from clothes to food, to even notebooks preferences.
I don’t think I can pinpoint a certain inspiration. It can really come from anywhere for me personally and it depends on what I react to in my daily life. Sometimes a song or a film can really resonate to me but other days, it just wouldn’t. Sometimes even college commencement speeches can inspire me, so there really isn’t any limit there. I know for sure though, that when you’re not inspired, you’re simply stuck. And that’s okay, just take the time you need to pause and restart again when you can.
I would say in most cases, it is based on emotions, whether it be good or bad ones. But often, there are also times where I journal because it is therapeutic for me. Just by writing things down, or sticking photos and decorating a page, it soothes my soul :)
I don’t necessarily set a time for myself to journal, it really just comes naturally. I guess you can say that I journal when I feel like it.
It depends, I haven’t found a specific time that I am most creative. Sometimes it can be at night, sometimes it can be in the morning. But it really comes down to my mood and what is happening in my surroundings :)
At the moment, I am really liking the Traveler’s Notebook, both the passport size and also the regular size. I used to favor Moleskine a lot but I found that their quality just wasn’t as good as it was before, I’m not sure what changed but it was just different. So now, I am solely using the Traveler’s Company notebooks and they have a variety of them, from grid paper to craft paper, etc.
My main favorite pen will always be the Uniball Signo 0.38, I stock it up so much that I never really run out of them :) that’s how dedicated and loyal I am to those pens :) But recently I came across the Sailor 1911 fountain pen in extra fine and I have been enjoying using it so much.
No, not at the moment. I used to like browsing graphic design books at the local bookstores, but I haven’t been doing that recently. I guess it’s because I can find so much more content online that really inspires me, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be published into a book to have great content :) We live in such a digital world now and I think it’s amazing and definitely has its perks!
I rarely reveal my identity and I am happy to just be referred to as The Notebook Doodles, it has become my online identity and I feel like when I post my handwritten doodled quotes, I am this machine sending out hopefully good positive vibes to the internet and to the feeds of those who follows me :)
I would say that this is my main hobby, it has been a part of me for most of my life, and I think it will continue to do so in the future.
Just start. Pick your tools, whatever it may be, and just begin. There is no such thing as failing, all of it will be a process and you will only find out what you like and dislike by giving it a go. Don’t be scared and don’t try to be someone else. You can gather inspirations but you have to remember to keep yourself rooted in this creative journey, because it is YOUR journey at the end of the day :)
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A big thank you to The Notebook Doodles for sharing all of the wonderful pages and illustrations with us!
And for all you wonderful readers looking to connect, you can find more of The Notebook Doodles here:
INSTAGRAM: @thenotebookdoodles
Click here to see more journal inspirations and past guests on The Journal Diaries.
How wonderful! peeking into people's journals give me so much inspiration!
ReplyDeleteJade x
I love this! I've never really thought too much about journaling as it feels like one of many things I would start and never finish but this has inspired me so much :)
ReplyDeleteAlice | Whiskey Jars Blog
love it!
ReplyDelete