Are you one of those lovely but misguided people who buys beautiful stationery, gets it home and thinks: “but it’s too nice to use”? Sure, you could add your super cute Mini Journal to your growing collection of beautiful but unused notebooks over there on your shelf, but wouldn’t it be more fun to... you know, use it?
Have you thought about using your Miniature Journal on a daily basis to practice mindfulness and nurture your creativity? Or shall I say on a near-daily basis, or even on a 'when the muse strikes' basis, because who needs more pressure in their life?
Well, this blog post is packed with great ideas! Its prompts for creative uses and mindfulness draw on ideas from artists, poets, writers, business coaches, psychologists and my own practices. It’s designed to help you get the most from your Mini Journal and have a little fun along the way.
Every night just before I go to bed I write down my gratitudes for the day. I try and identify five, but sometimes there are more. However challenging my day might have been, I can see that there were times the universe looked out for me. Sunshine features pretty frequently, as does my garden, pets and loved ones. My customers frequently make the gratitude list, too. Without you I wouldn't get to make books every day.
Why not sketch something you saw today: interesting faces, street signs or doorways. Perhaps you could doodle the outfit you wore, or map out the journey you walked or took on the bus today?
One of the highlights of my days in the studio is when a creative customer gets in touch to share how they use their books. Their creative adventures inspire me to keep working, and I hope inspire you to try different ways to use your books:
Lara uses her Mini Journal to sketch portraits of her dogs and also the local birdlife found in her corner of New York.
Artist and creative practitioner Chloe Breen specialises in printmaking with materials found in nature - such as cow parsley seed heads - and uses her Miniature Journal to play with new ideas for larger pieces.
Eirian spent a rainy Sunday afternoon with her Mini Journal, writing down quotes and painting outdoor scenes inspired by the book she was reading.
For example: curiosity, patience, authenticity. Pick words that align with your values, and that are realistic and achievable. The Mini Journal serves as a record of what you've been focusing on lately, and has enough pages to last you a hundred days. You might also like to put a reminder in your phone or a post-it note on your desk, which you can change every day.
I like to include what nature is doing in my journal. The flowers that have come out in the garden, the weather, that sort of thing. If you're artistic you might like to record the colours of the season: the particular green of the grass at this time of year, the different tones in the sky or the sea.
"I keep it in my bag so I can capture sketches / ideas for new pieces when I'm out. So handy and just lovely to use." - Regina, Dublin, Ireland"
Haikus are a form of Japanese poetry and traditionally include a seasonal reference. They consist of 3 lines; the first line has 5 syllables, the second line has 7 syllables, and the final line has 5 syllables. Here are some examples to get your creative juices flowing, written by my Twitter followers back in the Autumn of 2004 when I ran a Haiku competition to win one of my handmade Mini Leather Journals:
Leaf shoals shivering
In the mist-nest of the trees.
Silvered slivers fall.
- Andrew Boobier, award-winning poet and author of 'Reader, help me'.
The seasons, siblings -
Autumn, the older sister
who puts them to bed.
- Gathen
A bee bumbles by
Summer sounds drifting away
Tongue dips in honey
- Damian Grounds
Lay down new pathways in your brain and develop a new outlook with positive affirmations. Just as if you were learning a new language, writing your affirmations down will help you embed them into your brainbox. And as we're thinking in terms of language...
In your own language, perhaps from the book you're currently reading. Or create a vocabulary list for a new language that you're learning for a holiday or work trip. Writing things down helps us remember them, and focuses our attention in the moment.
Adorable! Perfect size for carrying around and tracking daily activity patterns." - Jishen, California, USA
Follow in the footsteps of writer Alan Bennet and write down anything amusing you hear or see happening as you go about your day. Perhaps a random item on the wrong shelf the supermarket, indicating a shopper decided to swap an essential range tin of beans for a luxury toiletry item? A funny conversation or totally nonsensical fragment of gossip you heard on the bus or the tube? These needn't be lengthy, just little snippets that might form the seed of a future creative idea. Talking of ideas...
I once lamented that I had so many ideas but relatively little energy to do anything with them. Futhermore, I had such a poor memory that I wouldn't remember my ideas on the rare occasion that I did have some energy to spend on them. A psychologist advised me to write all my ideas down; that way they wouldn't be wasted, and they wouldn't be lost. He said that having ideas and recording them is an act of creativity in itself. And maybe, just maybe, I'd be able to pick them up in the future. It's worth a go, don't you think?
I adopted this daily practice from my brilliantly inventive ADHD business coach, Siobhan Fox. You can use it as a fun way to review your day, either with yourself or a loved one. It goes like this:
Here's an example from earlier this week:
I had another use for Mini Journals in mind that I had intended to include in this list then I realised it would be an absolutely terrible idea. Do not use your Mini Journal for writing down passwords. Your handmade miniature notebook is just so attractive and adorable that you're likely to leave it sitting on your desk, or on display on a bookshelf. You'll pop it into your pocket when you go out for the day, or tuck it into your bag. Public access to your passwords? I don't think so.
It's just too risky.
Don't do it.
Don't.
I hope this blog post has given you some new ideas for using your Mini Journal in your day to day life. If you're buying a handmade miniature journal as a gift for your loved one, you might like to accompany it with this list of prompts. So I'm delighted to offer this blog post as a printed resource. Leave a note at checkout and I will include a printed version with your order at no extra cost.
Would you like to see your Mini Journal featured here? Why not email me some pictures for consideration! I'd love to include a link to your website or social media account, so don't forget to include that, too.
And if you've got some great ideas for using your little notebooks, why not leave a comment below and share your ideas with everyone?
Susan the bookbinder
contact form | +44 (0)7748 759371 | info@boundbyhand.co.uk
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What do those professional bookbinding terms mean? Can I use any kind of glue? Where do I find waxed linen thread? Do I need special paper? Is that awl as good as the one I already have? I hear you. I was you.
