To journal or not to journal?

I can't help myself. Every single time I see a journal... I want to journal. But what would I write? What would I do? Who would care? What good would it do?

I just recently came from the NEW Barnes and Noble location on West Gray in Houston and have decided to throw CAUTION to the WIND and start journaling! I know there was a lot of to-do from people about this Barnes and Noble location opening, but I love it. It's huge and clean and pretty and currently smells like new books. Check it out for yourself.

I fell in L-O-V-E with this journal. Actually, I fell in love with several journals and left with all of them... BUT... THIS journal is going to be the ONE. I expect big things to happen on the pages of this book... and part of the excitement is that it's all for ME! Goals, ideas, thoughts.... I'm actually going to start writing them down here to look back on and have them all together. What a novel concept...

(A side note about just how cool this journal is.... it is TREE-FREE and made from the Lokta Plant. This journal is 100% handmade and promotes fair trade and the women co-operatives of Nepal that make the product using local raw materials. I also bought several notepad journals made from 100% recycled materials. No reason to hurt a tree just for me to get my act together!)

While waiting to pick up Isabella from Deogi Doggie Day Spa.... I came back to the studio to make my very first entry...

I'm excited about the possibilities of inner-enlightenment from my journaling... but I guess I won't hold myself to such high expectations. Maybe... at the very least... I'll hope for a little less mind-clutter. If anyone has any journaling tips... I'm ALL ears!

-Brett Chisholm
Houston Photographer

Comments

[Tom Robinson]

I kept a journal for a while. I followed the advice of a source that recommended writing for 45 minutes each morning -- starting the instant you get out of bed. The theory is that your subconscious has been working all night, so you get the most out of that by doing a brain dump as soon as you wake up. The "rules" for this method also said that you had to do it longhand (not a problem since you're not using a computer), and that you must write whatever comes into your head -- even if it's that you can't think of anything to write. (That wasn't a problem after the first day.) I have to say that it did wonders for my clarity and sense of focus. I will also admit that it was hard to keep doing because it required getting up earlier than usual. I am NOT a morning person.