Which means morning pages, which means that I am now writing morning pages, my private diary and a blog diary (on my German blog). Such a lot of writing, but I love it.
A journal/diary has to be a safe place, a home, where you can be as you are, no censors allowed, a sacred space out of normal everydaydoing.
Where does it come from, this strong urge to write? I don't know, but I am writing since I am able to do. Writing diary started when I was 12. I always wanted to be a writer and my cousin Markus, who is many years older than me, said to me one day: "You should start with writing a diary, because that's what all good writers do. And don't only record what has happened, also write down, what you feel, even if it is: oh I could have murdered that person..."
I took it to heart and started my diary. And kept to it since then.
On some days, when I felt lost and lonely, writing down my daily life in very small details really safed me from getting depressed, because I recognized how many wonderful little "sunshines" there are.
My daughter playing in the garden, the cat coming to cuddle, a ball game with my dog, a beautiful sunset, butterflies on thistles, a certain song I love on the supermarket's musicstream ("How deep is your love" by the Bee Gees), a poem that I had forgotten and found by accident, a smile from a stranger, a good tomato sauce on my pasta...
And when I re-read old diary entries, it's always that recording of little things, that makes me smile.
I have got this very old diary from a farmer who wrote this in 1882. It's a gem I found at Etsy.
I bought it to use it in my collages, but now I don't have the heart to loot it. It's a world of its own. It has been the private space of some-one who is long gone. It's full of a beautiful handwriting, mostly about his work and the weather and in the back a ledger with gains and expenses.
I always loved the fact, that the words journal and journey are so close to each other.
It so true, that there is a close relationship.
Wow, I would also be afraid to loot the old diary, it seems as it should be preserved in its entirety. What a treasure.
ReplyDeleteI found that I mostly ever wrote in my diaries when I was depressed or having some sort of man episode in my life and it embarrasses me still when I realize how much of my head space was used up on the latter!
I'm thinking of doing a composite piece of swatches of them all from over the years and maybe I'll get over my embarrassment.
xoxo Kim
PS I have a question about the collage box project... I'll need to make sure they have the right address when the time comes as I'll be moving again in November. Thanks
Ok, this could be long. :D
ReplyDelete1) I´m doing the Artist´s way group too! Can we exchange notes? As in which chapter you are at, if you do group check ins and add links ...
2) Fab advice from your cousin. Cool guy. :)
3) When you say uncensored journaling ... don´t you ever fear someone might read your journal? I found myself censoring some bits just in case. ;)
There is more but I don´t want to be tiresome. :D
Your first two photos are so beautifully composed! I read The Artist's Way on my own, but I think it would have been a great experience to do it as part of a group, and really take my time with it. I think I would want to preserve the farmer's diary too.
ReplyDeleteThe Artist's Way is a favorite book of mine. A very important book. A few days ago I wrote a blog on the Artist's Way. I need to get back to my morning pages. A great post, thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThe old diary is amazing. I love all these little relics of the past.
ReplyDeleteKeep on writing!