Such is Life // A.C.

As long as I can remember, I’ve kept a diary in some form. Only two years ago did I start organizing and recording in a Traveler’s Notebook as a daily practice, when my partner took me to Baum-Kuchen’s event at the ACE Hotel. As soon as I started using my Camel TN, I felt a freeness and ease to the format. Clearing headspace this way is so important because as a freelancer I can all too easily get overwhelmed and lose track of my schedule, or worse, my enjoyment of life. “I am more than the money I make, more than the list of things I’ve yet to achieve.” It was a surprisingly hard lesson to learn. But it’s a lesson affirmed every time I flip through my weekly to see steady progress alongside moments of celebration. Writing by hand, I can interpret each day’s value on my own terms.

+ Traveler’s Notebook Regular Camel

I consult this every day. It’s used for everything from scheduling work, appointments, and dates to remembering jokes and copying down eerily accurate horoscopes. It’s also my part-time wallet and an on-the-go sketchbook, perfect for drawing or writing observations during lectures or long trips.

The cover is customized with stamps and a stitched leather pocket (awesome for tickets, documents, and ephemera). It wears a Le Petit Prince charm--one of my favorite books. I’ve kept Little Prince-themed planners for several years, so at this point, it’s a tradition.

+ Traveler’s Notebook Passport Blue

For journaling with light pockets. On-the-go observational drawings, quotes, phrases, poetry, and prose go here. To inspire my writing, I’m getting titles of favorite works of literature embossed on the cover. I’ve got HOWL by Allen Ginsberg so far. Inside I keep a TSL x BK Travel for Life Wallet. A gift from my partner, it’s stamped with “14”, our lucky number and anniversary date.

+ Hobonichi 5-Year Techo (2019-2023)

The newest addition, bought to commemorate a new chapter in my life: as a published comics author! You’re only a debut once, so I want to mark this time well. The tiny space granted to each entry makes me carefully consider what to carry forward each day. As someone who tends to write TOO much, I feel like this journal is a brutal exercise in honing skills of self-evaluation, honesty, and appreciation. Four different “me”s of the future are watching, after all...no pressure.

The other “lung” vital to my analogue system is made up of my sketchbooks, too numerous to list here. I reserve one large sketchbook for concept art and research for my graphic novel. There’s also a Moleskine-like book designed by my partner, which I use to draft proposals, pitches, emails, social media posts, etc. (seeing the weird tigers Emil drew on the cover makes me less reluctant to deal with the businesslike tasks inside lol). But the majority of my sketchbooks are a total hodgepodge.

 

Maybe it’s because I arrange and fill little boxes on a page for a living, but my natural tendency is to draw from corner to corner on compositions and use lots of lines. It’s an effort to simplify. Sketching from life is great for that, especially ephemeral subjects in constant motion like birds, people or the view out of a plane/bus/train window.

"You only have so much time to look and determine what’s important. Such is life." 

I’m really happy when I manage to capture the essence of such things.

 

Still, I keep going back to inventing characters and drawing structured, elaborate things like architecture, airplanes, plants and historical clothing. It’s just so fun to get lost in the details. This carries over to my journaling style too. No matter how much I try to limit the papers I keep or pare down a layout or a spread, I still end up with journals fat with paper and layers of material. Such is life!

There’s something I try to keep in mind when I make a mistake while creating. You can make a bad drawing. But you can’t make a drawing that’s bad for you. Overall, I think my analogue journey has taught me to be more aware and forgiving, too. Writing (or drawing) by hand with any honesty forces you to confront failures. Especially when using ink, there’s a sense of committing to the mark you make, intended or not.

"Pen blots, unfulfilled plans, things I wish I hadn’t said, done or experienced, all stay visible when written on paper. But that makes it possible to react to and hopefully grow from them."

You can find Catherine at:

BK Products mentioned or shown in Catherine's story:
Travelers Notebook - Camel
Travelers Notebook - Blue Passport
Lamy White Pen
TN Archive Binder
Tools to Live By Binder Clips (currently sold out)
BK Truly Yours - TN Customization (please email karma@baum-kuchen.net)