Here's recent page from a little journal that I started keeping a year ago. I got the idea from a woman who had a journal similar to this in a show at BookWorks last winter. My take on it is that I divide each two-page spread into fourteen squares, one for each day of a fortnight or two week period. Every single day I make a quick sketch and write a few words to highlight or summarize the day. The spread shown was from the last part of December. The book has enough pages in it to fit another year's worth of tiny squares. It's a little butter box journal, only I used a Whole Foods 365 house brand cream cheese box (which has "365" written on the cover-- perfect!). The directions to make this journal are under "tutorials".
A number of people in my journal group have been keeping this type of journal, and they all have their own takes on it. I'm trying to loosen up and break out of the squares, but so far I have not been successful, other than to paint in an overall background that sort of reflects the weather. I love this practice as it takes only a few minutes each day. Then when you flip back through the year you remember so much more than you would have remembered without the journal. It helps me see patterns, too.
Fantastic choice of cover! I must imitate you at once!
ReplyDeleteSo, a fortnight is two weeks? 14 days? We've always had a family debate about how much time that is - everything from two nights, three days or a few days more than a week. I think I might just start a journal about fortnights. Makes me wonder how the word got started for that length of time? Do we use any other term for an allotted amount of time? Regardless, your work is always great.
ReplyDeleteIn the UK a fortnight = fourteen nights......
DeleteSorry - didn't see Gwen's much more erudite answer!
"Fortnight" is from Old English "feowertiene niht" meaning "fourteen nights", according to my OED. It was used in publishing when certain magazines or journals were published fortnightly as opposed to weekly or monthly. Also it is used to describe other events that take place every two weeks, such as getting paid or a group meeting. I used it in my journal because the page happened to divide easily into fourteen squares with two leftovers for placing the dates. Then I started enjoying the division of time into fortnights instead of weeks or months.
ReplyDeletevery nice! i did this sort of thing last year, too. you're right...it is fun to look back and remember the year. I'm going to take a look at your tutorial to create this year's journal.
ReplyDeleteIt's tutorial #1, the butter box book.
ReplyDeleteI love to be able to "hear about" your day by looking at it!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to start tomorrow! Good way to record the smaller bits and bobs that make up our daily routine - even here in India on holiday - though I still love my travel and art journalling. I confess I don't know what a butter box is!
ReplyDeleteA butter box, as I use the term, is a little cardboard box that two sticks of butter come in, found in the refrigerator case in grocery stores in the US. Most butter boxes are made to hold four sticks, but the kind I use for a butter box book is made to hold two sticks only. One such brand is Kate's. You can also use a similar-sized cream cheese box, such as Whole Food Company's 365 brand. Any similar sized box will do!
ReplyDeletethis little way of marking time is very nifty. i like the little boxes!
ReplyDelete