commonplace book -
(noun)
a book into which notable passages from other works are copied for personal use
One of my dearest companions is my commonplace book. I was first introduced to the concept back in 2016, and very soon after learning what exactly a commonplace book was, I decided I needed one of my own. Ever since I was a teenager, I have collected quotes and excerpts from books, writers, poets, wise folks, etc. that I wanted to keep and look back to. Even when I was a young girl, I loved journals and any sort of stationary items I could get my hands on. But the problem with my collecting quotes and all that was that I would see or read a quote or passage that I loved, write it down on some random piece of paper or in any old journal or notebook I had near me, and then it would get misplaced or shoved in my desk drawer or lost and gone for good. There was no rhyme or reason to my collection, and as much as I loved collecting beautiful words that spoke to me, I needed some order to my madness.
In came the Commonplace Book.
I have two commonplace books, so far. My first began in November of 2016 and I added to it for about 6 years before beginning a new one. I must admit, it is quite interesting looking back on the quotes I wrote down six years ago because they spoke to me at the time, because I was, in fact, a very different person back then. It is just physical proof of the growth and journey I've gone on and through these last several years.
Now, you can fully well go online or into a stationary shop and perhaps find a commonplace book to purchase. But, for me, personally, I chose to make my first one myself. I simply took an old-fashioned black and white composition notebook and chose a fat quarter of a fabric in my stash that I liked and made a cover for my journal. I then rummaged through my craft supplies and found some lace ribbon and some fabric flowers and added them as the finishing touches. My second commonplace book is another composition notebook, however, this one has a floral design on the front, which I most definitely did not want to cover up. {{smiles}} I found it for a great price at the store and when it came time to make another commonplace book, it was the perfect choice. I will say that this floral notebook has dotted paper instead of lined paper inside and after using it for just over a year, I can say that I much prefer the lined paper. I know for my next book, I'll be choosing a regular composition notebook and covering it with some fabric or scrapbook paper. The dots are way too tightly packed and leave little room for writing and when you do write, it can easily get jumbled together. That's just my experience and preference, though.
When I begin a commonplace book, I always make a title page. I like how proper it feels and I like to be able to look back on the dates that journal was used. For my first book, I also typed and printed out some quotes on journaling and keeping a journal and pasted them on the inside cover. As you can also see, I am a huge fan of washi tape. So I used some of that to decorate, as well.
When it comes to collecting quotes, I am very casual about it. I don't just take quotes from books or printed materials, though I do plenty of that. I also (more often) find oodles of quotes and little writings online from people whom I respect or have the same ideals as I do. I will also sometimes write down a quote or some lines from something I have watched. I always write down the source of that quote or passage or whatever it is; I want to know who gets the credit for those words. If it is from a book, I'll also write the book title and what page the excerpt is from. Sometimes I will date my entries, but most of the time I do not. I also always make sure to number my pages in the top or bottom page corners. That makes it a lot easier if I am making notes for something and need to quickly find a specific entry instead of flipping through every single page and skimming all the entries to find that one specific entry.
One thing that keeping a commonplace book has taught me is to let go of perfection. I write in pen, so it's non-erasable. And sometimes I make a mistake, so I simply scribble it out and rewrite and go on. This simple thing has kept me from journaling so many times in the past. But I decided to be easy on myself and not care about perfection and just have fun with it. I also learned that perfectly, neat and tidy handwriting just isn't reality. My brain often works much faster than my hands can write, so sometimes it gets a little messy and such, but you know what I learned, that my handwriting is part of me. And it, too, is okay if it's not perfect.
Keeping a commonplace book has also taught me the lesson of slowing down and noticing. Whenever I come across words, whether spoken or written or even sung, that speak to the depths of my soul, I need to pay attention, slow down, notice them, write them down, and then, savour them. I will often take a quick screenshot of a quote or passage that I want to remember and then later on, when I have plenty of time, I sit down on the couch, with my little lap desk on my lap, and spend some time copying those words out from my phone into my journal. I often pair this with listening to music or watching a comforting movie and I will tell you, it's some of the most beneficial downtime I can think of. It feeds my soul and inspires me and comforts me and teaches me and so much more in the gentlest way. Talk about true self care!
Over the course of this month-long series, I am going to be opening my commonplace books up and sharing a collection of quotes for you to perhaps add to your own commonplace book. These will be on a variety of topics and such, but my hope is to inspire you and spur you on to collect your own little treasure trove of beautiful words.
Fun little things to make your commonplace book personal to you:
~ a ribbon bookmark. I added a lacy bookmark in my first commonplace book, and it came in handy in keeping my place where I left off.
~ stickers and washi tape. Need I say more? I haven't outgrown my love for stickers yet, and I don't plan on doing so...ever.
~ photos or doodles. If you are writing down a quote and it reminds you of a particular place, etc, you can easily paste in a small photo to illustrate the quote. Same goes for doodles.
~ use colored pens or pencils when writing quotes out.
~ keep a list of all the books you read each year in your commonplace book, too.
~ you can jot down why a particular quote spoke to you, where you were when you first heard/read it, and any other significance it may have for you personally.
~ type and print out longer passages. I began doing this in my second book and boy, did it make things easier. I often find *long* passages and such that I wish to remember and keep but I don't always feel like writing it all out by hand. I simply type it out or copy and paste and then print it and paste it in. I still like the handwritten aspect of commonplacing, which I also think is part of the meaning and importance of keeping such a book, but a little shortcut once in a while is nice, too.
Another little thing I love about my commonplace book is that it is light and easy to carry around. I can stick it in my purse or in my tote bag, which I use to carry a book or two, a few pens and bookmarks when I am going out somewhere for a longer period of time. I can easily tuck it in with my things, then, if I am reading and come across something I want to keep, it's right there for me to write in.
Composition book are my favorite choice for a commonplace book. I personally don't want a spiral bound notebook for this sort of keepsake journal. I like how composition books are bound and they can easily be personalized and decorated. They lay open flat and are easy to write in...on both sides of the page. And you can also find composition books at great prices!
Do let me know if you have any questions about keeping a commonplace book. Or let me know if you keep one yourself! I'd love to hear about yours!
Happy commonplacing, friends!
P.S.- I am also a keeper of what I call a "creative journal". If you would like a peek inside my first completed creative journal, you can check out this post here from last October's series. I have since begun a new creative journal, but it's still a work in progress, in the very beginning phases of me working on it.