As we come to the end of 2024, it’s a natural time for reflection. A couple of years ago in an effort (I realize now) to begin unplugging from constant distractions of digital life, I began bullet journaling.
If you’re not familiar, I’d encourage you to check it out. Some folks get really artistic with theirs, but I’ve taken a pretty slimmed down approach.
Long story short, my entire life goes into this journal. My plans for the year ahead, my daily meetings and appointments, and my tasks to be done for the day - but also my personal journaling, sketches and ideas, and notes jotted down from meetings with friends and mentors - like book recommendations or recent musical artists they’ve discovered.
I tend to get about six months out of each journal, and I decided when I finished my first that I would keep them all. Someday my life will be recorded on the shelves of my office or home, awaiting whatever schmuck ends up having to deal with them.
When I finish a journal and crack open a new one, I typically carry around the recently finished bullet journal for a month or so, as I am frequently referring back to notes. After that need slows, I label the dates and toss it on the shelf.
Something I hadn’t noticed until recently, or at least spent much time reflecting on, are the artifacts that lie inside each journal. A new business card from my friend Patrick representing the rebrand of his startup - a reminder of when he stopped by my desk one day, and gave me this new card and a pin of his logo, and seeing the joy in his expressions that day - with the excitement of the journey he was beginning.
A card in the style of the old Magic: The Gathering card game - made by my friend Andrew, the proprietor of Daylily coffee. It reminded me of the time I visited his coffee shop when he handed me this card and then explained the story behind the coffee that he had just roasted and that I was drinking at that moment. It commemorates the family farmers who grew the coffee and provides various details and stats, flavors, and where it’s from - a great story about small producers making exceptional quality items.
A hand drawn image on the back of a coffee receipt - reminded me of the time I met my friend Joe Hubers (who is also the talent behind our upcoming documentary shorts) at another coffee shop, The Breaks. He was explaining the exposure triangle to me as I was just getting started shooting manual film photography.
A sketch of my own, of what I envisioned for the knife box that my friend Nate, founder of Boscaljon Design Co., made custom for our special release of the DAS Mk 1 Camper Knife earlier this year.
A shot list and plan for a location shoot we did for DAS made with our brand photographer, Kelcey - a reminder of that trip and the fun and adventures had with several friends, new and old.
For me, having a tactile experience seems to bring back memories that might seem small and commonplace, but they’re welcome reminders of the friendships built, and the experiences shared with others. This experience I get to have a couple times a year is one I genuinely look forward to. And it also serves as a good reminder of the benefits from setting the phone down from time to time.
