field notes cured my twitter addiction
Field Notes are a brand of pocket notebook that fit perfectly in your... well, pocket. They are proudly printed "by the good people of The Graphic Arts Studio LLC" (according to the inside cover) and feature beautiful, detailed illustrations on the covers for all tastes. The pocket size come in packs of 3, often sharing a theme among the illustrations. My personal favorite packs are the National Parks Series (I have Series B and C), which I normally purchase while on vacation in art stores or bookstores. Not only are the tiny illustrations of animals adorable, but a percentage of your purchase goes back to the National Park Service! Woohoo!
These notebooks have been a part of my life for a while, as my dad has been a long-time fan for over six years now, but I only recently started using them myself. I begged him last September to let me use one of the three National Parks pocket notebooks he brought back from North Carolina, and he agreed (begrudgingly). I had already been journaling regularly for some months at this point, but much of my day was still spent hunched over my phone at work, which I took issue with. The problem with my journal was that, as much as I loved it, it didn't feel like it was replacing the need to scroll on my phone or tweet something. The Field Notes, however, with its ability to fit securely in my pocket and be written in wherever I was (and be covered in stickers... duh), held the potential to be what my larger journals couldn't. I filled up the Field Notes within three weeks. And I wanted another.
Whenever I felt the need to say something to the world via Twitter, I wrote it in my Field Notes. When I needed to scribble a to-do list or doodle a shirtless buff bird flexing with flames behind him, I did it in my Field Notes. It became the place for everything and nothing, for what I felt wasn't worthy of my journals but was worthy of the internet. Within those three weeks, I deleted Twitter. I carried the notebook with me wherever my phone went, and the need to tell the world everything all the time ebbed away into nothing. I haven't felt the urge to tweet since starting these notebooks, which is a shock to me as I've been using Twitter consistently (and hating every second) for years now.
My advice? Even if you don't like journaling, or feel like pouring your feelings into a notebook isn't for you, you might find something special in a pocket notebook. Grocery lists, to-dos, fleeting thoughts and ideas become a mosaic of your life you can flip through and keep as time capsules. The notebooks take wear-and-tear beautifully as they're used, every dent and stain and tear evidence of you and your life in this moment.
Finally, for my fellow notebook nerds out there, allow me to dedicate this section to yapping about the books themselves. The paper quality is outstanding. These little guys have taken marker, water, and endless beatings, and still look great! They feel like they're made to be destroyed. When I look at a completed Field Notes next to a new one, I'm always satisfied with the wear. The selection of designs is endless, with consistent roll-outs for collaborations with different artists, interesting themes, fun colors, and damn-adorable artworks. For my D&D people, they have larger notebooks for Dungeon Masters and Adventurers, fit with character sheets and note-taking space. I've used a set for brainstorming and character-creating as a DM and really enjoyed it.
Field Notes! Heck yeah!
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