I keep changing direction with this Hobonichi project, initially wanting to use it as a tool to dump creativity, which I later found just didn’t gel with me, to using it solely as a platform for practicing calligraphy, again, which later I found just was not working out.
I strive to be as organized as possible in my life. Having mess or something that doesn’t fit into what I see my life being 10 years from now doesn’t end up getting off the ground as far as projects go. I do wish I could switch off that part of me and plain enjoy scribbling, but I do over-analyze what I want/expect for the future and how I will look back on my hobbies.
So I tried the whole work on my handwriting thing as I said I would (snapshots below) and it didn’t play out as I hoped. I found the experience tepid and devoid of meaning. I would question why I even bothered every time I scribbled out things like, “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” It left me unsatisfied.
So then I switched to scribbling down quotes and passages that matter to me; at last a step in the right direction, but then it started feeling like a chore and I halfheartedly gave up on that, too.
Then yesterday, as I was musing this dilemma with Elise, she had the genius idea to simply write down notable news headlines everyday. This fulfilled all my criteria: from using the Hobonichi to practice my calligraphy, to having something noteworthy and interesting to look back on in 10 years time.
I was floored and reminded yet again as to why I married her.
Mucho genius.
So here we are. I will scribble down daily news headlines (of my choosing) every single day, using a fountain pen or dip pen. Dealer’s choice.
And I will have something to peruse in the future for posterity. Full of fun tidbits like, “ISIS halves soldiers wages,” and “2,000 pigs die in Ontario barn fire.”
I am really psyched about this and I really can’t wait to see this Hobonich Techo fill up over the year. How wonderful it will be in a decade to look back on events from a fresh pair of eyes: ISIS? Oh yeah, that crazy bunch. Or how about reading about cancer in 2050 when most of that shit has been cured? What a fantastic opportunity to stop and appreciate how far we have come as a species (or well, I hope).
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