I recently read a book about questing (“The Happiness of Pursuit” by Chris Guillebeau) by accident. I was just trying to put off making decisions about what to do with my life by reading books about what to do with my life (hi, yes, I am a Millennial, why do you ask??) and figured, after listening to a podcast on the topic, that any Chris Guillebeau book would do. This is one is not, in fact, as ideally suited to that aim as is, for example, “Born for This”, but it was the book that was next to my bed, so I read it anyway. I’ve always liked the idea of quests, but none have ever stuck for me. Plus, I’m currently busy, as previously mentioned, trying to figure out what to do with my life. On the flip side, though, why not now? So. Let’s quest.
There is one simple, yet somehow also complex and nearly impossible activity that haunts me, and that’s a desire to document my everyday life and also to do something just a little creative every day. I printed grainy photos from my family’s first Canon PowerShot cameras on copy paper and pasted them in notebooks in high school, but none of the notebooks lasted more than a few days. Art journaling seemed to require supplies and space, and I didn’t really relate to vintage stamps or magazine cutouts (though I’ve seen absolute magic made with them); my few finished scrapbook pages sit in piles of unfinished pages, projects where I didn’t have the right product or paper for my story and I got annoyed with digging through my (barely existent) stash. I have creative ideas nonstop about getting my life on paper, but my actual creative actions/habits don’t seem to stick. Wizened members of the scrapbooking community caution against creating daily layouts and spreads for good reason – you burn out so quickly, and you have pressure on you every day. But there’s something about the way my memories of the days I have documented – even if it’s one meaningful photo or a quick collage and journal entry – stick with me that makes me desperately want to try. I might actually have to force myself to be creative to gain any creative momentum. The goal is to be quick, to pour out the day on the page but to not overthink, and move on.
I’m committed to this quest not being too expensive (financially, at least) or overcomplicated. Simple supplies. Spend the money on what counts (photo paper, for example). I don’t want to buy a ton of product, and I want someone who doesn’t already have a stash to feel like they could jump into this concept without having to buy a bunch of supplies. I’m already a subscriber to Ali Edwards’ Stories by the Month kit, which is a great jumping-off point for monthly colors and sentiments, and I think I’ll use that to pick out a few paint colors. I have a modest collection of stencils and stamps that I feel strongly can be used throughout the year; maybe I’ll pick up a few more here and there. Otherwise, I’m DIYing backgrounds, patterns, words, etc…so wish me luck! I’ll write more on supplies later as I get them all gathered.
One other big part of my plan is to use standard print sizes. I don’t have a printer that prints 12×12. 8.5×11 is nice, but it’s too big for daily. 6×8 is a delightful size (IYKYK, especially if “Ali Edwards” sounded familiar to you), but printing a full page photo means getting it onto a print-sized canvas and cutting it out. I love a full-page photo, and the easiest way to print one, for me, is 5×7 (but 4×6, you say! Been there, done that. Too small for me, and the photo ratio at 5×7 is generally more complementary). Other advantages: half of 5×7 is 3.5×5, also a standard size, and 8×10 yields a double-page spread with very little waste. Huzzah! I think a bound book would be a bit restrictive, so I’m going to go spiral-bound. With the help of a Cinch, I’ll leave it punched but not fully bound until the end the month or until I outgrow the available spiral sizes, whichever comes first.
I think I’m going to end this here for now, especially in the interest of finishing something even if it doesn’t feel perfect, because I think I’m going to need to get to used to that. I don’t know how many folks can relate to this, but I have to believe that doing it for myself is enough. I have one more day until April 1, and then we begin. Welcome, friends!