about a month of quotes, I wanted in but wasn’t quite sure how. (Click her link above for more about this invitation.) Jillian’s posts are a fountain of inspiration and information about note-taking and she has a special affinity for “commonplace books: an ancient tradition for copying out quotations.” (See the “Read More” box below if you want more information about this tradition.)
I started collecting quotes over forty years ago and my database now has almost 6,000 quotes and is one of my most beloved and used possessions. However, I’ve always lusted after the commonplace books Jillian has shared, especially the ones that included hand-drawn sketches, which are far beyond my stick-figure-at-best drawing capabilities.
Jillian’s invitation and a rather belated aha that came to me recently started the gears turning: how could I do a commonplace book my way? The aha niggling its way deeper into my brain was that I have three primary spendable assets rather than just the two I had already recognized: money and time. Even greater than those two, especially in terms of life enrichment is attention, which is mostly discretionary … mine to spend as I choose.
This is something of a “duh.” Of course, attention is important. However, after spending several post-election weeks lost in fiction that I was consuming like popcorn (and a special thank you to all the authors who gave me so many lovely hours with their romantic and often zany characters), I realized I wasn’t paying attention to my own life and work.
This prompted a determination to spend my attention more wisely and that made me think “attention” would be a good subject for a commonplace book and I could use my digital art rather than trying to force any type of drawing. And, a digital book would be much easier to make and share.
Mary Karr, the award-winning memoirist and poet said this about commonplace books:
"Keep a commonplace book, a notebook where you write down beautiful pieces of language, things you read. Copy poems by hand, something you overheard on the street. So that you’re constantly guzzling beauty, so that you’re steeped in it like a fruitcake in good brandy. You’re making an altar for yourself every day.”
I love the idea of creating an altar for myself every day so the possibility took hold. Starting January 1, I will post an attention quote each day (in Substack Notes) and gather them into a digital book available for paid subscribers at the end of the 31 days.
What about you?
Would love to hear about your journey
if you’re following Jillian’s commonplace book adventure
and, if you have a favorite quote about attention, please share.
All posts are free, paid subscribers also receive periodic digital word and art books.
I've let mine fall to the wayside, got to re-birth it this coming year! Thanks for the reminder, Joyce, and Feliz Año!!
Sounds lovely, Joyce! Wishing you a joyous season.