Traveler’s Notebook: Random Journaling
Random journaling, that’s what I fill most of my journals with. Some books are more random than others, and then even when I give a notebook a specific purpose, sometimes random things end up in there anyway. I think it’s the way my brain works, not in compartments but in a flow.
Actually my whole life is so full on randomness. Maybe all our lives are? Anyway, that’s why I named my Memory Keeping Traveler’s Notebook series Randomosity. I thought it appropriate that they have a specific name since they’re filled with not very specified memories and random things…
What’s inside iHanna’s Randomosity Journal
I love gluing things down, so I guess that’s the main reason I started this series of notebooks. I’m already filling up number six, and I love how they’re all looking together in the polka dot cereal box storage container that I made for archiving them.
Here’s my definition of what I like to add into my own Randomosity Journal:
- Scraps of paper, fun stuff I find and want to keep, stickers, a cute postcard I bought once, die cuts, and such
- Memory keeping stuff, like tickets to the cinema, a pamphlet I got after visiting a great art exhibition – often the random stuff that doesn’t fit anywhere else but that I want to commemorate and keep somewhere, memories I want to keep in some tangible way
- Random journaling snippets – quick thoughts, often around glued in elements and scraps, just random ideas that wants to be in this inspiring notebook of mine
- Printed photos, my own and others, magazine images and instagram pictures, as a way of memory keeping and as a way of decorating – both as valid and awesome to me
- Random collage stuff and things I find inspirational – all the little things I see everywhere and want to keep close, but never know where I’m going to put… Snippets of advice in articles, memes from the internet, labels, business cards, quotes & color swatches.
What it’s not
You can define your own notebook and what you will use it for. That’s the Great Freedom of Notebooks, something that I love. This is my way of Doing Randomosity on a page, and I’ve fallen in love with making it, filling it and flipping through it. I love it!
[Tweet “You can define your own notebook & what to fill it with – that’s the Great Freedom of Notebooks!”]
To me this is Randomosity, and you know I’m a fan of all kinds of notebooks, journals and sketchbooks! To me, this is not an Art Journal, because I am not painting much in it and rarely draw inside it. It’s definitely not a Junk Journal, because I don’t like that term at all – I don’t consider it junk at all. I consider it more of Treasure Throw of Joy! It’s not a Photo Album either, because I use what ever I find on my desk. I often forget to print any photos, even though I have loads of them.
I love the Randomosity of Things and how they come together to create a new whole, don’t you? It’s my favorite thing. The combination of small things into something bigger, something great.
It’s all Connected in some obscure way
According to Urban Dictionary, randomosity means;
The state of being or being part of random occurrences & activities. Also known as being in a state of complete randomness.
The art of being random. Un-explained acts. Doing something that is not common.
How random something is; It was full of randomosity!
Examples: What made her so special was her randomosity, it made everything seem like it was connected in some obscure way.
Also: Randomosity is the key to happiness.
A Randomosity Workshop
I have decided to create an online workshop based on this concept of keeping a Randomosity Notebook. I want to launch it as early as I can in the spring. It’s decided on a whim (yikes!), so I’m interested in your feedback. Need your feedback badly. Would you like to join me on this kind of notebook adventure? It’s going to be everything from making the notebook to filling it with the randomness of your own life! I am inviting you to join me, but I also need your help… What do you want me to focus on – it’s a big topic just within this tiny notebook.
What would you want to get started on when it comes to journaling, memory keeping and collecting random stuff within a notebook? Please let me know, in the comments below or via e-mail.
If you’re interested, make sure you’re on The Newsletter where I’ll announce it first. Also, please leave me a comment below – that might motivate me to film and edit the workshop even quicker! I feel excited about having this idea out there. I feel grateful to have this platform to dream up ideas like this on. Thank you!
And Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate!
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Thanks for sharing some wonderful photos of your randomosity journals! So much fun packed into a little space – and that’s easy to take with you places! I’d love to take a workshop by you! I’d love to learn more about making the notebooks and making the notebook storage container. (Did I miss the photo of you polka dot cereal container you mentioned in the post?) I’d also enjoy doing some work in the notebooks “side by side” so journaling/menorykeeping doesn’t always feel like such a solitary event. Sometimes it’s fun to create “alongside” the teacher and class, to experience new inspiration and motivation. Look forward to hearing more about your workshop! So excited!!
Thanks my dear, I mentioned the notebook storage thingie here but forgot that it’s in a later video, but now I’ve also posted a blog post about it, with more photos. It’s great to recycle materials in this way.
This looks like so much fun! I would love to learn more about how to make these notebooks.
Thank you Susan, so glad you liked my Randomosity Notebook. I will definitely post more about them next year, and get going with a workshop. You’ve encouraged me, so big thanks for that!
I love the concept of Randomosity! I’ve always enjoyed a book/journal that I can put anything and everything in. I think this would be a fun workshop!
Thanks Linda, so glad you like this concept of adding in Random stuff. It’s not “everything” to me, it has some rules, but I’m happy to sometimes break my own rules for the sake of the creative process. I think we all need to do that a bit more, right?
I’ve been doing this kind of thing off and on for a couple years, always intending it to be something else more specific like a daily journal with bits and bobs, but it always turns into a random type of thing. Then I feel sort of like a failure for not keeping with the original intent so this post was a breath of fresh air. I love the idea and am going to stop putting limitations on my process!
Daily journaling can sound like the Holy Grail for non-journalers, but the most important thing when you journal, is to keep coming back and adding in the random things of life. I don’t think the “every day” is the most important part, but the “coming back” and “enjoying the process”.
I will keep cheering you on Mel, so let’s all stop putting limitations to our creativity! :-)
great idea! love to hear see learn more on your unique way you are saving stuff and thoughts. Love hearing and seeing others too! Springboards to our own and twists on for ourselves.
Thank you Katherine, so glad you like the idea of a workshop about this concept of the Randomosity Notebook. I will try to get working on filming and planning in the new year for sure, and keep the blog and Newsletter subscriber notified of course.
Take care!
A workshop for this would be great! I’d be especially interested in how you store/curate the bits and pieces you keep to put in the notebooks. Mine pile up very fast and clutter the house, lol! Love your content :)
Thank you! I have plastic folders filled to the brim with papers and in no order at all, but for my Randomosity notebook journal fodder I do try to keep that separate so I can find it. Others purge, but I save everything. One day I’ll buy a big house to store it all in… ;-)
xo