As many of you know, I spent last week in Seattle and Victoria. These cities were the final stops in my month-long “Euro-AmeriCanada” roadshow of sorts. I was prepared for this trip. I trained for it, actually. Right up until the day before I left when I decided to injure my back in a major way. Consequently, I did the entire five weeks in pain. The pain was a level five at all times, but spiked to an eight or nine at night, as it continues to do here at home. And don’t ask me about the long haul flights. Those were as miserable as any I’ve had in my lifetime. At midnight, 2AM, 4AM and 6AM, if I make it that far, I am on all fours attempting to find a way to alleviate the pain in my left arm, shoulder and upper back. My best guess is a displaced first rib, something I’m familiar with already, sadly.
Why am I telling you this? Because none of it matters. Thanks to my new friend Jamie Dumont, I have a sparkly new pen and journal, and in my world, this trumps everything.(Read Jamie. He’s a good writer.) We all tend to obsess over certain things. Could be whether or not to eat that mayonnaise left in the sun at that taco truck in Tijuana, or whether or not to perm your mullet. I make no assumptions or judgements. In my case, I obsess about my pens and journals, and I hope you will grant me this weakness.
Jamie sent me a link.
The link featured an article about his current creative strategy and even mentioned me by name. But what stopped me in my tracks was the image accompanying the post. Jamie’s journals in all their splendor. I’m a realist. There is no way in Hell my journals will ever look like his, but the idea that someone has a journal that looks like that is enough fodder to keep me burning for years to come. And it wasn’t just the content of his journals that caught my eye, it was the journal itself. So I did what any good photographer would do. I reached out and asked “Hey, what lens did you use?” Wait, no. That’s not what I asked. What I did ask was “What kind of journal is that?”
Jamie answered with Baronfig. My journaling over the past few years has mostly been confined to using Blurb’s notebook and journals, a product and technique I am very fond of, but with time comes change, and with change comes adaptation. My Japan workshop looms, and the current size and weight of my journal just isn’t going to cut it. Need something smaller, and would like to try something that folds flat. At $20, this was not a difficult decision. Some, however, might baulk at this price. You can go to the local grocer and pick up a composition notebook for $3, but then again, you are stuck with a composition notebook, an object I don’t find particularly intriguing mostly because it reminds me of being in middle school where I spent most of my time perming my mullet. (I used composition notebooks for the first two years of my journaling life.)
Lucky for me, Baronfig’s marketing team is pure evil, so when I went to buy the notebook I noticed they also offered a pen. A fancy, custom, aluminum, Baronfig pen that came in all sorts of garish colors. Just what I needed. I NEEDED it people. Stop, stop, stop. A pig heart valve, a new liver, pectoral implants, all OPTIONAL in my book. But a new journal isn’t a new journal without a NEW PEN, and Baronfig and their team of heartless marketing specialists was there waiting for me. And ya, the total package as like $68. Sue me. You know what I had for lunch yesterday? A spoonful of hummus. Know what I had today? Raisins. I know where to spend my money. (Pain cuts my appetite.)
Okay, a few observations. Even after all these years, decades even, of journaling, making the first mark in a new journal is daunting. So, I pasted in my Light Link rail ticket from Seattle which is standard looking rail card but with a beautiful silver stripe down the side. There, ice broken, free to proceed. The journal opens flat and is the perfect size. It fits in my small fanny pack with room to spare, and we all know fanny packs are only worn by the coolest of the cool. 1980s bodybuilders, my 25-year-old nephew and me. Oh, I should mention that my nephew is literally about to perm his mullet. We even had a phone call about the strategy.
And for crap’s sake we gotta talk about the pen. It’s glorious. Baronfig calls in a “Squire.” I call it, “The Pen That Allows Dan Milnor To Write Legibly.” The pen is perfect size, tapered fatter at the business end and is ultra smooth. Also did the smear test and the darn thing dries quicker than a gob of spit at Coober Pedy. Now, was I perfect in my decision making? No, perhaps not. Baronfig came out with a new Hex Pen a few days after I made my order, but who knows if I would like that model better. (The twist of the Squire is better for carrying the pen in my bags.) And maybe if I had to do it all over again I would opt for the charcoal colored journal instead of light grey. But hey, this is just the first journal in a long line. And sure, my refills could have been blue not black, but nobody is going to see these anyway. Can’t we all just get along?
The takeaway here is to journal. You know how strongly I feel about this. All my workshop students, photowalk participants and anyone who comes to my door is berated with the importance of putting your thoughts on paper. It feels good to be excited about journaling, so whatever you need to find to get you there is what counts.
Comments 25
Currently in the market for a new pen and notebook and also notebook cover/case for traveling. Thanks therefore for the tip and any recommendations for a notebook case/cover?
Author
I believe that Baron sells a cover or case for the whole package.
Happy writing! I also got myself a new journal last month. I went for a fancy brown leather Traveller’s Notebook. This thing allowed me to create three different spaces so I can have my two separate work stuff + personal one in one cover. Love it! And if you want something small, they offer passport size. Work’s great, exactly as I imagined. And hey, if a nice paper and lovely pen will make you write more, then great
Author
A friend uses those. Love what they make. Cool sizes too.
i always love when you post about journaling. it is always exciting stuff and when you bring a new pen + journal into the mix, well, stop everything. gleeful you continue to post here as well as mini bits on YT. your devotees need their fixes. cheers!
Author
The mini bits will continue, at least when I have something to say. This site, hopefully, gets a lot more love. But man, I am SO behind and busy with Blurb.
Do you like this pen more than the ceramic roller ball? If so, I may have to pick one up because the roller ball is awesome. Journal looks great. I’ve been using the paper age lay flat since about February but this looks much nicer. You like the dot paper for writing? I’ve never used it. Sorry for all the questions. Just interested.
Author
I love the Squire pen, and I have to say, more than the ceramic. Mostly due to one thing. Weight. Well, two things. The Squire is SO smooth, but I’m also using a larger point than with the Ceramic. Okay, three things. No cap. Just twist and go. I did the dot paper as an experiment. I do like it but it’s not mandatory.
Daniel-san: my bride often asks why there are so many pens and notebooks lying around our house. Pilot, Muji, Uni-ball Signo, Moleskine, Baronfig, Leuchtturm, Elemental Elements, etc. I’ve learned over time that the only appropriate response is to shrug my shoulders…
Author
That’s when you say “Look, an ash throated fly catcher!”
I’m so inconsistent with my journaling. Sometimes it’s the trusty moleskine and pen, other times I’m typing away on a laptop/phone using the DayOne app. I need to commit already. Pen and paper is the way.
Author
Hey, anything that works. If I get a new iPad, I might do both. Who knows.
I have many journals for different uses. I actually purchased an A5 Moterm recently and using it as well. I’ve been looking for a good pen. There’s a Faber Castell pen I’ve been eyeballing. I’m almost about to say screw it and eat Ramen for a bit.
Author
Yes, a pen is a conduit to journaling bliss. The wrong pen is like a roadblock.
I still have two more Uni Jetstream Sport Ballpoint’s to run dry before I check out another pen!
A lay flat journal though… that looks interesting. I keep a small spiral bound notebook in my bag for quick notes that might or might not get transferred to my primary journal… maybe next one will be a lay flat… Mmmm… thanks for the tip!
Author
It’s nice. Not to precious. Great size. Paper is nice and the pen is glorious.
I might pay good money for pictures of you with a mullet. Signed, natch.
Author
My high school yearbook photo, a small mullet.
Was my go to until I found out about PostalCo journals. Absolutely fantastic.
Author
Cool. Don’t know those but will check them out.
A speedy recovery to you! Avoid pain killers containing opioids, if possible.
Potential problem with this journal, as far as I’m concerned: It looks almost too pretty and precious for impromptu writing. For me, this is a significant barrier. Cheap exercise notebooks for students work better for me.
Author
Not at all. It’s not that fancy. It’s already got stains on it. Who cares? Nobody esle is going to see it. But whatever works for you.
Thanks Dan!
Hello! I’ve always wondered what to do with finished diaries to keep them anonymous. Do you throw them away? Do you store them?
Author
I over thirty years no one person, outside of my wife, has ever tried to read them, and if they did it wouldn’t make sense.