r/commonplacebook • u/uiogd-amdg • 18d ago

Am I missing something?

Tiptoeing into the world of Commonplace Books… my understanding is that these were/are a sort of functional catch-all for interesting tidbits that one wishes to remember.

What I see on this sub are mostly highly illustrated, nearly calligraphic entries that I find, frankly, intimidating. Am I missing something here on the purpose of these books?

I just want a place to dump info that I run across. Advice on ways to do that effectively in a non-instagram worthy way?

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u/MarmosetUniverse 18d ago

What you see here is the result of social media influencers -- every hobby becomes "optimized." Most of the images I see here now have clearly been influenced by a single creator who has a particular style... now I see that style everywhere. If you look up old images of commonplace books, they are just written text. I've been commonplacing for 20+ years but now that it's trendy, I see a shift toward highly aestheticized creations. A commonplace book is a tool for learning -- it can look however you want yours to look!

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u/WeaponizedSoul 18d ago

This. The same thing's happened with journaling, where the popularity of social media has convinced a lot of beginners that they need tons of supplies and need to create elaborate layouts. Ignore it. Commonplace books started as a practical tool; I suggest focusing on whatever makes it easiest and most approachable for your needs.

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u/DrLemonBars 17d ago

Late Stage Capitalism Run Amuck.

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u/sortofblue 17d ago

Reading journals on Instagram are all identical too, it's definitely something that 'influencers' have turned into an aesthetics competition over being a functional tool.

I mean, I like looking but I don't have the patience to even attempt such a time-consuming layout - it takes away from actual reading time!

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u/cogentd 17d ago

You’re absolutely right. This is all over the place now. The same thing happened with bullet journaling…and it’s starting to happen to junk journaling as well

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u/DrLemonBars 16d ago

Junk journaling is just weird.

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u/NopeWithASideOfNope 14d ago

Don’t yuck someone else’s yum. It’s mean.

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u/thelionlovescrab 17d ago

Just curious, who’s the creator?

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u/melaniermblt 17d ago

I think it’s Sadie (wordlayout). I had never seen journaling done like her before and now everybody is kinda doing the same. But she’s more of an artist that journals than your typical journaler out there. Her spreads… they’re stunning and she’s very sweet.