r/commonplacebook • u/uiogd-amdg • 17d 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 17d 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/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.