I planned this post to be an update on my Midori, but apparently other than sharing it on instagram, apparently I never really shared it here on the blog. So, let’s start with a little back story.
Last spring, you may remember from this post, I was all ready to jump on the Midori Traveler’s notebook bandwagon. After being introduced to them by videos of Kristin Nohe I was hooked.
I joined this Midori facebook page and connected with Ray Blake who I commissioned to make me a custom Midori styled book (fauxdori, or Raydori as he calls his books). I thought it would be a perfect fit for me. Look how beautiful, green with my name pressed in the cover.
For years and years, I’ve been carrying quarter sized books (sometimes moleskin cahiers, but more often handmade ones) which I fill with to do lists, scribbles or art books. I love these little books because for years before that I was just writing on quarter sized scrap paper and those loose leaf notes and doodles would just be everywhere. I love paper products and now this little Midori would allow me to carry a few little books at a time, keep the subjects (lists vs. art) separated and be more organized.
When I first got my Midori, I wanted to wait a little while until I had really started using it and figuring out how it would work best for me. Well, it’s been more than 6 months, and in short, it hasn’t really gone anywhere.
1. Finding out about the midori and getting my own coincided with my absolute falling in love with the square Pentalic sketchbooks, pictured above. I actually finished a whole sketchbook, which rarely happens. Usually it starts falling apart or I get bored with it before I can fill it. Not these! I purchased 5 more to use in the future.
2. I started the Little Art Book community and find that I am working in other little books. When I got the Midori, it came with a moleskine cahier in it and I wanted to fill that up before putting my own books in it, but I’m just not filling the supplied book. After writing this out, I realize I should just toss the one that I’m not using and replace it with a book I’m currently working on.
3. There’s something about the small act of having to remove the elastic and open it, and when I do have it open, because there is so much in there, it takes a slight effort to keep the pages open, it just keeps me from being able to grab it and immediately jot things down.
I have two full sized books inside, one for notes, lists and ideas, and the other book for art. There are also a couple of other inserts and smaller books made from scratch paper inserted as well. So far, I definitely use the book for text a lot more, but even that I feel like I don’t do as often as I did before getting the Midori.
Here you can see some of the other inserts, I used coin collectors album page to hold things, binder clips to section off areas and I use stickers and washi tape to bookmark pages that I want to reference again quickly. As you can see, I use it and I still carry the Midori with me everywhere in my bag and I’m not giving up on it. I just think I need more time before it becomes a real necessity or my first go-to book.
I know we’ve already had a conversation about those Pentalic sketchbooks, but I just wanted to say again that my love for them is still going strong. I had one that took me about 3 years to fill in, and my second is almost filled up from winter term alone. I’m starting a new one at the beginning of April, and need to buy some backups. For me the combination of square size + non-prettiness + reasonably thick paper is perfect. I’m finding that I like sketchbooks that are NOT pretty better. No worries about messing them up because they are basic to begin with. I really love the paper in that book. It’s not super thick, but it handles wet media well enough. I could go on and on… :) They are my fav. Right now I’m carrying that every day, plus a large grid Moleskine that I’m using as a bullet journal for daily tasks, lists, etc. Pretty happy with that set up.