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Monday, June 29, 2015

Post No. 011 : Arthur's Email : 5775.04.12 : Analysis I

Arthur writes:
"The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place."
~ George Bernard Shaw

This concept is something I struggled with for a long time, and it eventually drew me into intensive journaling. Let me explain,

I would consider what to do, even something immediate and simple. I would make a decision to do it. And yet sometimes the task would not get done. I would end up doing other things that I had decided to do, or I would put the task off, etc. It finally occurred to me that some part of my being was making the decision to do a task, but the part of my being capable of implementing the task was not getting the message to act.

Say I was hungry. In the office of my mind, I called a meeting. "Craving to Eat" showed up, "Preserving One's Health" attended, and I was there, and we made a decision to eat. Only "Cook" didn't show up. So Cook never got the message, and the meal didn't get made.

I found that by journaling I could marshal all aspects of my being, give each part of me a voice at the table, and come to a consensus what was to be done and "who" was to do it. I went from imagining I was in charge to being in charge.

Arthur writes:
Have you ever heard the saying that you cannot expect anyone to take better care of you than you do for yourself?

To put this another way, if a person doesn't have pity on themselves, who will have pity on them?

It's possible to take altruism too far, and for a person to neglect themselves. It's important for a person to put their life first, before others. Journaling focuses a person on the here and the now and the "me". From that position of strength, they can act with kindness to others.

May I share a pet peeve? I have met people that have this or that idea of what they want to do. They share the idea with me, and I am honored that they do so, implicitly soliciting my input. Yet in some cases, it becomes apparent that the person talking to me doesn't grasp that they must do "A" before they do "B", "C", and "D". Life is not always sequential, and sometimes things can be done out of order. But in some cases there is a required order.

The simplest example is that the person has a grand plan that requires money. But if I point this out, they can get upset at me. It's like, how dare I destroy their plans by rooting them in reality?

If the person would only keep a journal, and make a record of what they want, and a plan how they will get it, and use the journal like a ledger to measure their progress, they would get a lot further in life, and would find that they get along better with the world.

As Arthur writes:
So, pick up a book and a pen and take the time to start listening to yourself so everyone else you speak to will start listening too.


Purchase leather journals at Renaissance Art.
If you don't have an RA journal yet, get one free at http://www.freeleatherjournal.com.

Journaling in America is not associated with Renaissance Art. I receive no financial benefit from promoting Renaissance Art.

Post No. 010 : Arthur's Email : 5775.04.12

"The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place."
~ George Bernard Shaw

Have you ever heard the saying that you cannot expect anyone to take better care of you than you do for yourself?

Writing is an act of Self Care.

It is an act which forces us to take the time to Stop and Listen to ourselves.

And, after all, if we don't take that time to listen to ourselves, how can we expect anyone else to.

There are no shortcuts to writing, only short attention spans.

So, pick up a book and a pen and take the time to start listening to yourself so everyone else you speak to will start listening too.

There may not be an "author" in every person, but everyone can write.  It is just our thoughts and words on paper.... like this email... which started out as a thought and then as something I wrote in my journal.

Safe Travels from Alex and I!
Create and Keep your Stories


 
Arthur and Alex 
owner, Renaissance Art

Sunday, June 28, 2015

Post No. 009 : Arthur's Email : 5775.11.03 : Analysis

Arhur writes: "Our stories are the scratches and stains of our lives. They are evident everywhere...in the clothes we wear, the stuff we carry...our thoughts, ideas, actions and sooooo much more."

Everyone is the subject of a journal. Every word we say starts the air around us vibrating, making a mark on the physical world. Collectively, all those impacts are the journals of humanity.

The language we use in the journals we write in can be as varied as the languages of the world, and as unique as a tongue we devise just for ourselves. The advantage of a common language is that others will be able to read our journal, also. If we dress too outrageous, act too wild, think too strange, our journal will appear senseless to others. Yet if we end up in robotic, programmed lockstep with some imagined human norm, our journal can be valueless -- just one more echo of the careless herd's stampede.

How to find the median? How to avoid the extremes of numbing conformity and of totally confusing non-conformity? We have to invite the reader in, and ease them into the mansion of our mind. If you have a house like every other in the suburban sub-division, a local visitor will be immediately familiar with the layout, but unless the interior design is original (furniture, paint, books on the shelves), the visitor may become filled with ennui. If you designed your house to be singular, you may need to give your visitor a guided tour.

Somewhere along the line, in school or on our own, or both, we picked up how to read and write. Our reading and writing shaped how we think. Being forced to write what we were told to write ingrained habits of thinking. When we journal, we are free to break the rules. We can use the shop tools any way we want to build whatever we want. This is true power. Our thoughts can now shape the words others will read.

As Arthur says, "[our] stories are the scratches and stains of our lives....and sooooo much more." What is the "much more"? It can be the sanding away of the scratches, the removal of the stains. A good story tells us about, to quote Laurel and Hardy , the "nice mess" we've gotten into; the story should also include the way out.



Purchase leather journals at Renaissance Art.
If you don't have an RA journal yet, get one free at http://www.freeleatherjournal.com


Post No. 008 : Arthur's Email : 5775.11.03

Over the next few months, as I begin to write my book with you all, I hope to completely obliterate all these distractions from your thinking...
distractions like:
I don't know what to write
I don't have anything good to say
I don't have time to write
writing is about my emotions
writing requires discipline
I don't know how to get past the first page (as if there is a rule saying you must start on page 1)
and... lots of other distractions and myths.

Our stories are the scratches and stains of our lives.  They are evident everywhere... 
in the clothes we wear, the stuff we carry...
our thoughts, ideas, actions and sooooo much more.

What we write is a distillation of those stories into a single confined space called a book.

We write to remember because the choice to not write is the automatic/default choice to forget.

The seemingly insignificant things we write and remember today will become
The inspiration and "secret bank account" (says Emerson) of our future...
Answers to questions not yet asked.

When you write, you are cultivating an ongoing relationship with yourself that has more benefits than could possibly be predicted.

The first reason we MUST write is:
TO GET WHAT WE WANT.

Here's why...
In a nutshell, writing makes us exact and we will never get what we want unless we know exactly what it is.

An idea is not enough.  Unless it is exact you may miss it.  An idea also needs to be brought into the real world so you can have it in the real world.  The first step to doing that is to write it down in all exactitude.  Because knowing EXACTLY what you want is the first step to getting it.

But not only that, if we do not write it down we may just forget it.
And even more than any of these 2 things, to get what we want, we need to have an ongoing relationship with it.

And that is exactly what writing does... it cultivates and maintains the relationship we have with ourselves and what we want.  If we do not maintain that relationship we will loose it.

Go ahead... write down something you want... color, size, sense, smell, how it will feel to have it... write it all down.  Then write it down again tomorrow and... the next day and...
That is what I mean by exact and that is how we begin to cultivate a relationship with not only what we want but with ourselves.

If you do or have done this, let me know how it goes or how it went.  eMail me HERE and tell me.
Being exact is not as easy as one might think.  But it is the first step to getting exactly what you want.

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Post No. 007 : Renaissance Art Videos & Asst. Links

A placeholder post for links of interest. Include your reviews and pictures in the comments section.

Renaissance Art Youtube Channel

Journal Review on Fountain Pen Network

http://lifeimitatesdoodles.blogspot.com/2012/04/review-of-renaissance-refilliable.html

A search on term: renaissance art journal review

Post No. 006 : Arthur's Email : 5775.03.26 : Analysis

Arthur writes: "While there may be some inspiration in the writing, the true inspiration comes from reading in our future what we wrote in the past."

I write in a journal most days throughout the day. I go back and read what I wrote. I am often shocked by who I was even a few days ago. And then I realize I didn't change from a few days ago. I am that same person. That is what is so shocking.

By way of analogy, I will give two hypothetical "concrete" examples of how I can become motivated through journaling. Imagine I go out in my yard in the morning and discover a poisonous snake there. I make a note of it, but I do nothing about it. I do nothing about it because I don't know how to deal with the threat. I don't allow myself to feel the real danger I'm in because if I did feel the danger, I'd be immobilized and unable to escape the danger. And because I downplay the danger, I put it in the back recesses of my mind. But the note I put in my journal remains fresh and vivid.

Later on in the morning, I review my notes in the safety of the house. I come across the note about the snake. Now I feel all the emotion: the close call I had. I am motivated to go online. I learn how to deal with the snake. I resolve to carry around a sharp knife to protect myself in the future.

Call this Antidote Journaling.

Or say I discover a gold nugget in the yard. Similar to the above, I note it, but the overwhelming knowledge I have a goldmine in my yard is more than I can deal with. Only later, reviewing my notes do I act on the knowledge.

Call this Treasure Map Journaling.

Here is an example of Antidote Journaling: 

At times, I reach a low point in my life. Discouragement envelopes me, and all seems lost. At that moment the only light in the darkness is the point of my pen, writing bewildered and wild thoughts, like a prisoner cowering on the cold, stone floor of of a massive pit, scratching last words into the soft rock of the unscalable wall.

Later, when the mist of misery has abated, I realize where I was when I wrote those words. More importantly, there's a part of me still stuck in the dungeon, lost and forgotten. I am motivated to rescue that part of my being.

Here is an example of Treasure Map Journaling:

And sometimes I have a business idea. It just occurs to me, I write it down, I move on. It's only later reviewing the idea that I realize its ramifications, where it fits in the scheme of things, and how it can lead to making money.

Post No. 005 : Arthur's Email : 5775.03.26

The 5 Reasons Everyone must Write, a synopsis


If you are like most people you write things down to remember them… things like shopping lists and to-do lists, planning thoughts and ideas, etc.  But writing to remember something, while it is a benefit, it is not really one of the main reasons to write.  That would be like saying the most important tool/s of writing is/are a pen or pencil and some paper.  And that is just not true either.  The main tool of writing is your brain and it’s powers of observation, ability to imagine and it’s power of choice.  And so it is with remembering.  While it is not one of the Main reasons you must write, it is certainly a welcome byproduct.  And while we can throw away the things we have written but do not want to remember, the reasons you and everyone must write are inescapable.

Here are the 5 reasons why EVERYONE MUST WRITE

Reason 1: To get what you want.
The very first concept of getting what you want is knowing exactly what it is.  Ideas are broad but Writing Makes Us Exact. Having an idea of what you want is not good enough.  It must be exact so you will know it when you see it, can more fully engage with it and become inspired by it.  Writing moves things from a virtual world into the real world where things are real and not just thoughts and ideas.  Writing and being exact gives us something to move toward rather than escape from.  If we are moving away from something without an exact idea of what we are moving toward, we are going nowhere.  Writing will give you the exact thing you are wanting to move toward. 

Reason 2: Inspiration by choice.
As we begin to write down and create a record of our thoughts and ideas, the events and feelings around them, we are actually creating a very unique structure for our own personal think tank, an archive of our old ideas and things that have influenced us.  While there may be some inspiration in the writing, the true inspiration comes from reading in our future what we wrote in the past.  And yes, the longer we write the greater and more powerful this think tank will become.  It worked for Mark Twain who clearly expected to get a return on his investment from writing in a journal.  And for Ralph Waldo Emerson, who called his journals his secret bank account because that is where all his lecture ideas came from.  Once we have created our own personal think thank, when we go back and read it we will be inspired and entertained.  And we can choose to do that whenever we want.

Reason 3: Remembering our Future
That may sound odd when you think of it… to remember our future.  But how many times have you been trying to work thru a problem and wished you remembered something that could have helped you to solve it.  We write not only to get clear about things or to be inspired but we also write, in the present moment, answers to questions we will ask in the future.  Thomas Edison, arguably the most prolific journal writer in history, did this.  He solved present problems by looking thru his past journals for the answers.  One example of this was turning his failing mining company into one that made Portland Cement, the stuff the old Yankee Stadium was made from.

Reason 4: Creation and Innovation thru Serendipitous Events
When we write in a journal and then go thru it to either read it or search for something, a very unique thing happens.  Past thoughts, ideas and events connect with other past thoughts, ideas and events with the ability to form new thoughts and ideas.  Things in our past serendipitously connect with other things in our past to form new ideas and thoughts in our present.  It is a breeding ground for creativity and Meaningful Accidental Connections.  In this digital age of quick and exact electronic searching this is not possible.  But to flip thru the pages of your journal looking for one thing and then bumping into something else which creates an entirely new strain of thought and idea… well, Serendipity is finding things we were never in search of and it is certainly where all great ideas have come from.  Take for example Tim Berners-Lee.  He was a guy who wanted to keep track of the information of all his colleagues at CERN and create a way for them to share it.  What ended up happening was the WWW, the internet.  Things start with one idea which then bump into other ideas and those into others as we move thru and experience our life.  Before the web there was no real developed way for the hoi polloi to collect thoughts and ideas except to write them in a journal.  And there is still no good way to serendipitously connect them except thru reading through your journal and finding that which you were not in search of, like Tim and the Internet.

Reason 5:  Our Heirs
Consider the power of something as simple as a recipe.  It has the ability to survive and connect generations for millennia.  It is much more than a list of ingredients prepared in such a way that they taste good.  It shapes why we do what we do.  Why we cook something a certain way because mom did it that way or build something a certain way because that’s how granddad did it.  We all have a deep rooted desire to connect with our heirs.  Be honest… you would love to read the stories of your great great great grandparents… the ones your parents forgot.  But in most cases there are either too few stories or none at all.  We owe it to our heirs millennia in the future to pass on our stories and the stories of our time.  It is their right and will be their deepest desire to hear them.  And it is our present responsibility to tell them

Often times we do not know what to write in a journal or where to start.  We think a story is just a series of chronological events in our life.  Maybe we think we have nothing to say.

To get started we need to Redefine Story because a story is so much more than what happens to us in our life or what we are feeling.  I’ll write about that shortly.  Watch for it… Redefining Story.
 
Safe Travels from Alex and I!
Create and Keep your Stories

 
 
 
Arthur and Alex 
owner, Renaissance Art

Friday, June 26, 2015

Post No. 004 : Arthur's Email : 5775.04.07 : Analysis

"life is a warfare and a stranger's sojourn"
~Marcus Aurelius~

Arthur began his email with the above quote.

"Life is a warfare." Each of us is constantly being confronted with choices. No matter which way we turn we have choices of things to do, including the choice of doing nothing. Make the "right" choice, and we are victorious. Make the "wrong" choice and we taste defeat. We are, simply by dint of being alive, in the midst of a battle.

Now, any strategist worth his salt has maps, books, intelligence reports, etc. etc. with him to help him arrive at the right tactics for the situation he's in. He consults with others before acting. Each of has to be the king/general of our lives. Our most trusty advisor is ourselves, although we must also be on-guard, since even we can betray ourselves. Don't believe in oneself until the day of death. Everything else till then is illusory.

Since we live in a war zone, we have to find a refuge where we can withdraw and find peace for a moment to assess our progress. Where are we? What are our resources? What is the right thing to do next? What is the wrong thing? Which are we going to do? Like a businessman keeps a ledger of what is coming in and what is going out, so our notebook allows us to tally up our lives.

"and a strangers sojourn." We like to think we've always been here and always will be here. But our parents opened the door for us into the world, and we are only here to prepare ourselves for what comes next, as we straighten our clothing in the corridor, before entering the main event. We are needy strangers, dependent on air and water and food and everything else that we did not fashion, and which we can only form to our requirements within narrow limits.

Our needs are great and our patience thin. How will we get what we want?

Arthur writes:
"The very first concept of getting what you want is knowing exactly what it is.  Ideas are broad but Writing Makes Us Exact. Having an idea of what you want is not good enough.  It must be exact so you will know it when you see it, can more fully engage with it and become inspired by it.  Writing moves things from a virtual world into the real world where things are real and not just thoughts and ideas.  Writing and being exact gives us something to move toward rather than escape from.  If we are moving away from something without an exact idea of what we are moving toward, we are going nowhere. Writing will give you the exact thing you are wanting to move toward."

The source of that quote is Arthur's Email : 5774.03.26 which will be the subject of Post No. 005



Post No. 003 : Arthur's Email : 5775.04.07

The reason many of us do not know what to write has to do with all of the myths about writing in a journal.  It's important to remember that there are no rules.  There are no rules which say we need to:
  1. Write at a certain time of day
  2. Start on page 1
  3. Write from front to back
  4. Say something seemingly meaningful
  5. Write every day
  6. Write from a journaling prompt
  7. Etc, etc, etc
We need to bust those myths and get free of their control so we can get to the real story, the story which is our life and the story which can have a profound effect on our life and the lives of our heirs. 

The bulk of what I write about in the future will be busting all of these myths and figuring out what to write and when to write it.

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Post No. 002 : Some useful ink links

Here are some useful links for Journaling in America.

(1) Goulet Pens. Your one-stop online store for pen and inks and paper.

(2) Jet Pens. Another one-stop store.

(3) Amazon. Pen and inks can be bought here also.

(4) Fountain Pen Network. Good source of info about writing with fountain pens.

There are countless other online sites of people who review inks and papers; and sites of ink manufacturers like Noodler's and of other established stores like Pendemonium and Bertram's Inkwell. Countless videos about pens and inks etc. For example: sbrebrown.com





Post No. 001 : Why this blog

Welcome to Journaling in America.

There's pen, ink, and paper. And there are computers. Two ways to journal. Advanced technology that records audio, video, text, graphics and more can bring out high level thoughts for transfer to a digital medium. Writing with primitive pen and paper, however, elicits our deepest, richest, earthy stirrings. 

We will come back over and over to the idea that a person has to run their life like a business. The most basic currency of business is the silver coin. You make a silver coin by starting with silver dust from the heart of the mine. And you make the words for your journal by refining the dust of your being and forging it into ideas.

Peace,
Joe Orlow
Journaling in America with
Large Moleskine journal
Passport refillable journals

Get a free RA journal at http://www.freeleatherjournal.com.