Sketchbook

I've always loved the idea of journals, but every time I pick one up it ends up with only a few pages filled, or used pages ripped out to start again with a "clean slate", which in turn doesn't go anywhere.

This was the case with one that I had started in 2018 after becoming inspired by seeing Bullet Journals online. I loved the way that people were combining art and design with organizing notes and data.

I had set up habit trackers, mood trackers, and set goals for the year. But I never finished a month of these trackers (although it looks like I was close!), and I never looked at my "Goals for the Year" page again. Looking back today in 2025 I did manage to complete two of those year goals: Read 50 books and start taking classes at NAIT. I did not end up taking guitar lessons or writing a novel length story. Looking back I think I was too concerned with making my journal pretty than actually making it useful. The trackers never really had a purpose outside of "that could be neat".

Later in 2019 I decided to really push myself to fill this journal. This was slowly becoming more of a sketchbook at this point. At the time I was taking a design class at NAIT, which helped to keep me more accountable since I would fill it with schoolwork.

By the end of the year I actually managed to do it. Every single page had something in it. Now this notebook is one of my favourite things.

The Book

Below is a PDF of a good chunk of my sketchbook. Some pages have been removed because they're more personal, but there are still over 100 pages available to view here.