Notes from the Field...and (hopefully) the Imagination

You really thought a blog that looks like this wouldn't have a Field Notes post? Please.

The first shipment of my yearlong Field Notes "Colors" subscription arrived a week or two ago. There it is, right up there. So woodsy. Two three-packs of boring ol' regular Field Notes and two three-packs of the seasonal edition (in this case, "Shelterwood," made from the thinnest slice of cherry-tree bark), as well as a pencil, pen, and rubber band thrown in for good measure.

The impetus for the subscription was my effort to find a better way to facilitate my creative writing. To this point, most of my writing has been on the computer. But often I find that inspiration strikes when I'm away from a keyboard. I usually have my iPhone and can use the Notes app to record the essence of my idea and flesh it out later, but many times the spark that I had when I first had the idea has largely fizzled out.

I added a legal pad (and later a sheaf of loose-leaf paper) to my everyday carry to try to have writing material available wherever I might be, but I found that the size of these items still constrained their usefulness. I've long bought and used moleskine notebooks, which solve the portability issue, but I found I have a mental block when it comes to committing to writing in a $12, 192-page notebook: I am hesitant to put pen to paper until I'm sure I have a well-formed idea that I want to commit to a notebook of that price and size, and such hesitancy inhibits the creative process.

Thus, I decided to try Field Notes. Each notebook is obviously portable, but also smaller and cheaper than a moleskine. As a bonus, they are an American-made product, and their tongue-in-cheek details are fun. I figured that if I committed to buy a total of 30 notebooks over a year, it might help me get over my mental block of actually using the notebooks I acquire.

The one drawback is that the softcover Field Notes are less durable for everyday carry than the hardcover moleskines. To address this, I looked for a leather journal cover. As it turns out, I wound up finding one made right under my nose here in KC.

Made by Sandlot Goods out of Horween leather, the journal cover was a bit pricier than what I was hoping to find. However, the local connection, as well as the baseball stitching and styling, wound up being the points I used to justify the purchase. I bought mine down at Westside Storey, which I believe may be the only current KC physical sales outlet for Sandlot's products.  

So far, preliminary results are positive. I have already nearly filled the first notebook, which has gone with me nearly everywhere. Moreover, it has just been a fun way to write. And increasing the enjoyment of writing, in nearly any way you can, is never a bad thing.