Help me be more creative!

November 3, 2006 7:41 PM

I bought my first Moleskine notebook, specifically the the pocket weekly planner and notebook 2007 which has the week planner on one page and a full page for notes. What creative things can I do with the note page?

I'm in college and I've been looking for an organizer and found the Moleskine (I keep on forgetting the last "e" and keep on pronouncing it wrong in my head) described above is what I need, since it's small (I bought a more expensive planner in high school but find it too big) and simple. I bought the weekly planner with the note pages because I thought I would try to be creative every week and use the page to explore my creativity.

At first I thought I would write a little story every week, adding new sentences every day, but I would probably run out of ideas. Then, I thought I would write one big story for the year, but I'm not that good at writing stories. I've just thought of writing a haiku every day describing how that day went, which I think is my best suggestion. Does anyone have any other creative ideas? I am not a drawer, I would prefer to write.

The page is 3 1/2x5 1/2 inches, which is a little bit bigger than a notecard, and has 27 lines.

posted by daninnj to writing & language (14 comments total)

Not what you're looking for, but you could implement GTD (getting things done). Moleskines have a huge following in that world. Lots of ideas on things and stuff you need to do and how to keep it organized.

On a more creative tact, it sounds like you are more literary than artistic. Simple poems might be the best path to go after, or if you like prose more, stories are a good idea. Perhaps you could take notes, or questions or whatever based on whatever you're reading that week (outside of school).
posted by cschneid at 7:46 PM on November 3, 2006

Moleskine: notes. Just a quick Flickr search. I find Flickr to be a great resource for ideas. (And I love the whatsinyourbag? tag.)
posted by davidinmanhattan at 8:00 PM on November 3, 2006

I always use note pages like that to write down names of people I regularly interact with and one characteristic about them so I can remember their name and something about them.
posted by vito90 at 8:36 PM on November 3, 2006 [1 favorite]

You could use it as a 'scrapbook' of your year. Keep ticket stubs, receipts of major purchases etc etc etc, draw if you feel like it, whatever you're in the mood for.
posted by cholly at 9:22 PM on November 3, 2006

I love the idea of writing a haiku each week, that is a really fun use of the notes page.

Another idea is to look up a quote that appeals to you each week and jot it in the notes section.

Or you can use it to keep track of something, like keeping a mood log, food log, exercise log, etc.

Or a weekly grocery list, but how boring is that? ;-)
posted by tastybrains at 9:41 PM on November 3, 2006

I would use it to sketch and doodle along with joting down important info related to the daily planning. you could possibly save them then look back at them later. I've been meaning to get a few of them but i cant find a cheap outlet for then i dont want to be scammed on ebay (again).
posted by AMP583 at 11:10 PM on November 3, 2006

I use mine to keep track of the money in my checking account. Yeah, I'm wildly creative. Also books I want to read, things I need to buy, quotations, further details about the things from the little calendar pages--all the usual stuff, come to think of it.
posted by box at 12:05 AM on November 4, 2006

Love the idea of finding a great, inspiring quote each day and putting it in your notebook. Also love the little scrapbook idea, but you may have to buy a glue stick.

1) Haiku
2) Inspiring quote
3) One vivid memory of that day you'd like to remember
4) Discover other poetic forms and done one of those each day.
5) Sudoku from the day's paper
6) Food log (for health)
7) Keep track of your daily water intake (again, for health reasons)
posted by willmize at 1:37 AM on November 4, 2006

Each week (or month if you want to really stretch the creative muscles in your noggin) pick a word (noun, verb, adjective, whatever) and then illustrate it. For example, if your word was "climb" you could draw a monkey one day, an ivy vine the next, person climbing a tree the next, a chart the next, a carabiner the next, etc.

Another idea that doesn't work your brain as much (IMO), but would still be awfully neat for use with something bound like a moleskine, is to draw an animation that can be flipped through.
posted by 10ch at 4:24 AM on November 4, 2006

I like the haiku idea a lot (I hope you don't mind me borrowing it). But don't limit or force yourself...after a while, the Moleskine's blank pages will draw content to them like a magnet. It will eventually evolve into something that works wonderfully for you, and you'll wonder how you ever lived without it before.
posted by phatkitten at 6:19 AM on November 4, 2006

I have the 18 month version of that -- I use it for more practical stuff: to keep track of things that I want to tell people, things that I have to get done (maybe you could use it for homework assignments or ideas for papers?), what I've eaten, small purchases (the kind that you spend $1 here or there on and then at the end of the month are like "crap, I spent THAT much money on coffee". It's a good scare tactic for yourself).
posted by echo0720 at 10:57 AM on November 4, 2006

Okay, I'm stupid, I missed the creativity part of your post. Sorry about that, just ignore me.
posted by echo0720 at 10:57 AM on November 4, 2006

i'm surprised no one has mentioned a dream journal yet. the best of both recordkeeping and creativity/inspiration.
posted by whatzit at 11:10 AM on November 4, 2006

I got one of those too (in red!)

My hope is that I will use the left page before the fact, to plot out what I'm doing on any given day, then add details afterward on the right side, maybe general feelings about how the week ended up working out, or pictures/small objects like in the "scrapbook" idea cholly suggested above.

I use the desk-sized page-a-day model for my dream journal. The little pocket diary in the OP only has four little lines per day--not enough to record more than a snippet of a dream.

AMP583: there's an ebay seller called phoe_line from whom I've bought about a dozen Moleskines of different sizes and shapes, and have always been happy with product and service.
posted by bink at 12:32 PM on November 4, 2006 [1 favorite]