Why you need a Wisdom Keeper Journal.

(This was originally shared in a newsletter, Oct 2022)

“I’ve always wanted to be a writer,” she said. “I’ve had people tell me from stories I told them or letters I wrote to them over the years that I should have been a writer.” She paused. She was thinking about my comment about how I have a few friends who constantly amaze me when they pull a story out of their back pockets that I’ve never heard before that should be written down. And I’ve known these friends for a long time – decades! And there's no shortage of stories. What a gift it is to be able to recall details, emotions, and events and relay them in ways that bring laughter, awe, and astonishment to the listener or reader.

I realized that this friend, who is retired and has children and grandchildren of her own, hasn’t taken the time to record some of her adventures in her life. But if prompted will readily travel back into a time long past to when her grandparents owned an amusement park or how she renovated a house way before DIY was even a thing, and how kind, but naïve Mrs. Shaw drove off a hill that wasn’t designed to be driven on in the 1950’s – oh the talk of the town, that story was.

Years ago, another friend told me that the act of traditional storytelling was dying out. Oral traditions were at risk of being lost and now with social media, the art and language of the written word are changing as well. But a few people are still drawn like magnets to books, stories, fantasy, and history, sharing events with words or pictures. And for some, these leave bigger impacts, via a hidden legacy, documentation of experience, and the unlocking of imagination.

I realized that my friends who have creative tendencies can be overwhelmed by all the ideas and thoughts in their minds. It’s like the heart has so much to express and they just don’t know what to do with it. And this is such a personal thing, a moment where this expression is chosen to be shared, or not.

Some people are drawn to the ideas of diaries, journals, notebooks, and canvases. Others are not. But for those who are, and those who just don’t know it yet, having a place to collect the gifts and experiences of a moment, a special book for safe keeping of such things are what I have long called Wisdom Keepers. (It’s also my name for anyone who works in a library and it could also apply to anyone who works in a museum). A wisdom keeper is a journal of your life, your experiences, and your nuggets that create treasures – it holds your wisdom.

And more importantly, writers, artists, readers, planners, and doodlers who have never had a journal before – having one could change their life. It could be the open door to a world they’ve needed for so long, they just did not know it.

I have created Wisdom Keepers in the past by hand binding tea-dyed pages and covers that I eco-printed with natural botanicals. They were one of a kind, took hours – sometimes weeks - to make, and were priced accordingly. And then I learned in the last year with surface design that I could create affordable, high-quality, amazing Wisdom Keepers that held the same heart-felt intention of supporting the inner artist and storyteller in ways that exceeded my initial ideas.

I am so happy and pleased to offer Wisdom Keepers for you, your loved ones, and for those who need a journal. Their heart needs it. Their minds need it. They need to be encouraged, nourished, and cultivated in ways only found with a pen and paper. No digital substitute can ever compare to the feel and experience of creating your space in a book that’s all your own.

It might show up as a collection of thoughts of the day, a quote compliation, a bullet journal, a straightforward or artistic planner, or even just a place to draw, color, or doodle in shapes without words. Or a combination of both.

Take your pick of the design that resonates with you, gift it to a friend, or start your own.

Be your own Wisdom Keeper. Make it special, make it important, make it yours.

Be curious, live curly, get creative.