BM Journals are amazing
May 17, 2008
The BookMooch journals project continues to blow my mind.
Rena Rossner recently made a new graphic for the project, riffing on the existing illustrations, and I absolutely love it (it’s on the right). It really captures the idea of gluing, writing, drawing, doing whatever you want, to an existing blank book.
Like the BM Angels graphic, it’s a great example of what a creative commons license on artwork can enable (re-use, new ideas, based on existing works).
Alicia Edwards is providing tons of her energy into the project, and it really shows! There’s a dedicated domain for it now, at http://bookmoochjournals.com/ and a huge increase in activity.
A few days ago, Alicia posted links to a whole bunch of new journals, showing many diverse ideas:
* Open the Door to Your Dreams
* Secret Family Recipes
* Cats Do the Darnedest Things
* Saturday Night at the Drive-In
* Into the Blue
* Brush it Off
* Behind the Veiled Curtain
* Bands and Their Devoted Fans
* Found Treasures of Life
* Dice Throws of Life
And be sure to look at this incredible list of the existing journals now in circulation.
many journals are uploading photos, showing the amazing creativity at work:
* Handscapes
* Life’s a Beach
* Open Theme - All of Us
* The Golden Opportunity
* Favorite Books
There is now a Flickr Collection of Journal photos, which is very impressive.
I suggested on the BM Journalers discussion group that I’d be willing to pay to get full color print-on-demand copies of finished journals into circulation on BookMooch, so that the efforts yield a permanent artifact that many others can enjoy. People liked the idea, and that’s what I plan on doing as journals get completed.
Here are some flickr photos of a few I quickly spotted, which will give you an idea of some of the visuals being created:
May 17, 2008 at 9:11 am
It’s wonderful to hear that the journal project has been taking off like this…! I’m still new to the effort (have added to only two of them so far) but I have to say, what an incredible way to interact and create.
And to those who haven’t mooched a journal yet, I want to say: don’t feel nervous! You don’t have to be a professional writer or artist. Besides, it’s just as rewarding to receive one and flip through it as it is to add your own stamp. Perhaps moreso; I felt inspired for days by the artwork and messages in the ones I’ve seen so far. They’re just plain fun and amazing.
Thanks for posting these links
May 17, 2008 at 9:45 am
This is so exciting!! I’ve seen journal projects done a ton of different ways, but this is the first truly organized way of dealing with them that I have seen! Amazing! I will have to get in on the action!
-Jesse
May 17, 2008 at 4:29 pm
I agree, it is quite wonderful to see the Journal Project continue to bloom
Alicia and Rena have done a terrific job on the new blog and in overseeing the exchange of the journals.
Mark W
May 17, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Wow that’s great news! I love this idea and have contributed to 2 existing ones and have put out 2 of my own. I only have a word of caution to add (not to bring anyone down) but the 2 I had put out there are now lost to me. One went to someone who hasn’t been on BM for quite awhile and won’t respond to frantic emails to get my journal back somehow, and the other one went to a person who is leaving BM and also won’t respond. So I just wanted to let everyone know the risks of putting these out there where you have no control over them anymore. Thanks for listening and don’t let this get you down. It’s just a cautionary blurb!
May 17, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Sorry to hear that Liz, but I think it is quite unusual to lose a journal for good.
If all attempts to contact the member have failed, and sending a self-addressed stamped envelope fails as well, contact us on the admin team and we can make an attempt to get it back.
Perhaps John’s notion of making duplicates of journals would prevent this, or at least lessen the loss.
Mark W
May 17, 2008 at 10:31 pm
wow the journals look amazing.. i can’t wait to add something to one of them! i hope it doesn’t take too long to receive one.
May 18, 2008 at 1:00 am
I was very pleased to read this blog and decided to make my own journal. Thank you for the wonderful idea!
May 18, 2008 at 1:09 am
Why not make an online journal that everybody can add to?
May 18, 2008 at 9:14 pm
[...] along the way, resulting in something truly original. You can read more about this project on the BookMooch blog. And if you haven’t joined BookMooch yet, consider doing so — it is a great way to get [...]
May 19, 2008 at 3:48 am
I was inspired by BookMooch to create a journal of my own but instead of sending it out to the unknown world of everyone who belongs to BookMooch, I wrote down names and addresses of everyone I know inside the front of the journal. I included instructions to send it on to the next person, as well as some money for postage. I’m hoping it eventually makes it back to me. Just another thought for anyone who wants to start a journal but not see it disapper forever.
May 19, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Mitzy and amymay — I really love your ideas. Thanks for sharing!
May 20, 2008 at 1:53 pm
[...] along the way, resulting in something truly original. You can read more about this project on the BookMooch blog And if you haven’t joined BookMooch yet, consider doing so — it is a great way to get [...]
May 21, 2008 at 3:32 pm
This is quite the site! I have looked at tons of art journals and been interested in starting one. Rena and Alicia are in an online art group with me and I decided to follow one of their links here. I must say I am very tempted to try for a journal. I love taking a blank page and creating on it. What a great thing you have going here. “