A year in analog notebooks

Cataloging all of the notebooks I used in 2025

Welcome to SEE YOU, a companion for artists, hobbyists, and analog lovers devoted to a creative life with practical ideas, inspiration, and reflections on making.

Last week, I shared a list of my favorite books of 2025. Today I’m sharing my year documented in notebooks. Dusted off my typewriter for this one!

My monthlong creative challenge 31 Days of Creative Resilience comes back this January. For more details, head to the end of this post.

If you enjoyed this post, you’ll love Allie Sullberg’s Tiny Desk Tour with Estee Zales. The most relatable sentiment: “Notebooks have to be within reach. Not across the room, not on a shelf I’d have to stand up to access. I keep multiple in rotation, theoretically each for something different.”

Kening Zhu writes one of my favorite blogs. Recently she shared Storm Shelter, an audio ritual for creating a comforting space during stormy times.

As a disillusioned former tech worker, I found so much to relate to in Mel Mitchell-Jackson’s post, “why I am AI sober.” I plan to keep returning to Mel’s guiding questions as I try to stop using LLMs completely (please note I have not and will never use AI for my art or writing!)

Physical copies of my seasonal companion zine Winter Practice are now sold out, but you can purchase the digital version in my shop. For those of you who’ve received Winter Practice, I would love your review—just reply to this email!

31 Days of Creative Resilience comes back on January 1, 2026 🐎 This is my daily prompt series for the month of January so we can ease into the new year with mindful creative prompts. Paid subscribers will receive all prompts, and the challenge is open to artists of any level. Head to this post if you’d like a preview of this year’s themes.

If you enjoy SEE YOU and would like to join the January challenge, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Financial support from readers like you allows me to put a lot of time and energy into sending this weekly newsletter. As an end of year promotion, you can get 15% off an annual subscription through January 3!

Thank you so much for reading SEE YOU this year. I hope your holiday week has equal measures of belly laughter with loved ones and quiet reflection as 2025 comes to a close. I’ll see you on January 1, 2026!