Login

u/Jeremyw501

r/scrapbooking r/PhysicalMediaMatters r/TodayOnMyWrist r/Bluray r/typewriters r/NoHandwritingJournal r/KeepWriting r/bluraycollection r/dvdcollection r/Affordablewatches
▲ 12 r/KeepWriting

Physical line stacking - an idea that fell short at the finish line.

New member, newish writer.
TL DR - overcomplicating a simple 12 line prose with stacking sheets.

I am working on a No Handwriting Journal. I had this idea for a poem/prose. Each 3 line thought would be on a separate piece of tracing paper, spaced our to fall on line below the previous one.
Each of my 4 'pages' are a stand alone piece. Then as you add the next paper it would build a new completed thought , culminating with a final 12 line result. I thought it was cool. I worked hard to make it make sense, then I typed it all up and I am not sure what to think.
I love the ghosting, that fits the overall theme.

In the end product is pretty much unreadable.
I am here for ideas and feedback. I have posted the writing below with the order of pages (So all the bottom page is the one you can hardly see in the photo)
What do you think of the concept? The Physical pages? The writing overall?
----
Lighthouse

Page 1 (bottom Page - Air)
A lens built for the coast sits anchored in the mountain dirt,

a solitary breath of air released to the vast nothing,

searching the empty horizon for its next inhale.

Page 2 (second from the bottom - Fire)
We measure out a fragile spark against the heavy dark of night,

a liquid drop of brilliance dissolving in the arid sky,

hoping the infinite ocean of the cosmos remembers the chemistry of fire.

Page 3 (second from top - Earth)
The concrete foundation holds tight to the shifting ridge,

like a single grain of sand across the desert dunes,

counting itself among a billion others waiting for the wind.

Page 4 (Top page - Self)
The mind grows tired of its own small and solitary cage,

reaching outward until the margins of the self begin to blur,

accepted at last by the infinite sea that requires no shore.
—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A lens built for the coast sits anchored in the mountain dirt, (P1)
We measure out a fragile spark against the heavy dark of night, (P2)
The concrete foundation holds tight to the shifting ridge, (P3)
The mind grows tired of its own small and solitary cage, (P4)

a solitary breath of air released to the vast nothing (P1)
a liquid drop of brilliance dissolving in the arid sky (P2)
like a single grain of sand across the desert dunes, (P3)
reaching outward until the margins of the self begin to blur, (P4)

searching the empty horizon for its next inhale. (P1)
praying the infinite cosmic ocean remembers the chemistry of fire. (P2)
counting itself among a billion others waiting for the wind. (P3)
Welcomed home by the endless sea that requires no shore. (P4)

-------

This was inspired by the restaurant Villa Del mar in El Paso Texas. I drove by this lighthouse in the Franklin mountains. I was overlooking the expanse of El Paso and across the border to Juarez. It was so out of place, why would the mountains and desert need a lighthouse? What was there that needed guidance? 

u/Jeremyw501 — 4 days ago
▲ 3 r/NoHandwritingJournal

The "Ghosting" Dilemma: My 4-page typewriter layout works perfectly on paper, but fails in physics.

TL;DR: Wrote a cumulative poem on 4 pages of tracing paper layered over a photo. The poem physically builds itself line-by-line as you drop each page. Problem is, the bottom layer (the beginning of the poem) is now illegible under the stack. Scrap it or embrace it?

The Vibe: I was inspired by a totally out-of-place landlocked lighthouse up in the mountains overlooking a desert city expanse. I wanted the poem to mimic that feeling—starting with a lone, isolated object on the bottom page, and building up through the elements until the margins of the poem completely blur into the cosmos on the top sheet.

The Reality Check: I typed it out, flipped the pages down, and... density wins. Layer 1 is a ghost.

On one hand, it feels poetic that the solid, grounded starting point fades away into a haze the closer you get to the "infinite sea" on the top layer. On the other hand, people can't read the beginning of the poem.

If you were looking at this in a journal spread, would you find the heavy ghosting of the text intriguing, or just frustrating? If I do a rewrite, how would you fix the legibility without losing the 4-page waterfall reveal?

u/Jeremyw501 — 5 days ago
▲ 2 r/NoHandwritingJournal

Stamps, Embossers, and Archival "Sauce": Personalizing layouts without a pen.

I’ve been looking for ways to add some extra layout "sauce" to my pages, and I've started diving into the world of rubber stamps. It feels like the perfect way to add quick, deeply personal touches that still strictly adhere to the "no handwriting" rule.

I recently picked up a classic rubber date stamp, along with a customizable peg stamp where you can slot in your own letters to create specific text. It’s going to be incredibly useful for quickly stamping city names or location tags next to my street photography prints.

But now I’m thinking about taking it a step further. I am considering commissioning a custom rubber stamp to act as a personal letterhead for my journal inserts—specifically, an illustration of an old-school manual typewriter with my name underneath. I’m also looking into getting a blind embossing stamp to press a physical, inkless seal into my heavier cardstock and vellum overlays.

Are any of you incorporating stamps or embossers into your workflow? Are you hunting down vintage postal stamps, or having custom graphics made to brand your spreads?

reddit.com
u/Jeremyw501 — 9 days ago
▲ 4 r/NoHandwritingJournal

Let’s talk portable printers: Breaking the Instagram gatekeeping.

One of my favorite moments in the McKinnon "No Handwriting" video is when he calls out people on Instagram for gatekeeping the portable printers they use for their pocket layouts.

He explicitly drops the Canon IVY, the QX20, and the SELPHY CP1500 as his holy trinity for printing 4x6s and square formats on the go.

Let's make sure we aren't gatekeeping here. What is everyone running for their in-journal prints? Are you using ZINK paper, Instax, a Selphy, or just printing on standard photo paper from your home office rig? Let’s get a definitive gear list going for the newcomers.

I currently have the Selphy, the Ivy and an Instax Wide printer. They all serve a little different purpose. I am thinking about getting the battery pack for the Selphy and use it to start and build my road trip kit.

u/Jeremyw501 — 11 days ago
▲ 3 r/NoHandwritingJournal+1 crossposts

Interactive Layouts: Hiding a single-sheet "Zine" inside an envelope.

I found some incredible inspiration from the street photography world this week and figured out a way to adapt it for our journals.

I wanted to create a dedicated 'photo album' spread without taking up six pages of my journal. I came across a video detailing a free web tool created by photographer Rick Vega that lets you upload photos and print an 8-page mini "zine" onto a single sheet of standard printer paper. (You just print it, make one cut, and fold it into a book).

My plan: I am printing a dedicated zine of photos, typing the title onto the front cover with my Smith Corona Electra 120, and slipping it inside a manila envelope. I'll mount the envelope directly to the journal page using double sided tape.

It creates a tactile "reveal"—you actually have to open the envelope and pull the book out to view the spread. It completely changes the physical depth of the journal.

Have any of you experimented with interactive elements like envelopes, hidden pockets, or fold-outs in your layouts?

youtu.be
u/Jeremyw501 — 15 days ago
▲ 11 r/PhysicalMediaMatters

Thrift Store Haul (Criterion finally)

I was getting discouraged that I wouldn’t have a thrift haul with boutique studios. Today solved that. $2.79 ea. not bad.

u/Jeremyw501 — 17 days ago
▲ 124 r/NoHandwritingJournal+1 crossposts

Buying typewriters in a gas station parking lot.

Sooooo… yeah. Just bought this guy (Underwood 319) off Facebook marketplace. Probably not the normal transaction this gas station sees in the parking lot. lol. Now the hunt for a shift key starts.
Happy typing!

u/Jeremyw501 — 25 days ago
▲ 4 r/NoHandwritingJournal+1 crossposts

Road Rules / Typewriter Tuesday

For my work I travel every other week. This time away from the typewriter and journal gives me an opportunity to think about the next few pages. I am looking through photos, composing my thoughts. I came across this quote by author / poet Sandra Cisneros that I thought was a great description of what makes the typewriter a special tool for this project.

“This manual typewriter is one I actually used to write my poetry on. Not fiction. Poetry. Poetry needs to be written slowly and by ear. I like to see the hard copy I’ve typed, write my revisions all over it, then retype it again taking it from the top. This process of typing it clean over and over helps me to chip away and ‘see’ the poem as if I was chipping marble with a silver chisel and hammer. I also think poetry is a genre that lends itself to the typewriter — something about the clicks and clacks is very satisfying and soothing.”

For me, this journal isn't about logging data or creating a daily itinerary of facts. It’s about curated expression. It’s about letting the photo set the mood, and then using the heavy, mechanical strike of the keys to carve out the emotion behind it. The machine forces me to slow down and listen to the rhythm of the words.

Where does your journal sit on the spectrum? Are you using your machine to log the daily facts, or are you using the keys as a "chisel" for curated, artistic expression?

reddit.com
u/Jeremyw501 — 26 days ago
▲ 25 r/scrapbooking

Newbie. Alt style.

So I got inspired by a video by Peter McKinnon for a “No Handwriting Journal”. I took off and started buying supply’s. When I wound up in my wife’s scrapbook bins looking for tape I realized Peter had tricked me into scrapbooking.
At its core, at least.
Very minimal, no handwriting (except found items). Started a sub ( r/nohandwritingjournal ) since I didn’t see one.
I figured I would post at the mothership for feedback.
Lessons learned on the first day -
1- Doublesided tape under velum is a no go.
2- Don’t fall into the world of vintage typewriters unless I have my savings account inflated.

u/Jeremyw501 — 28 days ago
▲ 63 r/bluraycollection+2 crossposts

23 Blu-ray movies 3 Blu-ray series 4 DVD series 2 DVD concerts 1 Steelbook. 10 digital codes (not counted in avg cost) $70 total for a $2.12 avg. Collection total 798 Started collecting Feb 11th this year.

u/Jeremyw501 — 2 months ago