"sam is typing..."

A quick one today: I name my notebooks. I don't think it needs to be a confession or anything, but here we are. I name my notebooks.

The names can come from people, songs, phrases, out of thin air, anything. But each of my notebooks has a name. The idea is stolen from Austin Kleon's "Guardian Spirits". Mine aren't really guardians, though. Just little identities.

At this point, the obvious question is "why?". Because they're fun to name, mostly. I like the idea. There's a little more to it really, on top of my enjoyment for silly names and anthromorphisation. They're easier to keep track of like this too. I like to read over my notebooks every now and then, and each having a name means I can keep track which one I need to read through soon (I have a little spreadsheet for this and everything!). As I go through about two of my current size a month, they rack up pretty fast and without names I'd just be the shrugging emoji at all times. Plus, unique identification numbers are dull in comparison.

The names themselves come from all over the place. I have a process. I read through the last notebook until something strikes me. Usually this is something written or drawn, but sometimes it's something I see or hear around me, or just had a conversation about or whatever. When I look for a name, one always finds me.