This book is a creative, funny, and beautiful notebook/memoir in which author and cartoonist Lynda Barry reflects on her time teaching college students to keep a composition notebook:

a place to practice a physical activity – in this case writing and drawing by hand – with a certain state of mind. This practice can result in what I’ve come to consider a wonderful side effect: a visual or written image we can call ‘a work of art’, although a work of art is not what I’m after…I’m after what Marilyn Frasca called “being present and seeing what’s there.”

I loved it. There’s the review. This is what it looks like. Go buy and read it.

Mini Take-aways

• crayons teach patience
• short-cuts are often a short-cut to Dragsville
• we don’t need reasons to make art
• doodles, lines, and colours are fine
• copying and colouring are fine
• we tell ourselves at a young age that we can’t draw
• being overly concerned with expectation and objective can take the natural pace away from things

Medium Take-aways

• composition books for collecting, doodling, writing
• lots of cool “diary” formats
• need more drawing, it’s a deep part of being human
• writing needs to be shared. personal yet building community
• get creative with lesson handouts and delivery!

Big Take-aways

• Take notes. Notice things. Slow down more often.
• Worrying about the worth of your writing or drawing and its value to others BEFORE it exists can keep us immobilized forever. We must write or draw it to demonstrate anything.
• What is art for? Art is not for anything. Art is the ultimate goal. It saves our souls.

Here are some of the notes I took while reading.

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Books Reflections Books lyndabarry review syllabus