By Staff Writer: Caitlin Daugherty
Keeping a commonplace book has been a time-honored practice by many philosophers, writers, poets, and artists. Many famous individuals from the past, such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Oscar Wilde, have kept commonplace books. Commonplace books can be traced back to Greece and Rome in ancient times as they acted as personal journals and encyclopedias filled with meaningful information and quotes from passages the owner deemed important.
Commonplace books can be arranged in any way the writer desires as they act as an early form of a blog. Albeit a little less public. The content can range from quotes from novels, TV shows, and movies to recipes and instructions on how to paint watercolor flowers. Or you could keep a commonplace book with a specific theme, such as your particular interest. Many people decide to compile as much information as possible through photo clippings, magazine and research articles, and drawings. However, remember that a commonplace book isn’t an ordinary journal and thus has smaller snippets of your topic throughout the book.
The importance of having a commonplace book cannot be understated. A collection of inspirational and motivational materials in a physical medium can be an excellent way to reflect on your intellectual and creative growth. Writing on paper inside of a book can help with memory and coordination. It can help you with future decisions as you reflect on the information you have gathered in your commonplace book.