What I know now that I wish I had known then - Collaborative Journal Project

What do you know now that you wish you had known at 16, 26, 36, two days ago? Once you have your answer, here is what you do: express it, in any way you choose -written words, pictures, illustrations, whatever - on your very own personal spread of the journal. When you are done, just pass it along. of the journal. When you are done, just pass it along.


Here's how it works (the long version):A physical journal will be mailed around to everyone who wants to participate, one by one. When you get it, you can take an entire spread to write and/or draw what you know now that you wish you had known then.

The goal is simply to provide a method for interaction and shared creativity and yes, pleasure!
What happens to us growing up? We begin to fear criticism, and tend to keep our creativity and thoughts to ourselves. Many people keep journals, of writing or sketching, but not many share them with people. (When was the last time a friend invited you to read their diary?) You will not be judged here. And you will have company. This is for you. For everyone.

Sign up to participate by emailing me with your name and your email address formatted like this: olive dot girl at hotmail dot com. I will post a list of participants on my blog (not sure of this yet as I may set up an msn group to track the journal) in that format (makes it difficult to spam). Then I'll mail the journal to the first person on the list. That person answers the question, emails the next person on the list to find out their address, and sends it off to them. That way no one has to post their personal address on the web.You can keep the journal for one week. Then mail it off to the next person.

I am only taking 25 participants so we can finish this project quickly. And as this is the pilot project I want to see how long it takes for the journal to get back to me. If it��s moving along really quickly I may start another one simultaneously. I��ll see how it goes.

Please check my blog to see if there are any more available.


So, the short version:

1. Email me your name and email like this: olive dot girl at hotmail dot com.

2. When the journal comes to you, answer the question: What I know now that I wish I had known then

3. Email the next person on the list after you to get their mailing address.

4. Send it to them.Whoever is last on the list (or finishes the journal) can email me for my address and mail it back. Then we can start a second if we need to.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is a spread?
A spread is two pages - the back of one page and the front of the facing page. Basically, open a book and you're looking at a spread.

Who can participate?
Anyone. In any country.

Who pays for postage?
You do. It's just kind of the luck of the draw if the next person in line is on the other side of the globe. Sorry. :)

What if I illustrate digitally?
You can print it off and paste or tape things in the book if you'd like.

What can't I do?
You can't mess with anyone else��s page already in the book. Please just use your own spread to answer the question. And you can't tear out any pages.

Why am I hosting this?
I simply just love the idea. I think this will be a fun and creative way for people to express themselves and at the same time learn some new things from people around the world. Besides, isn��t it a positive way to spend your time - you just may discover something you had never known :-)

That��s it!