#startwhereyouare

Week 2 • 09/07/2020 🌻

Hi guys! Yesterday was my birthday and my friends of university sent me some gifts so I want to show you them because they're adorable. 🌈

The name of the book in english is: ❝ Start Where You Are ❞, it's some kind of journal for self-exploration with beautiful illustrations, by Meera Lee Patel. 

One of my favourites quotes and how this journal start is  ❝ For you, for being exactly where you are ❞. 

Start Where You Are: A Journal for Self-Exploration Meera Lee Patel

What is it?

The subtitle says it - a journal for self-exploration. But, aren’t they all? What it doesn’t tell you is how appealing and soothing it looks inside. Like many guided journals, this one aims at helping you better understand yourself and process your thoughts, wishes, feelings, and fears in a mindful way. Each page on the left has a water-color art quote from famous thinkers that is somehow related to the writing prompt on the right. This is a really good combination! You just enjoy flipping the pages and moving through the journal. As for the prompts, some are quick and easy, and on some, you need to stay longer or even sleep on it. My impression is that if you’re really eager, inspired and in the mood for journaling, you can finish it in a day or two. But on average, you can play with it for a couple of weeks. And if you’re like me, not much time and attention to give dedicate, it can last you long. The overall tone is really optimistic and empowering but in a non-aggressive way. It lets you glide through pages smoothly while enjoying Meera Lee Patel’s works of art. It might even inspire you to grab colorful pens and start doodling and customizing - like I did. I like how unpretentious yet effective this journal is! A true bestseller. 

What does it look like?

Mine is a paperback edition, in dimensions 143 x 191 x 11mm, 128 pages. It is pretty compact and light. The paper is white matte. However, darker colors can be seen through another page. That tells me some of the stronger, darker pens might bleed through. That’s why for this journal I opted for Pilot Precision V5 pens that are ultra-fine. Now, back to the journal! I already mentioned how pretty the watercolor illustrations are. They truly are one of the best and most unique things about this journal! Meera Lee Patel is responsible for them too, so the authorship is completely hers, which I applaud. 

Who is it for?

- A great gift to almost anyone that’s into journaling, even a little bit - Both journaling veterans and beginners - Bohemian souls, mindfulness practitioners, and yogis - Litterature aficionados will appreciate the quotes