Why Every Writer-Creative-Dreamer Needs a Commonplace Book
And our 3-year Substack Anniversary!
Dear Friends,
Before diving into today’s newsletter, I want to pause and say THANK YOU—truly, madly,deeply ! Why?
This week marks the third anniversary of Heart’s Content on Substack, and I’m filled with gratitude for each of you who has been part of this journey. Whether you’ve been here since the beginning or recently found your way here, your presence, engagement, and support mean the world to me.
How We’ve Grown: A Look at the Start of Year Three
As we celebrate this milestone, I’m reminded that growth isn’t always about a big splash—it’s about steady, meaningful progress. And that’s exactly what we’ve built together.
🌿 622 total subscribers -up from 538 last year
✨ 35 paid subscribers (your support fuels this work—thank you!)
📍 Now read in 37 states and 26 countries worldwide—six more countries than last year!
Most of our readers continue to discover Heart’s Content through the Substack network, but many of you also find your way here from Instagram, Facebook, and beyond. However you arrived, I’m so grateful you did. Whether you read every post or drop in occasionally, this space wouldn’t be the same without you.
This certainly hasn’t been a journey of overnight virality but rather of deep roots and lasting connections, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything. Slow, steady growth means we’re building something real—a thoughtful community that values stories, reflection, and creative exploration.
What matters is that Heart’s Content is a space where ideas can unfold naturally and I trust that hopefully, some of what I write resonates in quiet, meaningful ways. And that, to me, is enough.
Because the truth is, this space isn’t just about sharing—it’s about learning. By writing to you, I get to explore, reflect, and grow alongside you. Each post helps me deepen my understanding, notice the patterns in my thoughts, and examine the way I see the world. So, while this may not be a massive publication, it is a place where we can keep evolving together. And for that, I’m deeply grateful.
This year, I am introducing a new feature - Your Creative-Spiritual Compass: The Heart’s Content Questionnaire! Check out our first installment. I’m excited to share some incredible responses with you from our community and beyond.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being here. Here’s to another year of meaningful conversation, storytelling, and connection.
With gratitude,
xo Mary
Now, let’s dive in…
The Commonplace Book: Your Companion for Creativity and Reflection
Today, I want to share a practice that’s quietly transforming the way I think, create, and make sense of the world: keeping a commonplace book. If you haven’t heard the term before, a commonplace book is more than just a journal or a notebook—it’s a gathering place for words, ideas, quotes that resonate, doodles, whatever- it’s yours. It’s a living, evolving collection of insights that spark curiosity, invite reflection, and weave together in unexpected ways.
The tradition of keeping commonplace books dates back centuries, and many great minds have embraced this practice, including women whose works and reflections have left a lasting impact. For instance, Virginia Woolf (1882–1941), the renowned British author, maintained notebooks that functioned as commonplace books. In them, she recorded ideas, quotations, and reflections that deeply influenced her literary experiments and writings. Her commonplace books were vital tools in shaping her creative voice and capturing the inspirations that informed her groundbreaking works.
The history of commonplace books is rich and fascinating, stretching from the classical era to the present. If you'd like to explore more about their origins and significance, this article on the history of commonplace books offers a great overview.
How I Got Started
My commonplace book began as a way to catch the meaningful bits of life before they slipped away. I’d read something stirring, hear a line from a podcast, or have a thought while walking, and I needed a way to hold onto it. For years, I had a bad habit of jotting things down on Post-it notes, which quickly turned into a sticky, cluttered mess—random scraps of wisdom scattered across my desk, tucked into books, or lost to the bottom of my bag. I needed something more intentional, a space where these insights could live, breathe, and actually be useful.
I first read about commonplace books from Austin Kleon, who described them as a way to collect and connect ideas over time. His approach resonated with me, offering a method that wasn’t just about keeping quotes but engaging with them, making them a wellspring for creativity. That’s when I realized I didn’t just want a place to store insights—I wanted a system that would feed my work, my writing, and my way of seeing the world.
What Makes a Commonplace Book So Valuable?
It Fuels Creativity.
A commonplace book isn’t just a collection of quotes—it’s a well of inspiration that helps you see connections you might not have noticed otherwise. “You’ve got to gather your own firewood,” as David Lynch used to say, to light the fire of your creative efforts.
You might jot down a thought from an interview, a phrase from a novel, a song lyric, or a reflection from your own journal. On their own, these pieces might seem disconnected. But when you revisit them together, something new can emerge.
For example, an idea about creativity might land next to a note you scribbled about fear, and suddenly, you have a fresh insight into why you hesitate in your work. A passage about nature might sit alongside a reflection on stillness, and together, they form a deeper understanding of rest.
This is the magic of a commonplace book: it’s not just about saving ideas, but about allowing them to evolve, to interact, and to spark new ways of thinking.
It Grounds You in Reflection.
A commonplace book also serves as a mirror, reflecting your thoughts, emotions, and personal growth over time. Some entries will be reminders of encouragement on difficult days, wisdom that reframes a struggle, or insights that help you move forward.
For instance, you might copy down a thought about perseverance when you’re feeling stuck. At first, it offers comfort. Later, when you find it next to something you wrote about surrender, you might notice an unexpected connection: that showing up doesn’t always mean pushing forward; sometimes, it means allowing life to unfold.
By returning to your own words and the wisdom you’ve gathered, you start to see patterns in your thinking, gain clarity, and develop a more nuanced understanding of yourself and the world around you.
It Holds Meaning Over Time.
One of the most powerful aspects of a commonplace book is how it reveals change—not just in what you’re drawn to, but in how you interpret it.
Something you copied down years ago might strike you differently today. A phrase that once reassured you may now challenge you. A passage you once saw as purely personal may now feel universal. This ongoing dialogue between past and present allows you to see how your thoughts, beliefs, and creativity are evolving.
Rather than being a static record, a commonplace book becomes a conversation with yourself across time—a quiet but profound space where your insights, inspirations, and experiences continue to unfold.
How to Begin Your Own
Starting is easy, and you don’t need anything fancy. Here’s how:
Choose Your Format. Some people love the feel of pen on paper, while others prefer the convenience of digital tools. Pick what works for you: a simple notebook, a platform like Notion or Evernote, or even a mix of both. (I haven’t effectively graduated to a digital system, though it likely makes more sense, I’m still analog all the way. Plus pen and paper = win.)
What Inspires You. The next time you read or hear something that makes you pause—a quote, an idea, even a question—write it down. For example, you might jot:
"The cure for exhaustion is not rest. It is wholeheartedness." – David Whyte
At first, it might simply strike you as interesting. But later, on a particularly draining day, you may return to it and realize it’s not just about physical fatigue—it’s about engagement, about being present to what truly matters.
Let Ideas Connect. Over time, look back through your entries. I like to flip through my notebook at the end of each week to see what stands out. Does something I wrote weeks ago suddenly resonate differently in light of a new note? Follow those connections.
Maybe a week or two after the Whyte quote, you hear Brené Brown talk about wholehearted living on a podcast, and suddenly, Whyte’s words take on new depth. Wholeheartedness isn’t just about effort; it’s about showing up fully, with vulnerability and courage. And then, as connections tend to do, another thread appears—you come across Thomas Merton’s reflection:
“Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm, and harmony.”
You start to see the pattern: true restoration doesn’t come from pushing harder or collapsing into exhaustion but from aligning with what gives life meaning.
Revisit Often. Your commonplace book isn’t just for collecting; it’s also for exploring. When you feel stuck or uninspired, return to its pages. Circle back around the center, like the labyrinth, and back out again with new insights. What once seemed like a passing thought may now reveal a hidden depth. A quote that felt distant might now speak directly to your lived experience.
Much like walking a labyrinth, the act of revisiting is not about retracing old ground aimlessly, but about deepening your understanding with each return. You might notice patterns you hadn’t seen before, ideas calling to each other across the pages. A note from last year might suddenly illuminate a challenge you’re facing today. The commonplace book becomes a map of your unfolding journey, reminding you of where you’ve been and offering guidance for where you are going.
Consider joining us as a paid subscriber + feel my giddy gratitude!
Other Ways I Organize My Thoughts and Ideas + Welcome To My Sloppy Handwriting
In addition to my commonplace book, I keep a small journal where I jot down quick ideas, doodles, gratitude lists, etc. This smaller journal feels more like a sandbox. It’s like a free space to play and capture inspiration as it comes.
The commonplace book, by contrast, is where I have room to dive deeper into an idea, reflect, and expand on why it matters to me.
I also started a card catalog where I file short, powerful quotes under themes like Hope or Creativity for quick reference. To keep everything organized, I use a simple cross-referencing system.
And because I am also a nerd, I have a daily quote notebook as well. I know this seems excessive but each serves a different purpose. The notebook is more like a logbook of what I came across that day and the catalog is sorted by theme for reference.
What I love about this system, even if not fully employed daily- is how it allows ideas to cross-pollinate. A note on creativity from my journal might later find its way into my commonplace book, where it intersects with a quote about courage. That insight might then get distilled into my card catalog under Fear, where it sits next to other wisdom on the same theme. Each piece has its place, but together, they form a cohesive creative ecosystem.
A Quiet Place of Meaning
For me, my commonplace book has become a practice of stillness, creativity, and gratitude. It’s where I gather the wisdom of others and weave it into my own. It’s where I pause long enough to let a line of poetry, a quote, or a question sink in. And I can circle back again and again. It’s where seemingly scattered ideas come together in unexpected ways, forming new insights I never could have arrived at otherwise.
Most of all, it reminds me that life’s beauty always begins with stopping to notice.
What will you notice today? And where will you keep it, so you can hold onto its light?
xo Mary
Have you ever kept a commonplace book? If so, how do you use yours? If not, what’s stopping you? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
A portion of our paid subscriptions this month goes to:
Ensight Skills Center. “To provide people with low vision the services and resources that empower independent and productive living.”
© Mary Thoma
All Rights Reserved 2025
I don’t recall hearing about commonplace books prior to your newsletter, but my journals/notebooks sometimes have operated as one. Thank you so much for the information, examples, and tips on keeping one.
Congratulations on your third anniversary!