About writing
A few days ago, I was sitting in a small café, surrounded by the background noise of everyday life - the clinking of cups, the murmur of conversation, the music playing softly in the background. Suddenly someone caught my eye: headphones in their ears, no smartphone on the table, instead a notebook and a pen in their hand. The seat diagonally opposite was free and I sat down so that I could keep a close eye on him. He wrote line after line, paragraph after paragraph, without putting his pen down, except to take a sip of coffee every now and then.
I recognized this state immediately - this intense holding of a thought that you have fixed so much that it absolutely has to be "copied". At such moments, everything has to be put on paper. Regardless of writing style, grammar or the logical structure of the thought. It is an unstoppable flow of thoughts that flows directly from the head into the hand and onto the paper.
When someone writes by hand in a pad today, in the age of note apps and complex, AI-supported software solutions, what do you think when you see it? It may seem antiquated, even anachronistic, perhaps even a little romantic. In an era in which every thought, every task and every memory can be recorded digitally, handwritten notes offer a very special form of mindfulness and personal expression.
There is something magical about handwritten notes for me. It is the connection between hand and mind that unfolds its very own magic when writing on paper. Every line, every letter carries the personality of the writer within it. The small imperfections and individual characteristics of handwriting - spelling mistakes, corrections, scribbles - tell far more than the mere text. When I pick up my notes later and leaf through the pages, I can feel my feelings, impulses and even my physical condition at the time.
While digital notes often aim to be efficient, searchable and easy to share, handwritten notes for me offer a deeper connection to the thoughts and feelings I want to capture. Even very factual things like project plans, meeting notes or to-do lists come to life through handwriting and the little dashes, dots, circles, figures or comments. This is so much more important to me than a neat string of bullet points, paragraphs, subfolders and search terms.
Handwriting helps me to remember experiences, thoughts or feelings better. The physical act of writing engages my brain in a completely different, more intense way.
Personal journals, even if they are only kept sporadically, are a place for reflection and growth. They offer an undistracted, almost therapeutic space. Writing is a deliberate act that slows us down in an increasingly hectic world and allows us to delve deeper into our thoughts.
As a traveling photographer, I always have my journal with me. It is my faithful companion on all my journeys, a place where I record my impressions, thoughts and visions. When I wander through the streets of foreign cities, enjoy the vastness of the landscapes or look at people's faces through my lens, it is writing that helps me to preserve these fleeting moments. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but the words I write down give these images a deeper meaning, a personal touch that only I carry within me.
In a world increasingly dominated by digital technologies, handwriting offers a welcome change and a way to reconnect with myself. It's more than just writing. It's an art form, a practice of mindfulness and a way to explore and preserve my identity.
Maybe, no, probably this is the reason why I want to combine the written word with my photography more and more in the future. Without wanting to influence the viewer's interpretation or thoughts too much, in nuances and in exactly the right amount and way.
So, the next time you see someone lost in thought writing in a pad, enjoy it a little more than just looking by. think about the last time you wrote something, recorded it and what thought you "copied".