I’ve watched the Smashbook phenomena grow and grow since the first advertising teasers for the Smash* range were released by K&Company. At the time I was just finishing off a journal and on the lookout for a new one. It took some time for Smash* to become available in Australia though, so I ended up purchasing another of my tried and true large Moleskines.

I kept coming back for looks through the Smash* range though and liking what I saw. The Smashbook concept is great in it’s ease and simplicity, providing a framework that anyone can work with and embellish to create a journal in their own personal style. While by no means a new concept, the Smash* product range provides a ready-made set of tools to get you set up and smashing fast.

A quick search for the tag #smashbook on Instagram or Tumblr shows how popular they are with the younger crowd. I think this is fantastic – many of these young people comment that this is the first kind of “journal” they have ever kept, so the Smashbook craze is encouraging fledgling journalers to pick up their pens (and glue sticks) and express themselves on paper. The Smash* framework takes away that fear of the blank page and the lively communities on social media provide encouragement and inspiration. Most importantly, the whole Smashbook concept promotes the idea that there is no wrong way to do it.

Now I find myself at a bit of a crossroads journaling-wise. I’m not yet near the end of my current journal (my standard large blank Moleskine) but I find myself wanting a little more space to work with and a little more colour to liven things up a bit. I’ve found I’m not really much of an art journaler, more of a long written entry followed by a page or two of smashed in stuff, followed by more pages of writing, more smashed in stuff … you get the idea. So I’m considering a Smash* brand Smashbook.

On the other hand, I’m one of those people who has to have a journal that “fits” and feels right, otherwise I end up not journaling at all. I’m wondering if the spiral binding would annoy me, if the page thickness would be just-right and if pre-decorated page backgrounds would perhaps be too restrictive. You know, turning to a pink page when it’s really all about green today, or running out of room trying to fit words in around the decorative elements.

A small part of me also wonders if I am perhaps just a little too old for the whole thing too. Shouldn’t people my age be keeping staid and mysterious journal entries on crisp white pages between formal black covers?

Meh, I still think it would be lots of fun to try. What do you think?

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Do you keep a journal yourself? What kind of notebook do you use? Have you used a Smash* book? I’d love to hear about it!