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Jenn Smith

@joydesign.us

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journaling and ink evangelist
Substack and YouTube links ⬇️

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Food for thought re: Kansas, also re: immigration “enforcement” actions.

Meanwhile, we launched a war in Iran, but they’re not saying the word “war,” so it’s fine that he bypassed Congress. Heck, sounds like over half of Congress is fine with his bypassing them, so it’s all good, right? Except ONLY Congress has the power to declare war; it was designed that way to prevent EXACTLY THIS.

Anyone else having trouble keeping up?🤯

❤️

#civilrights #humanrights #niemöller #firsttheycame #kansas taken in California by @joydesign.us

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7 months ago

I didn’t know what to post today, and it didn’t feel right to post anything without acknowledging the man this holiday in America was meant to celebrate.

An idea finally came to me. I sort of tussled with it for a little while, using all the usual excuses. “I don’t have time,” I said. “But it might not fit!” I protested. Until I finally just accepted that the piece wanted to be made today.

This speech is a timeless work of art, and still a moving expression of our dreams for a better, greater America.

What a legacy Dr. King left us.

❤️🇺🇸 taken in California by @joydesign.us

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9 months ago

Just when I was trying to figure out what to write about next, Steven Bartlett from @thediaryofaceopodcast came to my rescue with his Sunday newsletter piece about guilt and perfectionism.

“Perfection doesn’t make you do more.” He writes, “It makes you do nothing and hate yourself for it.”

That has been 100% true in so many areas of my life where I could have improved or made progress over the years.

And, while I’ve made huge strides, and no longer allow perfectionism to dictate how I think and feel about the world and people around me (including me!!)… I am still learning to really optimize where perfectionism is allowed to drive and when it needs to take a seat in the back. This is and may ever be a work in progress.

How about you? Do you struggle with perfectionism? How does it help you? And how does it hurt/hinder?

I’d really like to hear how it manifests for you and how you manage it.

I should mention that the five minutes a day with his fiancée thing was for when he’s travelling, not when he’s at home. My husband was like, “Five minutes seems like awfully little?!”😂

Steven’s essay was wonderful. If you’d like me to forward it to you, please feel free to drop your email via DM.

❤️

#journaling #perfectionism #handwriting #joysjournal #joydesign taken in California by @joydesign.us

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7 months ago

Day 2 of the @sfpenshow will be a wrap for me…

Playing around with my new @drillog_japan kodachi… the line variation and the range of lettering styles I can get from this one dip nib is 🤯.

What an incredible tool for creative lettering.

. . .

Pen: @drillog_japan kodachi
Ink: SF Pen Show 2026 @colorverse.ink Pier 39

#lettering #drillog #kodachi #joydesign by @joydesign.us

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2 months ago

Kind of like a journaling AMA?😊

#sfpenshow #journaling #writing #tranformation #joydesign taken in The Westin San Francisco Airport by @joydesign.us

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2 months ago

I moved two days ago, and everything is in disarray… BUT I’m here at the @sfpenshow today and tomorrow with my ink journal, so I’d love for you to find me and say “hi” if you’re here, too.

#inkswatches #inkjournal #fountainpenink #handwriting #joydesign taken in The Westin San Francisco Airport by @joydesign.us

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2 months ago

A few San Diego friends and I carpooled up to the OC Pen Club a week ago, and there were some fun inks and pens to play with… including the new @attilasultis and @pennonia.ink collabs that @amarillostationery recently had on offer!

Plus… Sailor Tea Time! Look at the shading on all three of these.

Thank you to OC Pen Club for the warm welcome, to Catherine for sharing her Attila inks in the Pilot Parallels and to Miss Marilyn Darling for maintaining the impressive sample stash. And… to my SD pen friends, thanks again for a wonderful day together. It was so special to be able to hang out with you guys again.

❤️

#inkswatches #fountainpenink #handwriting #joydesign taken in California by @joydesign.us

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3 months ago

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3 months ago

I swear… I’m actually not a “political” person. But I do believe in decency and the rule of law, neither of which seems to be faring well under current leadership.

Is it “political” nowadays to say that murder is SO MUCH MORE EGREGIOUSLY ILLEGAL than being here “illegally”? What happened to due process?

Also, I understand that we are forcing the detained to work without pay? And shipping them off to countries they have no affiliations with? And blowing up ships in the middle of the ocean without having to provide evidence of wrongdoing? Not to mention bombing children in a patently illegal war.

If these aren’t violations of basic human rights, I am at a loss to say what is.

At this juncture, labeling speech that tells the ugly truth about actions that are indisputably illegal and morally beyond the pale – without attacking any other beliefs or affiliations – “political” feels rather like a flimsy and transparent excuse not to question one’s value system and integrity. It’s well past time to take a moral inventory, America.

What ICE is doing has gone so far over the line that the line ain’t even visible from where they’re operating.

I am so grateful for any and all who are standing up to this administration and doing their best to hold the line. It is no small thing.❤️🙏🏼

#humanrights #decency #ruleoflaw #usconstitution

Paging #uscongress taken in California by @joydesign.us

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3 months ago

I’ve been tracking down regular (dye-based) fountain pen inks with a high degree of water-resistance, thinking that I’d enjoy the best of both worlds: peace of mind against water/spill damage and ease of cleaning (compared with pigment inks).

I’m pretty happy with the results! The Pilot and Nagasawa inks were standouts during testing, but all of these inks fared well.

Today, I posted a 13 minute video on YouTube featuring highlighter and water-resistance tests for these 10 blue and blue-black inks:
• Sheaffer Blue-Black
• Pilot Blue-Black
• Namiki (Pilot) Blue
• Jacques Herbin Vert de Gris
• Nagasawa Kobe 81 Fukae Urban Blue
• Nagasawa Kobe 68 Nishi-Maiko West Pearl Blue (slightly dry)
• Nagasawa Kobe 77 Rokko Himalayan Blue
• Taccia Hiroshige Ainezu
• Taccia Jeans 6 Light Washed (dry)
• Sailor Blue-Black

Swipe to see the “after” pics, or follow the YouTube link from my link in bio to see the full video and test results.

❤️

Swatches were created with the ball end of a glass spoon and a medium Sailor Hocoro dip pen with optional reservoir on Kokuyo Business Paper.

. . .

#inkswatches #fountainpenink #inkreview #blueink #joydesign taken in California by @joydesign.us

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3 months ago

What if journaling feels “forced”?

Well, maybe it means that journaling is just not for you… or it could be an invitation to explore what’s behind that resistance.

For me, restarting my practice in 2010 was very hard. I wrote a lot to complain about a guy I was seeing, but I didn’t really seem to be getting anywhere. Journaling about everything else felt “forced.”

What helped me was reading all the complaining I’d done in previous journals about previous partners AND giving myself permission to do two things: 1. Write down just the date and one word in order to give myself full credit for a day of journaling. (Not kidding.) and 2. Not judge my thoughts and feelings no matter how “mean” or “ugly” they seemed.

I had grown up being judged not only for my words and actions, but also for my thoughts and feelings… so that I started judging myself harshly in adulthood for things in my mind and heart that I couldn’t control.

I never thought it would be possible for me to overcome the habit of judgment, but I mostly have… and I am so much happier and connected – all because I allowed my heart to break open and then journaling made the enormous shift to curiosity and compassion possible.

I hope you will give this magical practice a chance.

Please feel free to comment below or DM with any challenges or questions you think I might be able to help with. And please share this with anyone who might find it helpful… as IG tells me I’ve made it too long to share beyond my current followers.🤭

I am committed to helping as many people as possible lead lives as authentic and fulfilled beings who spread love and joy.

❤️

#journaling #journalingcommunity #personaltransformation #writing #joydesign taken in California by @joydesign.us

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3 months ago

I’ve been avoiding video for a reallllly long time, but it’s so important to me to encourage the practice of journaling that I needed to do this today.

Start where you are… and keep going. It has been and continues to be the most incredible journey.

Happy July 4th. There’s a lot to be sad and mad about today, but still quite a lot to be proud of as well. Both things can be true.

❤️

Updated to add: I’ve now recorded a few more videos and decided to post them on Substack. You can find them at joydesign.substack.com or by clicking through to Substack in my link in bio.

#journaling #journalingcommunity #writing #joydesign #startwhereyouare taken in California by @joydesign.us

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3 months ago