Interstitial Journaling
Prior to interstitial journaling, my ideas lived in my Notes app, text messages to myself, and attempts to write them down on paper. I began this ‘project of the self’ to be more intentional about documenting my thoughts and holding myself accountable to the goals I was setting.
Rather than waiting until the end of the day to reflect, I could write while a thought was top of mind. Introduced in 2017 by the now-CEO of Medium (opens in new tab), this method involves making short, timestamped entries between tasks, though people have since adapted it to their own lives.
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Interstitial journaling can be done on paper, but my interpretation is digital and multimedia. I document my findings (screenshots, quotes, articles galore) alongside my own accounts in a diaryesque format. Together, they become a mnemonic device that helps me revisit my thought process.
Over time, this ‘unstructured data’ has become a mood board for future projects. The idea for this website began through these entries, too.
It is also my way of adapting to an age of generated media. Keeping a record of my thoughts helps me return to how an idea developed, and distinguish what is mine from what inspired it. Citation is something I think about now more than ever.