Dana Teach, ’20, facilitates commonplace journaling sessions with the Center for Gender Equity to promote self love.
Every semester, the Center for Gender Equity organizes events around a theme, and this semester’s event series is called “Love Yourself.”
Teach, a student staff member at the Center for Gender Equity, is the coordinator for the series.
Teach was inspired by one of her English classes to start “Commonplace Journaling Creation Space,” which is a biweekly event that is part of the series.
“I have studied 17th century literature, and, especially in England, at that time they created these commonplace books where they would collect quotes from what they were reading, and aphorisms, and keep it all in one place,” Teach said. “I thought it would be cool if I modernized the commonplace book and make it into something you could use for self-love.”
Commonplace journaling — sometimes mistaken for bullet journaling — is different from bullet journaling because it allows people to gather a collection of information, specific their interests and personal selves.
“Bullet journaling, a lot of the time, focuses on planning and tracking, and that can get very anxiety-inducing if you’re not on track and if your calendar isn’t up to par,” Teach said. “The commonplace journal is an awesome artistic representation of what you like about yourself.”
Teach’s commonplace journal, for example, includes achievements, selfies, inspirational quotes, a budget tracker and a section which showcases the nine identities she is proud of.
“As I was doing the commonplace journal, I got an assignment back, and my professor put ‘Fantastic analysis, exemplary forum post,’” Teach said. “I want to be reminded that I am a great student so I put that in there.”
Reminding herself of her achievements, or positive notes others have left her, encourages Teach. She said, at times, Lehigh students get lost in their failures because of the competitive environment.
“The main goal is for the students to be intentional in their self-love and to recognize their value,” Teach said. “ I hope the project enables them to kind of see what they are realistically, rather than what they bring themselves up to be, which is usually negative.”
Aiden Galbraith, ‘22, has been working with the Center for Gender Equity for a year now. He said commonplace journaling is an escape for him.
While he uses his journal in a different way than his peers do, it allows him to take a break from the stress of school.
Galbraith said he uses his commonplace journal as a “dungeons and dragons journal,” and enjoys how he was able to make the theme of his journal specific to something he loves.
“I think that having (journaling) in the Center for Gender Equity is important, because we focus a lot on making sure that people feel safe in general,” Galbraith said. “Our work is that our campus, or world, can get to a point where everyone is being allowed to exist, without the worries of people being biased.”
Galbraith, whose semester project in the Center for Gender Equity involves mental health, masculinity and its place on campus, said he doesn’t usually see a lot of masculine-identifying people at the commonplace journaling sessions. He hopes with conversation, more people attend.
Nathaly Rodriguez, ‘22, another Center for Gender Equity staff member, uses commonplace journaling as a way to reflect on what is happening in her life.
“Here’s my take on it — when I draw things, I try to make it a positive thing so that when I open my journal, I can look back to it and remember the good things from that moment,” Rodriguez said. “My journal gives me a feeling of warmth, or home, because it represents who I am and want to be.”
Rodriguez said commonplace journalism can help with mental health and individual needs.
“A deterrent to becoming your greatest potential is that self-doubt,” Teach said. “And when we think of equity, in this case, is equity in terms of being able to fulfill your highest potential.”
Teach eventually plans to have an Instagram campaign to highlight participants’ journals.
Commonplace journaling sessions are held Oct. 2, Oct. 16, Oct. 30, Nov. 13 and Nov. 27 from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. in UC 207.
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