Score one for the Maker's Bag (and some recommended mods)

[UpToNoGood]

I have a love-hate relationship with the Maker's Bag. I wish it had a Poron top grab handle like the Co-Pilot, and a back stash pocket where I could have easy access to a file folder with my itinerary and tickets at the airport (bonus points if there's an o-ring back there where I could clip my passport pouch while I go through endless security lines), and had a bit more curvature, like the Parental Unit, to be more comfortable and body-hugging for those of us visibly blessed with hips. And as with all bags I wish it came pre-loaded with dark chocolate and converted to a backpack - the most reasonable requirement on the list.

However, like a bad penny, the Maker's Bag remains the bag that I just can't part with. My weak-sauce Craigslist ads aside, there are good reasons to keep it around:

1. I can open the flap and see everything in the main compartment. I "lose" things in other TB bags because I can't remember which awesome pocket I've used as a hidey-hole.
2. It is reasonably lightweight. My shoulders really don't like me to use it on a daily basis, but for short-hauls (concourse runs, parking lot to office) I can make it work.
3. The fact that the flap gaps somewhat usually works for me. That's where I roll up jackets and scarves once it's too hot to wear them, or last minute purchases that I have no other place for.
4. It can hold Lara Bars, my 22oz. Camelbak Chute, a regular and passport TN (simultaneously!), a scarf, mini DIY first-aid kit, the small Q-kit in which I stash my meds, AND my Side Effect. Props.

PLUS, as I discovered last night, on top all holding all those other things I can also throw a sizable number of Neulands in the back wall pocket to speed downtown with me where I pitched in with a friend's graphic facilitation. Lifesaver! I had a ton of nibs and colors to choose from without the risk of losing any of them, as I could securely zip up that back wall pocket even if the bag flopped open (which of course it did).

MORE PLUS: My friend is always teasing me for my lack of belt/holster to hold my markers for these events. To compensate for this last night, in a flash of brilliance I swung my Side Effect cross-body and put my go-to markers for the night in there. It worked beautifully!

It got me to thinking that the Small Cafe Bag would be a great "belt" bag for holding my Neulands next time. I have one in my beloved original halcyon/wasabi combo, but am thinking of going for a black one to hide the inevitable ink spots.

Pics of my setup are below. Images of the actual recording from the event are my friend's intellectual property; if he can share them I'll post some examples here.

[backpack]

The Maker's Bag is too big for me.

But, I love your setup and I am spotting many interesting items.

I recognize Lamy pens and Copic markers.

What is the name of all the markers of all different sizes with an oblong side window? Are they the Neulands you are mentioning? How would you compare them to Copics?

The Side Effect as portable marker holder is brilliant, you might also consider the Travel Cubelet which is available in black and would keep them upright.

[UpToNoGood]

Yes, the pens with the windows are Neulands. They're pretty much the go-to for graphic recording, and they don't bleed as much as the Copics. They're also a bit cheaper than the Copics, i think. The Copics bleed like mad, but I love the colors. The orange pouch in my bag is from Lihit Lab; I keep a small Mnemosyne Inspiration notebook inside it, with an A5 shitajiki to use beneath each page as I'm taking sketchnotes. I outline them with either a Copic fineliner for my Pilot Falcon, and then fill in/shade with the Copics. My sketchnote kit is a must-have for my EDC, and I also keep an extra Mnemosyne at work for meetings and at home for my journal.

This is all way off-topic, I know. Somewhere on here there's a thread about journals and such. I stopped subscribing to it because I started to spend even more money on notebooks and fountain pens based on everything in the thread. My pen and paper habit is stronger even than my TB habit, and if the money's not going to one it's going to the other.

Get the notebooks. You'll be in love.

[moriond]

…
<snip>
I keep a small Mnemosyne Inspiration notebook inside it, with an A5 shitajiki to use beneath each page as I'm taking sketchnotes. I outline them with either a Copic fineliner for my Pilot Falcon, and then fill in/shade with the Copics. My sketchnote kit is a must-have for my EDC, and I also keep an extra Mnemosyne at work for meetings and at home for my journal.

This is all way off-topic, I know. Somewhere on here there's a thread about journals and such. I stopped subscribing to it because I started to spend even more money on notebooks and fountain pens based on everything in the thread. My pen and paper habit is stronger even than my TB habit, and if the money's not going to one it's going to the other.

Get the notebooks. You'll be in love.

There's a recent (September 25, 2018) guide to the Maruman Mnesmosyne over at JetPens. However, I note that they don't stock the specific model you linked to.

[Cristina]

Yes, the pens with the windows are Neulands. They're pretty much the go-to for graphic recording, and they don't bleed as much as the Copics. They're also a bit cheaper than the Copics, i think. The Copics bleed like mad, but I love the colors. The orange pouch in my bag is from Lihit Lab; I keep a small Mnemosyne Inspiration notebook inside it, with an A5 shitajiki to use beneath each page as I'm taking sketchnotes. I outline them with either a Copic fineliner for my Pilot Falcon, and then fill in/shade with the Copics. My sketchnote kit is a must-have for my EDC, and I also keep an extra Mnemosyne at work for meetings and at home for my journal.

This is all way off-topic, I know. Somewhere on here there's a thread about journals and such. I stopped subscribing to it because I started to spend even more money on notebooks and fountain pens based on everything in the thread. My pen and paper habit is stronger even than my TB habit, and if the money's not going to one it's going to the other.

Get the notebooks. You'll be in love.

This all sounds fascinating! What is graphic recording and why do you need so many markers on your person at an event?

[backpack]

Yes, the pens with the windows are Neulands. They're pretty much the go-to for graphic recording, and they don't bleed as much as the Copics. They're also a bit cheaper than the Copics, i think. The Copics bleed like mad, but I love the colors. The orange pouch in my bag is from Lihit Lab; I keep a small Mnemosyne Inspiration notebook inside it, with an A5 shitajiki to use beneath each page as I'm taking sketchnotes. I outline them with either a Copic fineliner for my Pilot Falcon, and then fill in/shade with the Copics. My sketchnote kit is a must-have for my EDC, and I also keep an extra Mnemosyne at work for meetings and at home for my journal.

This is all way off-topic, I know. Somewhere on here there's a thread about journals and such. I stopped subscribing to it because I started to spend even more money on notebooks and fountain pens based on everything in the thread. My pen and paper habit is stronger even than my TB habit, and if the money's not going to one it's going to the other.

Get the notebooks. You'll be in love.

What is graphic recording?

I am blessed with a love of loose leave or note pad paper, that can become loose leave to insert in my journal or EDC Field Journal Notebook.

Notebook are too constraining for me, lucky me, I think when I see all the money that is spent on them.

[Kelly S]

What is graphic recording?

I hate to be "that person" but google it and then look at the images (assuming you've got normal vision and my apologies if you do not).
I didn't know that's what it was called, but it looks interesting. Kind of like word art, for a specific event or meeting, kind of like an infographic but hand-drawn and more "graphic" than info per se. Totally interesting, and I may try to give it a go sometime

[UpToNoGood]

Kelly S pretty much nailed the idea. Graphic recording is about capturing the big ideas of a discussion in a visual way - this is done because the visual cues help jog memories better than lines of text scrawled in a notebook. Plus, they're done in front of a whole audience, so it helps to make sure that the entire group is on the same page (literally!) about the big concepts under discussion and action items that may arise. Also, it's just fun.

As I noted below, I'm just now establishing myself in graphic recording, but I've been doing sketchnotes forever. Those are sort of the same things but done at a much smaller scale and can be done either for oneself or scanned later to share with all interested parties. I increasingly do the latter.

For reference, one of my recent sketchnotes from a small business event is attached. I'm happy to geek out on this more via PM if anyone's interested!

[Kirri]

Fascinating. Never heard of this before but it makes a lot of sense!