You are what you note

It’s so easy these days to forget yourself. Just keep scrolling. No matter if it’s Tictok, Reddit, Instagram, or Newsfeed. There is always something exciting, just a swipe away, something that catches your attention and distracts you from being aware of yourself. If you have ever tried to write, you know that writing is not only a great way how to reflect on the world around you. Writing can also help you to reconnect with yourself. Actually, it goes well beyond that. Writing, the act of finding words, and putting them on paper, changes you. And this is probably the most exciting thing about writing.

My today’s interview guest is the German visual artist and author Gianna Shamone. The first time I met with Gianna to discuss her idea of publishing a book of poetry, I was amazed to hear how strongly her current biography is linked with the writing. A couple of years ago, Gianna suffered a severe private and professional backlash. Her well-running career hit the wall, and on top of that, a breakup suddenly changed her life. Instead of waiting for something to happen, she began to write. Pen and paper helped her understand who she was and who she can become; word by word, they guided her on the way back to light.

Gianna Shamone’s new poetry book “Finding me” is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and authentic testimonials of the transformative power of writing to be published this year. It’s available from 11.11.2020 via amazon.com. Visit also https://giannashamone.com for more information and reading samples.

Cover Photo: © Melina Heidinger

Our today's interview guest is the contemporary German painter Caroline Corleone. In 2015 she finished the masterclass in fine art painting at the renowned Academy of Art Weißensee in Berlin. Since then, Caroline is represented by the Krobath gallery in Vienna and her artworks were exhibited in a series of solo and group exhibitions in Europe.

In this interview, Caroline Corleone talks about her obsession with pink, her experiences with developing a new color for a fountain pen ink, and her latest series of paintings called Paradise Lost. https://berlin-notebook.com

Some of you may already know Emiliano as the author of the Berlin Notebook Edition 2. With our art book editions, we want to explore the creative tension between printed and handwritten texts. Emiliano Passaro's approach to this literary experiment was very unique. He wrote a poetical foreword to a writer's notebook. His words run as a thin line through the whole notebook and invite the readers to engage with them; to fill the empty space above and below the line of words with their own thoughts. If you're looking for an inspiring present or if you want to break through your own writer’s block, take a look at this art book. Or is it a notebook? You can still get one of the 200 hand-numbered copies at https://berlin-notebook.com 

Recently we called Emiliano to talk with him about the main themes of his upcoming book "Fragili Binari".

Cover Photo: © Sebastian Mayer

Tara Deacon is a South African illustrator and painter living in Berlin. In 2020 Tara Deacon created a series of paintings with the title Surroundings. The series explores themes of isolation and confinement within the home and a newfound appreciation & curiosity of mundane household objects and familiar scenes. The artworks were painted exclusively with the Berlin Notebook Blue No. 1 ink.