quixotically didn’t begin as a business idea.

it began as a quiet corner of the internet where i could be honest about how lost i felt. after losing a job i loved and being diagnosed with GAD and MDD, i was swimming in uncertainty and grief. i needed a space to feel my feelings and i needed a word that described me, who i’ve always been. quixotic came to mind. a person who dares to dream with reckless abandon, even when the world says it’s too much.

i’ve always been someone who chases what i love, no matter how unrealistic it seems. that passion, that idealism. it can feel like a curse, but it’s also a gift. when i set my heart on something, i give it everything. that’s how i found myself falling in love with journal-making.

i’ve journaled since i was a teenager, back when online journaling felt like shouting into the void and somehow finding a chorus of kindred spirits. journaling has always been more than writing. it’s been about connection, reflection, and radical honesty.

at the beginning of 2025, i stumbled across the world of leather journals on tiktok. i became enamored with the idea of owning something like the louise carmen trifold journal, but it was far out of my budget. so i taught myself how to make one. i bought tools, sourced leather, and began crafting for myself. then for my friends. then for my family. and what i discovered in the process was joy. real, quiet joy. picking out colors they’d love. adding charms that reminded me of their spirit. turning love into a tangible object.

gift-giving has always been my love language and crafting journals became a way of translating that love into something real.

the turning point came when i attended a small local event in charlotte, nc at good postage. the shop owner, jane, noticed my journal and asked where i’d bought it. when i told her i made it myself, her encouragement and the support of everyone there planted a seed.

i never set out to be a business owner. i’m not naturally extroverted or camera-ready. i don’t want to sell just to sell or make a profit. i want to connect. i want each journal to feel like a friend made it for you because that’s exactly what’s happening. i don't see people as customers. i see them as fellow travelers, as dreamers and doers, as people with stories that deserve to be written down.

so here we are: quixotically is still a passion project. still deeply personal. still rooted in healing, honesty, and heart. it’s not a brand. it’s a love letter to anyone who’s ever felt like too much.

if you’ve ever been told your dreams are unrealistic, your feelings are too big, or your hopes too high, this space is for you.

here, we believe in chasing beautiful, impossible things.
quixotically.