MEET KATIE
Howdy! I’m Katie; I’m a storycatcher and journal crafter. Welcome to my journal shop!
I believe an incredible thing happens when we pause to celebrate our stories. IT GIVES US MEANING. The ordinary starts to feel downright awesome.
I help women find their voices, capture memories, and celebrate themselves. Gadanke is a world of thoughtfulness, creativity, and empowerment. There is no meaning of “if only”. Let me guide you and cheer for you in this brave journey of celebrating your story.
I became a storycatcher
I wasn’t always a kick-butt journal keeper. In fact, I used to be pretty lousy. There's a whole shoebox of half-filled, uninspired journals to prove it. Here's the problem: I had no idea how to write about what made me jump out of bed in the mornings.
In 2007, I was back home for my grandma’s 90th birthday. NPR’s StoryCorps happened to be in town, inviting people to share their stories. My grandma and I jumped aboard the recording bus.
I created a list of exciting prompts and thoughtful questions for my grandma (much like the tricks I had started developing for my journaling). I was ready to dive into question after question about her life and passions.
There was a problem.
My grandma sighed and sadly told me, “I don’t remember this stuff, Katie. I should have written it down.”
We were both so crushed.
You can look back on times and read history books, but you cannot do it through the lens of someone in your family. Unless she wrote it down.
I knew I needed to take the prompts I was crafting for my grandma and transform them into something that could celebrate more lives and more stories. That’s what being a storycatcher is all about.
The name Gadanke (guh-dawn-kuh) comes from a German word that means thought or idea. My German-born husband, Martin, and I were living in Berlin, Germany when I created the first prompt journal, She: Me, My Life, My Days personal journal. Now I handcraft each book in a studio in the back of a vintage airplane hangar.
My grandma is 95 years old. She has the same spunk for life, despite a fading memory. There’s a lot I could tell you about both of us. I think I’ll leave you this:
A peek in our hearts:
Most used embellishment:
- me: a date stamper
- grandma: loopy cursive penmanship or the stickers you receive from charities when you make a donation in the mail
Favorite handwritten gift to give:
- me: love letter to Martin (I wrote a page every month for a year)
- grandma: stacks of old letters written long ago
Guilty pleasure:
- me: sipping white tea and journaling as the sun comes up
- grandma: pulling out the real silver when guests stop by for toast and homemade café au lait
Best expat tip:
- keep a home journal
Autumn tradition:
- me: keeping a gratitude journal
- grandma: picking up a pen, trying something new, and announcing, “Well you’re never too young!”
Worst habit:
- me: forgetting to toss dried up pens
- grandma: repeating the same funny stories to the same people – oopsie!