Do you ever find yourself wanting to take notes on sensitive topics or private thoughts that you don’t want to risk anyone else seeing? As our lives and work are digital, securing our personal information is crucial. While we may use passwords and encryption tools to protect files on our computers and devices, what about good old pen and paper?
Need for Private Notebooks
They are private thoughts, whether as part of a therapeutic process, self-exploration, or even creative writing that we’re not ready to share. Yet finding privacy is a challenge. Even if you’re diligent about password protection and locking devices, writing in a digital document still poses risks. Cloud storage is hacked, and devices be stolen or accessed without your permission. For sensitive information, an offline approach may be best. A paper notebook or journal offers a high degree of security and privacy you’re the only one handling it. No wifi network or cloud backup means your private words stay completely offline. But what if others in your home or workplace access your bag or desk where a notebook is stored? The very presence of a locked diary prompts curiosity and tampering. Going completely analog opens up intriguing possibilities for hiding notes – communication techniques from history that mix concealment with everyday objects for the ultimate in privacy on paper.
Invisible ink- steganography
Steganography refers to the practice of concealing secret messages within ordinary-looking texts, items, or images so only the sender and recipient even know a hidden communication is taking place. Invisible inks are a historical example, used for centuries by spies, political movements, and those living under oppressive governments as “open secrets” in plain sight. Invisible ink provides a stealth mode for analog note-taking that blends into its surroundings.
how do i make a private note? While complex chemical formulations were once needed to produce invisible inks, many common household items will work. Lemon juice, diluted milk, vinegar, baking soda water, diluted white glue, and even semen be used to write secrets that dry clear and become invisible on paper. Gently heat the paper to brown and darken the written areas until your private scribbles are revealed. Once cooled, they will fade back to total invisibility. Use this organic encryption to privately record your innermost thoughts and dreams in contexts where even a locked diary would stand out.
Hidden text in other images
Steganography doesn’t have to involve elaborate chemistry. The 15th-century Italian painter Botticelli is famous for intricate allegorical paintings like the Primavera and the Birth of Venus. However, x-ray analysis has revealed secret handwritten texts hidden inside the structure of the paintings, only detectable through technological scanning. Text is layered right into an image, becoming part of its form.
Visual journals that incorporate image collaging, stickers, painting, and mixed media offer multiple layers to bury text within. Add a background wash of color using acrylic paint or watercolors. Once dry, use gel pens to hand write notes, lyrics, or whatever private content you want between the artistic layers, pressing firmly so the words imprint into the paper. Add more acrylic media or glue items down on top to further bury and conceal your writing. Use wax paper between pages so layered paints and glue don’t stick.
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