Globe-trotter Adam Hackländer documents his travels in stunning and meticulous hardcover notebooks that are part intimate diary and part art. Reading like a graphic novel, Häcklander’s journals are a private peek into his curious, wanderlust spirit, all in a mixed media package of illustration and reflective storytelling.
Unlike typical travel guidebooks or memoirs, Häcklander’s journals are non-linear observations and memories – all “jotted” down in a striking, handcrafted piece of artwork.
While respecting photography as a form of travel documentation, he prefers to note his experiences while sitting in coffee shops, restaurants, and airport or train stations. Rather than spending his time behind a lens, he values living in the present moment and using a unique, tactile storytelling medium instead.
From a young age, Adam Hackländer has found inspiration in adventure movies and iconic recordkeeping, like “Indiana Jones Grail Diary.” Combining his sense of wanderlust with a passion for artistic expression, the journals capture the adventure, mystique, and wonders of the local cultures that he visits.
Whether simply for his own enjoyment or hopefully for sharing with his kids one day, Hackländer sees beauty in appreciating the atypical or unusual aspects of travel. Creating the journals is part of the adventure – sometimes planned and others spontaneously taking shape.
Hackländer’s journals give the viewer a sneak peek into his intimate thoughts and memories as he travels the world – a more authentic and private glimpse than any guidebook will give, and a more telling view of the world than a simple collection of photographs. With his own words describing everything from monumental landmarks to quirky personal encounters, Hackländer’s one-of-a-kind adventure memoirs are a treasure for fellow travelers and generations to come.
