Meet Katie
Howdy! I’m Katie; I’m a storycatcher and journal crafter. Welcome to Gadanke!
When you pause to celebrate your stories, IT GIVES YOU MEANING. The ordinary starts to feel downright extraordinary.
I’m devoted to helping you find your voice, document memories and embrace your life. Gadanke is a world of reflection, creativity and empowerment. Let me guide you and cheer for you as you celebrate your life’s beautiful story!
I became a storycatcher
I wasn’t always a devoted journal keeper. I have 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, my grandma turned 90. NPR’s StoryCorps happened to be in town, inviting people to share their stories. We jumped aboard the recording bus.
I created a list of prompts and thoughtful questions for my grandma – much like the tricks I had started developing for my journaling. I was ready to dive in!
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 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 . Now my team and I handcraft each book in a vintage airplane hangar in Montana, USA.
My grandma has since passed on. But she left me with inspiration and a mission.