An old, rural airport near Emigrant may not be the first place you think of to call home or headquarters for your handmade journal business, but that’s exactly what Katie Clemons, 29, is doing. Part of the airport’s hangar is being adapted to create both a studio space for Gadanke.com, Clemons’ online journal business, and living quarters for Clemons and her German-born pilot husband, Martin. After having spent a considerable amount of time living in Berlin, Germany, they ultimately decided to come home to Montana.

“My family moved to Montana in the 1800s, and it seems like every generation has gone and lived in other places and tried new things,” she said during a recent break from marking where future windows are about to be installed at the hangar. “But we always come back. Who can help it? The people here, the scenery, the passion for life – you just can’t beat life in Montana.”

That same passion to be connected with one’s roots, both relationally and geographically is the fuel that ultimately drove Clemons to create Gadanke.com. The defining moment occurred in Butte, Clemons’ hometown, back in 2007. NPR’s StoryCorp invited residents into their recording studio bus to share their stories. Clemons’ grandmother, Clarice Richardson, was celebrating her 90th birthday on the day the two stepped into NPR’s recording bus. Clemons was prepared with prompts to help her grandmother get started. The problem, however, was deeper; Richardson simply couldn’t remember.

“We fill our lives with stuff: toys, gear, electronics, even a job, but when the rubber meets the road, it’s our relationships and our actions that truly define us,” Clemons said. “These are our stories. These are the things we want to hear from the ones we care about, whether it’s over coffee with a friend, or sitting around the dinner table with family. I wanted to create an easy way to document these stories.”

The motto at Gadanke.com (pronounced guh-dawn-kuh) is “Celebrate your story!”; sometimes those stories are happy, sad, silly, or spiritual. With over 15 varieties of journals in her shop –and more on the way – Clemons is sure to have a journal that meets you where you’re at or where you’re trying to go.

“People often feel like they should journal, but they just never know what to write. Others may want to be more creative, but just don’t know where to start. Gadanke journals seek to bridge that gap with writing prompts and creative elements like fun papers, envelopes and tags.”

With writing prompts on approximately 90% of the pages in any given journal, Clemons hopes to help bring out the story that’s already inside you. This is great news for anybody who’s ever been daunted by the empty pages of a blank book. Clemons’ journals – which range from baby books and recipe journals to Christmas journals and travel books – make it easy to recall and document that perfect day at the lake, the road trip with your best friend, the family recipe that’s been handed down for generations, or the moment you felt your house become a home.

Many customers have been so thrilled that they’ve offered to share photos of completed journal pages on the company’s website. One customer even documented the sadness of a miscarriage alongside the joys of friendship and her two healthy daughters in one prayer journal.

“Journaling can be so much more than only writing when you’re boy crazy or depressed…or both!” said Clemons with a smile. “Our lives are full of stories you want to pass on and that you should pass on.”

Another thing Clemons wants to pass on is the legacy of leaving green footprints. While the idea of simple living has always been a part of Clemons, living in Germany helped cement these things. Living in an apartment of only 480 square feet, commuting by bike or foot (even to the grocery store), and having over seven different ways to dispose of and recycle household trash left a strong imprint on Clemons. Even the majority of the food they purchased was seasonal produce from local providers. This low-impact philosophy continues to grow now that they’re back in Montana. Clemons shares her experiences on simple, green living on her blog, MakingThisHome.com, where you can see photos of her husband dig the trenches for the hangar’s geothermal heating system.

Clemons carries this green philosophy over to Gadanke, so well in fact, that earlier this year Governor Schweitzer awarded her Montana State’s EcoStar award for her small business initiative. Each journal contains recycled papers, domestically-produced materials, and products from sustainable forests. Clemons also gives back to the community by purchasing supplies from local small business owners.

“Montana has such beautiful country and awesome neighbors,” she says. “I want to do everything I can to maintain our local quality of life.”

Living local in Montana often means trying to earn an income in a rural setting. Often, this is no easy task. Like others, Clemons enjoys the paradox of how modern technology allows her to thrive in a rural setting. While admitting that it does take considerable time and energy to run your own business, Clemons says it’s worth it. “My goal was always to shape a career that could let me come home to Montana. The internet has done that. It lets me connect with people around the world and the quiet countryside all at once.”

She shares her handmade journey on her blog, www.makingthishome.com. Her journals can be found at www.gadanke.com.

Juliette Rautenberg is a freelance editor, writer and language instructor.  She also enjoys supporting small creative businesses and is an avid crafter and fan of the handmade movement. She can be contacted at jrautenberg@gmail.com