Robert Indiana kept a series of illustrated journals during the late 1950s and 1960s, in which he discusses the development of his work as well as his daily activities.

This journal page covers August 20–21, 1959, and August 20, 1960. In his first entry on the page, for August 20, 1959, Indiana bemoans his financial situation, writing that his affairs "reached rock-bottom today—breakfast was two small bowls of cereal without sugar and lunch onion soup, sliced tomatoes and bread retrieved from the garbage which John [Kloss, his partner] had thrown away two days ago. Toasted, and with cinnamon it was not bad."

Because of his financial situation he called Lenore Tawney to ask for a $25 loan. Kloss and he went over to her loft, where he notes that "all young hands on the Slip" were assisting her with her "moving problem," including Ann Wilson, Rolf Nelson (who at the time went by Ralph), Joe Cali, and Richard Smith. He records that they went out for a beer after, and ran into John Wulp at the bar.

Indiana's entry for Agusut 21, 1959, occupies the bottom half of the journal page. He writes that both he and Kloss were tired from "last night's strenuous exertions: sending stuff both down and up Lenore's shaft, but it was good to have food in the locker again, and indirectly this was much connected to these labours." He continues that he rearranged his own loft in order to accommodate a rack for his new large Homasote panels, as he had been too tired to do so the previous evening. It took the whole day, thus he and Kloss didn't make it to the beach or to meet Arthur Carr (an art collector and clinical psychologist, and good friend of Indiana's).

Indiana's short entry for August 20, 1960, appears in between his two 1959 entries. He records: "Continuing [to] cl[ean] loft is [the] order of [the] day, and most of [the] day was thus taken up."