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 life on Coenties Slip.

In his journal entry for May 15, 1961, Indiana explains that he declined an opportunity to appear in Life magazine: "nay, rejected it for Miss Campbell and her photographer, etc., where downstairs and tried for an hour to raise me. I had tried to reach her by phone earlier, but failed. I might have been moved to relent in my unfairness and beckon them up, but when I looked out I saw Agnes [Martin] there too, talking to them in [the] street. Many, many reasons for my decision."

He notes that he had cleaned the loft anyway, as he had been ready to change his mind, and went to Scarsdale (where he taught art classes at the Scarsdale Studio Workshop). Indiana records that J. (his partner, fashion designer John Kloss) met him at the train; they had dinner at Grand Central Station and Indiana purchased the latest issue of Arts Magazine, which did not have a review of his show with Peter Forakis at the David Anderson Gallery. He writes  "$1.75 lost."