The seduction of good stationery

"One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats"

Stationery stores, art supply shops, kitchen shops, craft stores, specialty food stores, even hardware stores – I love anything filled with the tools and supplies for making things, everything still pure potential.

Maybe it’s the tactile, old-school nature of these things that I’m drawn to. A computer keyboard just can’t complete with the feel of pen on paper. One of the reasons I love cooking is because it’s so sensory, something to do with my hands after working on a computer all day.

Maybe this is why I’ve stayed stubbornly analogue in a digital age. I’ve never owned an e-reader. I’m the only editor I know who still proofreads on paper printouts. I use a diary rather than a digital calendar. The first time I met my author Graham Herterich and he whipped out his Filofax, I knew we were going to get along just fine.

I’ve been thinking about all this after reading this piece about Moleskine notebooks. There’s just something irresistible about a good notebook with smooth, creamy paper, never mind one as steeped in creative lore as a Moleskine.

But what’s a notebook without a pen or pencil to write in it with?

Blackwing pencils are to writing utensils what Moleskine are to notebooks: both are beloved by artists and creatives and have a cult following.

The Pilot V Sign Pen was apparently Nora Ephron’s favourite, while the secret to Taylor Swift’s writing process is cool pens.

And yet it’s all too easy to fall into the trap of thinking that just because you have the same notebook, pen or even playlist as your favourite writer, you’re on your way. But as Seth Godin writes:

Stephen King, one of the most beloved, famous and bestselling authors ever, often goes to writer’s conferences. After he talks for a little bit he says, “Any questions?”

Inevitably, someone raises their hand  – I’m paraphrasing here – and says, “Mr. King, you are one of the most beloved, famous, and bestselling authors ever. What kind of pencil do you use to write your books?”¹ It’s almost as if knowing what kind of pencil Stephen King uses will help them be more like Stephen King.

Equally as unhelpful is the idea that a notebook (or anything else, really) is ‘too good’ to use – that you have to save it for something special, something worthy.

One of my favourite poems is ‘To Be of Use’ by Marge Piercy. In the last stanza, she writes:

The work of the world is common as mud.

Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.

But the thing worth doing well done

has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.

Greek amphoras for wine or oil,

Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums

but you know they were made to be used.

The pitcher cries for water to carry

and a person for work that is real.

That image of the pitcher sealed behind glass in a museum, yearning to be useful, has haunted me ever since I first read this poem many years ago.

Those paints, that single-estate extra-virgin olive oil, that skein of yarn, the expensive candle, the luxe hand cream were all made to be used. What good are they doing if they’re just sitting in a drawer?

Iris Murdoch wrote in The Sea, The Sea, “One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats, and if some of these can be inexpensive and quickly procured, so much the better.”

It all makes that Moleskine notebook – or whatever your small treat is – look like a bargain, because what could be better than something useful that makes you happy every time you use it? I’ll take happiness wherever I can get it, and sometimes that’s in the stationery aisle.

My must-have stationery

• Moleskine Cahier notebooks: I love these because they can easily be folded over to write on both side of the page. I use the extra-large one for taking notes and always have the pocket-size one in my handbag.

• Leuchtturm1917 diaries: I have one for my day-to-day work/life and one for my publishing house’s social media schedule. I was a Filofax fan for years, but it was too bulky to lug back and forth between my house and office every day.

• Leuchtturm1917 notebook: I have an A5-size hardcover notebook that I’ve organised by date so that I can keep track of the recipes and content in the books I publish according to seasons, themes, etc. for inspiration for newsletters or social media posts.

• Pilot V Ball 0.7mm in blue and red: I’ve used these for marking up proofreading corrections for 20+ years now and buy them by the box.

• Bic Cristal pens: Basic and still the best.

• Stabilo highlighters: In yellow and pink.

• Sharpie markers: Authors’ writing utensil of choice for signing books. Bonus points if you can get one that colour co-ordinates with your book.

• Super sticky Post-Its: Last year, my daughter got me a bumper pack of super sticky Post-Its for Christmas and I was legitimately delighted.

• Binder clips: Also known as foldback clips, they do double duty as bag clips in the kitchen.

What’s your favourite stationery? I’d love to know in the comments.

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About me

I’m Kristin Jensen, the founder, publisher and editor at Blasta Books and Nine Bean Rows. Before I started my publishing house, I was a freelance editor and food writer for over 20 years and I’ve co-authored three books. I pretty much eat, sleep and breathe books and food. You can also find me on Instagram @edibleireland.📚

1. Apparently it’s the – you guessed it – Blackwing 602.