Moleskine

Inktober

Every October, members of the global art community commit to drawing in ink for 31 days. The Inktober movement, started by artist Jake Parker, is meant to cultivate the habit of drawing. Instead of sharing my work on social media like many participants, I plan to showcase my drawings to a small group of artists from work. We’ve taken up the challenge together.

I often engaged in process-driven art as a child. But, when I enrolled in art classes in college, I began to focus more on the content rather than the process. My professor graded my finished product, not the process that led me to it. I’ve only recently rediscovered the joy of drawing without a plan.

I find it difficult to draw from memory and need a visual. Flipping through the September 2022 issue of Town & Country, I drew/traced a collage of a few products that caught my eye. I’m actually looking forward to picking up my notebook tomorrow and turning to a fresh page of neat, little dots.

Works Sighted

Moleskine notebook (large, soft cover, dotted pages)

Uni-ball Vision Elite rollerball pen (0.5mm)

Town & Country (September 2022 issue)

Larousse unabridged French/English dictionary

The Notebook

A selection of notebooks from Appointed, Designworks Ink, Moleskine, Apica, Fieldnotes, and Smythson. Writing accessories.

A notebook is a place for me to deposit all of my thoughts. Naturally, I have a few dedicated to various topics. Every post on this blog has started out as an idea in the notebook I’ve reserved for this purpose. There’s also one for recipes. Another one holds bits of writing pertaining to my current literary project. I was introduced to the art of free writing in January 2017, and I’ve had one for that ever since. I’ve had countless notebooks for class notes. I’ve journaled, sketched, doodled, and practiced calligraphy—all in a humble notebook. The book that I’ve started most recently is dedicated to my virtual exploration of France.

I’m studying films that are set in Paris this semester. The France notebook has been christened with my observations on Le ballon rouge (1965) and Le voyage du ballon rouge (2007). I find taking notes to be very therapeutic when I’m not under pressure to prepare for a test. I’ve worked long enough at my formal education, and I won’t be taking any tests in the immediate future. Now I write for fun.

DesignWorks Ink is my go-to brand of the moment. I just ordered this stunning blue notebook—three of them to be exact. If you’ve been inspired to pick up your pen/pencil but don’t know where to begin, here are 20 subjects from the school of life to inspire your writing:

  • the good old days
  • friendships, present and past
  • foods I’m trying for the first time
  • places I’ve been in my mind
  • heroes and heroines 
  • mistakes that have taught me well 
  • the events of my life
  • worldwide wines
  • my strengths
  • dreams I had at night
  • daydreams
  • my ancestors 
  • startups I have in mind
  • blueprints for my dream house 
  • things I want to learn
  • the history of (insert name of country)
  • inspiring quotes
  • the clothes I like and why
  • things I’ll never understand 
  • lessons from my grandparents

Works Sighted

Appointed notebook (hunter green); Designworks Ink notebook (pacific forest); Moleskine notebook (sapphire blue); Apica premium CD B5 notebook (blue); Designworks Ink notebook (denim blue)

Apica CD-15 B5 notebook (navy); Stow pencil case; Uni-Ball black pen (0.8mm); Muji aluminum pen case; Apica CD-15 B5 notebook (sky blue); Designworks Ink Notebook (Neptune blue); Appointed notebook (lavender gray)

Moleskine notebook (earth brown); Fieldnotes (lined); Apica CD-5 A7 notebooks (pastel); Smythson notebook (Nile blue); Fieldnotes (blank); Muji pen case; Uni-Ball black pen (0.5mm); Smythson pencil case (Nile blue); Moleskine cahier journal