So, OK, I KNOW I am stationery obsessed, anyone else? It's become a problem, maybe even an addiction.
I would much rather go to Officeworks (a mega stationery supplier here in OZ) than any high end fashion store and could easily spend a couple of hours pouring over rows of pens and comparing the virtues of fibre tip vs rollerball vs gel vs ballpoint etc.. Is there more to it though? WHY do I head to Magnation checking out whether there is anything new from Moleskine, trawl Notemaker clicking on the 'New Arrivals' and squeal with excitement when I find a super fine ballpoint that makes my handwriting resemble the finest script (even though I have another 15 at home...)?
I'm building a STACK of notebooks and sketchpads. Every new project needs a new blank book with the 'right' personality for what it will contain. IF the book gets used at all, it tends to be the first few pages, I then give up on whatever it is I bought the book for in the first place and it goes on the shelf. Once the book has been begun, it is no longer suitable for any other use, it's about wiping the slate clean and having the freedom of another blank page, a fresh start.
Here is the other thing, I trained for 10 years as a Fine Artist, I *know* at some level I can draw/create but I've become terrified of the blank page/canvas so the sketchbooks I buy as an incentive meant to motivate me sit empty and I become disillusioned.
So, is it just another tale of Stationery love or is this stack of empty notebooks above masking a deeper issue? Either way, I'm not alone. On a late night talk show a few years ago Debra Messing openly declared her obsession with pens and the following night a co actor confirmed it saying that Debra had spoken in very serious tones while lending him something to write with at a reading, said 'it was one of her favorite pens and he had better return it in the same condition in which it was loaned'. Aaaah well, it's good enough for Debra.....
