Fellow stationery bloggers are wonderful resources when I’m bereft of creative currently inked plans. Some of my favorite post series highlight how folks apply their currently inked outfits. I often see my own collection in a new light after reading“what I’m using” posts. I come … | Continue reading
I need an interview carry this week. A collection of pens and ink colors that present professionally. All kitted with nibs that write well through the rapid scribbling of fast-moving interviews. Because I’m running on-campus interview gauntlet and my currently inked needs to be o … | Continue reading
Five links. Ten sentences or fewer. On ways to keep my existing collection surprising me. A diverse pen collection helps mix and match pens, nibs and inks so that old pens can surprise me. And straight-up swapping parts carries the day otherwise. | Continue reading
Give me novelty. Add ripples to my rhythm. Populate my penvelope with bold nibs. This week’s currently inked sextet heavily favors wide nibs. | Continue reading
Five links. Ten sentences or fewer. On time and place. I appreciate the same in folks’ stationery reflections. What they’re using in their particular time and place. What they’re creating with those pens and inks and notebooks where they are. | Continue reading
I entered this week reflecting on my nib choices. With nibs on my mind, I opted for a septet that balances broad lines (two B nibs), medium lines (two M nibs), and three narrow lines (three F nibs). Balance in all things stationery. Stationery in all things balanced. | Continue reading
I’m struck by a growing pattern in my recent purchases: I’ve had three of my last four pen purchases ground on day one. My Nahvalur Nautilus twins survived less than 24-hours before they were ground to a Mini-Cutlass and a BBG multitasker stub. And now I opted for Hongdian’s in-h … | Continue reading
Quality simplicity holds powerful appeal for me. There is joy to be had writing with a F nib in a notebook with a precisely printed, simple grey grid on white paper. A simple thing done well is quite extraordinary. | Continue reading
Time to shake things up. I asked my partner to select three pens for this week’s kit. And I asked my good pen friend to select three inks from his own collection. No requests and no exceptions. How serious. | Continue reading
Five links. Ten sentences or fewer. On how the discomfort of trying something new is a sign that I’m growing. Conceptual discomfort, and feeling jarred out of my normal rhythm, is evidence I can convert something wrong into something better. | Continue reading
I’m all doubled up: one light grey and one light black ink. The Sailor’s B line widths should render that pair an effective accent against Cypress’ narrow F lines and light purple grey. The goal is to use black as an accent color. Usuzumi’s sheen is simply too fun not to return f … | Continue reading
Efficiency and speed are quite different where reading is concerned. Each has an important role to play in making sense of what I read. I need to read a book twice to get to both headspaces. And that involves revisiting passages over and again, each time with new tools added. | Continue reading
Five links. Ten sentences or fewer. On the importance of failures. The centrality of making mistakes for teaching and writing better. And the fun to be found in formative mess. | Continue reading
I find myself continually drawn back to my desk. The six pens I inked last week continue to soldier on, holding my interest. Solid justification to write on with last week’s sextet. | Continue reading
I’m a firm believer that a searchable analog database requires color. Two colors, to be precise. And a threaded keyword system so I can search notes by topic. All in one common place. A commonplace notebook. | Continue reading
Five links. Ten sentences or fewer. On whether the apps, pens and inks I use help me work the ways I think best, or if I contort myself to work the ways those things are designed. | Continue reading
Breathe. Slow down. And a have a little fun. A week away from teaching gives me breathing room to take up the desk bound activities that recharge me. Migrating reading notes from two books I finished this passed February into my commonplace notebook. Continuing to draft story for … | Continue reading
Five links. Ten sentences or fewer. On the importance of being in the moment. Of remembering to relax and just play. | Continue reading
Teal is the name of this week’s game. Teal colorways in the week’s pen choices. And teal inks comprise 30% of the week’s color palette. Heck, even my work notebook has a teal cover. I know a currently inked plan is successful when I’m eager for the work week to start — so I can w … | Continue reading
Five links. Ten sentences or fewer. On the things around my writing. | Continue reading
If this week has a theme, that theme is “a little bit of everything.” A dark grey ink in a nib that can write F and EF. Straightforward, subtle shading. The same can be said for my dark blue option, Aonibi. Add purple (Sakuranezumi) and orange (Koiame) inks with strong shading. S … | Continue reading
Five links. Ten sentences or fewer. On taking pleasure in what I have in front of me. Seeing the same-old pens and inks in a new light. Cobbling frankenpens together. Creatively reimagining how my stationery kit might be used. | Continue reading
Two new pens enter the rotation this week. And I return to a manageable six pen and ink combinations. Six seems a fine fellowship. Every pen in this week’s kit sports a miniature version of a typically broad grind. | Continue reading
The boredom cycle is a central figure in my day-to-day. Riding the highs of exciting new purchases and the mundane lows of “the usual suspects” is a necessary priority for keeping me enjoying my writing and teaching. | Continue reading
I overheard three different views on sharing pens at a pen show. These three takes reflect on the nature of “after dark” hanging out. On what the purpose and function of sharing pens around a table is. I’m waxing philosophic. Thinking deeply about the mundane. And relishing the r … | Continue reading
I went with adventurous pen and ink choices this week. Rarities and wild combinations of pens and nibs and inks. After a week in my penvelope and on my work desk, this week’s seven are traveling with me to the Philly Pen Show. I try to bring pens and inks that folks might not oth … | Continue reading
One of the benefits of a journaling habit, for me, is that my goals for my journaling can be dynamic. The less I try to fit my journaling into specific rules, the more rewarding it feels. And, counterintuitively, the less I try to journal one specific way, more I tend to scribble … | Continue reading
Five links. Ten sentences or fewer. On the transformative power of unpacking creatively. Thinking along targeted, analytical lines of inquiry. Processing that thinking creatively to assure I imagine myself in new, empowering ways. That’s the kind of hoo-hah that can make a whole … | Continue reading
Diamine’s inkvent offers up a cadre of inks dominated by blues and pinks to round out my holiday currently inked challenge. This week’s seven inks offer quite the challenge for a functional work-friendly currently inked. Three blues, a green and three accent colors: two pinks and … | Continue reading
My favorites follow suit. My “favorite ink” is a favorite in specific nibs and on specific papers. My “favorite pen” is a favorite when fitted with specific nibs and filled with specific inks. Non-monogamous favorites. Looking back through my pen-and-ink pairings this past calend … | Continue reading
Diamine’s Inkvent Calendar has become tradition in my household. A daily ritual of unveiling new inks. Last year, I challenged myself to use only Diamine’s inkvent colors for my currently inked loadouts throughout December. So Diamine, yet again, chooses my ink selections for the … | Continue reading
Planners are tricky propositions. Each year I plan out an intentional workflow for how my analog planner can support me in the year to come. I’m thinking backwards to better plan for next year’s approach. | Continue reading
Five links. Ten sentences or fewer. On This thoughtfulness as the difference-maker. There are many false milestones: being the best, being the first, being the biggest. My reading this week has me thinking that being thoughtful may be an authentic measure of success. When in doub … | Continue reading
Academic conferences, and professional conferences in general — are adventurous writing experiences. Reading and writing in planes. Writing rapidly at tables. Writing on my lap. Journaling thoughtfully on what I learned during the day’s workshops and lectures. My currently inked … | Continue reading
Travel leads to writing on tiny trays provided by airlines. Scratch notes in hallways. Writing on tables. Writing on my lap. Writing at a restaurant in the conference-after-dark. My conference kit needs to function in all of these spaces. And needs to do so in a way that keeps wh … | Continue reading
The journey through my most-used teaching bullet journal page layouts winds on. A journey many folks have requested. This week: the inner workings of a curriculum log. Where project management, scheduling, and curricular standards hang out together. | Continue reading
I worked with a local vendor (who asked to remain anonymous) to secure one of this year’s Diamine Inkvent Calendars to giveaway here on the blog. A token of my sincere gratitude for the support and eagerness you all show me as I undertake my stationery journey. Gratitude for than … | Continue reading
Five links. Ten sentences or fewer. On the importance of humanizing how I use, strategize and consume stationery. My notebooks and pens and inks are made by people. And I’m a person. Who will make mistakes, grow eager about new releases, and will adapt intended use for my own per … | Continue reading
A two-day workweek looms ahead. Two days of pre-vacation teaching followed by five days at home. The split calendar affords me plenty of time for personal writing. So my needs: extra fine lines and broad lines in equal measure. I’m living the continuum this week. An EF, two F, a … | Continue reading
Huzzah, hooray, and happy holiday season. To celebrate, I’m giving away a 2022 Diamine Inkvent Calendar. The so-called Green Edition. To enter the giveaway for your own Inkvent calendar, review and follow the details below. | Continue reading
Five links. Ten sentences or fewer. On how mindset matters. My week’s reading calls me to wear rose tinted glasses. To see and name the positive when it arrives. To break the rules when the creativity genie arrives. And to read the possible into the doable. | Continue reading
Four ground nibs sit in my Franklin-Christoph penvelope. Two sharp grinds offer accent blues for slow, methodical writing tasks. Use as directed. | Continue reading
Five links. Ten sentences or fewer. On approaching the typical sideways. Peering at all three dimensions of my writing tools and writing strategies. Sinking below the surface to see the inner story. New ideas are born from new perspectives. | Continue reading
Somber, muted hues dominate my currently inked this week. The palette, as a whole, feels like fall to me. The combination of which brings a smile to my face. And that, I suspect, is the measure of a successful currently inked. | Continue reading
What is a successful stationery purchase? On what metric does one measure a successful purchase? My mind rests this week on the philosophical challenge of deciding which stationery purchases are good and which are mistakes. Because I’ve made stationery purchases throughout the la … | Continue reading
I did it. At long last, I transported my physical person into the hallowed Yoseka Stationery shop. Where friendly staff were eager to join me in touching, swabbing and sampling basically every item in the shop. I apologize for the excited-toddler personality I brought into their … | Continue reading
Five links. Ten sentences or fewer. On the power of difference. The transformative potential of trying novel combinations that “shouldn’t work together.” The fabulous lessons to be found in the heterogeneous. | Continue reading
I enter this week with an eclectic six-pen currently inked. Nib size drives my selection. The color, size and weight of each pen were only secondary considerations. The intention is to explore three distinct kinds of M nibs. A wet and round Jowo M (TWSBI) — the “traditional.” A s … | Continue reading