For The Love Of Stationery
Hello February
We made it through the month of Blue Monday and Burns night - very important in Scotland - and now we get ready to make it through Valentine’s Day, whatever that means to you.
I love many things and many creatures, however, I will keep this love letter on track as I delve a little into my relationship with stationery AND my growing love for illustrating fruit with Procreate.
Enjoy, R x
For The Love Of Stationery
I love print and paper. In my mind, nothing beats it. However, on occasion, I wonder if stationery has lost its place in this world. We have many digital alternatives that help keep us organised. They are simple to use, orderly, and at our fingertips at all times. As we all strive to reduce our carbon footprint, it can feel wasteful or unnecessary to use paper products when there are other options out there. But, for me, there is so much more to stationery than surface-level functionality.
Stationery makes me feel something. Stationery can be a fashion statement and a commentary on our values. It can carry memories and be part of a human connection. I hold many memories that have stationery at the centre of them. I hold childhood memories of being delighted when my older sister shared her expensive coloured pencils with me. I treasure the Mont Blanc pen my brother gifted me as a teenager. I keep a stash of birthday cards filled with private jokes and drawings from my childhood best friends. There is a shelf in my office dedicated to years of journal-type notebooks and sketchbooks that I occasionally look back on and remind myself how much I’ve grown. To me, these things are treasures. So much of the stationery I keep connects me with the people I care about (my past self included). When family and friends are out of sight and reach, this stationery collection serves as a reminder that these relationships are present and solid. When I start to doubt myself as a creative, my old sketchbooks are there to show me how far I have progressed.
In those moments when I question this thing that I love so much, I quickly remember that if stationery means this much to me, it must mean a lot to other people too. The apps on my phone keep me organised every day, but they will not ever replace a notebook or journal or a posted love letter from a friend. That is why stationery is so significant. That is why stationery will always have a place in my world.
My fruit bowl is expanding
I am loving creating these fruit illustrations! If you follow me on Instagram you might have seen that I added some Wonky Bananas to my fruit bowl illustration collection. Well, do I have a treat for you!
Let me introduce you to a trio of zesty lemons in a slightly different style from my previous fruits. I think this development of style comes as a sign of growth in my Procreate knowledge and it’s pretty cool for me to get to share that with you.
I have had a request to create some wonky pineapples. These are proving to be trickier than the others but watch this space. In the meantime, keep your fruit suggestions coming!