As the title suggests this blog entry is about my preoccupation with stationery – pens, pencils, washi tape, paper, origami paper, notebooks, diaries, stickers, planners and post-it notes – you name it and I probably have it or have had it at some point in time.  A fascination which started in my teens was in all probability influenced by what was going on in my life at the time – high school, peer group influence, societal and commercial trends and a love of reading, writing, drawing and organizing.  I squirreled away pocket money to buy beautiful stationery. I thought it would be a passing phase – that adulthood would kill the allure of stationery and that for certain, this episode would eventually be far behind me.  Oh how wrong I was! Fast-forward about three or so decades and what I thought would be a short-lived stage in my life is still very much alive, well and thriving.

I am given to understand that I and others of my persuasion are referred to as stationeryphiles or as being afflicted with ‘Stationery Obsession Disorder (SOD). I think I have my stationery obsession sufficiently within check, but should it start to interfere with life as I know it – i.e. if I start to set aside extravagant budgets to satisfy my compulsion, buy more notebooks than I can write my thoughts in during this lifetime, buy more diaries for a year than one person would ever need, frighteningly find myself caressing pens and post-it notes and buying planners like I am shopping for milk and bread, I’ll know I have entered precarious territory requiring urgent intervention. Stationery Addict’s Anonymous (SAA) does not exist yet but I may well then consider become its founding member.

Self-deprecating humor aside, it is plainly clear that I am certainly not alone. Stationery stores both physical and online have proliferated over the years and are doing roaring trade globally, especially through quarantines and lock-downs.  COVID times has been the perfect breeding ground for creative writing, a catalyst for organizing in anticipation of a post socially distanced world or simply to continue to indulge in the thrill of owning pretty stationery.  For many who have had to work from home, the home office has likely had a makeover and is probably brimming with the latest trends in desk organization and stationery purchases. Wouldn’t it be sacrilege to be part of all those zoom calls without being able to discretely showcase a well appointed home office and work desk?!

Despite the invention of the laptop, the tablet and the mobile phone, beautiful stationery is still very sought after by many the world over. What then are the benefits to lusting after the perfect pen, pencil, paper or planner?  The good news is that unless we are sending ourselves into financial ruin with our stationery obsession, it is pretty harmless and can have many positives.

Creativity – Firstly for the dreamers and creatives amongst us the perfect pen and notebook can be those two humble possessions that can spark a beautiful thought, a poem or even lead to the creation of a literary masterpiece. The blank pages invite the thought leaders amongst us to pour out the imaginings of our mind.  In order to capture those ideas that emerge without warning and threaten to be forever lost unless quickly captured on paper, we remind ourselves of the importance of keeping pen and paper within easy reach.

Nostalgia – Stationery has a nostalgic aspect to it – it transports us back in time to our childhood when we purchased coloring pens, pencils, crayons and drawing books with money we earned for doing odd jobs around the house or when we were gifted stationery at Birthdays and Christmases that we treasured because of the happy memories associated with our purchases and gifts respectively. Even as adults, we hold onto stationery that is of sentimental value, that reminds us of an event or of a person who may have gifted it to us.

Organization – as someone who diligently works to lists, I treasure planners that help me plan my days and my task lists for each day.  I like to track my progression through these lists by ticking boxes and I also get a curious pleasure from color coding my tasks into different categories of priority.   It is extremely satisfying to cross of completed tasks as it spells achievement and completed goals.

Journaling – Look no further than Oprah Winfrey to be reminded of the benefits of maintaining a journal. Journalling allows one the freedom to reflect and document daily experiences on the pages of a book only to revisit and turn these pages at some future date to see the evolution of oneself in thinking and doing. My journals bear witness to my innermost thoughts, to my gratitude and to the mistakes made along the way. Of course the documented successes give me reason to smile and reinforce the way to do something right.   For every travel adventure I have taken, I have maintained a travel journal and saved many a keepsake within it. Whilst the digital recording of one’s adventure via photos, videos, blog entries and the like are undoubtedly valuable, recounting travel in one’s own words as seen through one’s mind’s eye is as unique as each of us are.

Collector Items – For those who are collectors by nature, stationery is that category of items that lends itself well to being collected. Over the years, I have built up a collection of pens, notebooks and planners.  I have bought pens from different countries I have visited and they bring back memories of my adventures in that place.   I however choose to keep the collecting aspect of my love of stationery in check preferring to put my lovely acquisitions to use as frequently as possible.

Gifting – who amongst us would not treasure being gifted a premium pen to mark a milestone or be happy to receive an awesome planner to mark the advent of a new year in anticipation of excitedly filling its pages with plans and documenting amazing adventures within it. As Christmas fast approaches and I start to make lists for gifting, there will undoubtedly be many who will receive the gift of stationery.

Good stationery does not have to be expensive. My most recent stationery haul came from Kmart (pictured below) and was relatively inexpensive. I tend to buy stationery that is of good quality, utilitarian and that resonates with me emotionally or as Marie Kondo puts it ‘sparks joy’. If a stationery item meets those three criteria, I need little convincing that I should own it and it magically jumps into my shopping cart.

For those who need some assistance to satisfy your stationery hunger the following is a small selection of Australian and International suppliers worth looking into:

Australian Stationery Suppliers

• Officeworks – https://www.officeworks.com.au/
• K-mart – https://www.kmart.com.au/
• Target – https://www.target.com.au/
• Kikki K – https://www.kikki-k.com/
• Scratch and Jotter – https://scratchandjotter.com.au/
• Emma Kate Co – https://www.emmakateco.com/
• Amelia Lane Paper – https://www.amelialanepaper.com.au/
• Papier – https://www.papier.com/au
• Saint Belford – https://www.saintbelford.com.au/
• Leaders in Heels – https://leadersinheels.com/

International Stationery Suppliers

• Michaels – https://www.michaels.com/
• Notebook therapy – https://notebooktherapy.com/
• Etsy – https://www.etsy.com/
• Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/
• Papersource – https://www.papersource.com/
• Muji – https://www.muji.com/au/
• Itoya Japan –
• Present and Correct – https://www.presentandcorrect.com/
• Sugar Paper – https://sugarpaper.com/
• Appointed – https://appntd.com/
• Katie Leamon – https://katieleamon.com/

Blogs and a YouTube channel about stationery 

• The Well Appointed Desk – https://www.wellappointeddesk.com/
• Erin Condren – https://www.erincondren.com/blog/
• Tokyo Pen Shop – https://www.youtube.com/user/TokyoPenShop

Instagram accounts to feed your love of stationery

• Plantastic Planner Girl – https://www.instagram.com/plantasticplannergirl/?utm_source=ig_embed
• Me and My Happy Desk – https://www.instagram.com/me_and_my_happydesk/?utm_source=ig_embed

Stationeryphiles are here to stay, to fill crisp blank pages of notebooks with their lofty dreams – here to persuade others to follow in their footsteps of paying homage to journals, origami paper, fountain pens , planners, diaries, post-it notes and Filofaxes and to imagine and to create with intention.