Am I a Stationery Fan?

A freak can be defined as someone who’s passionately interested in something and loves it to an extreme degree. We probably come across  people who could be Japanese food freaks, football freaks, clothes freaks, movie freaks etc. A. I’m a “stationery freak”. I am in love with stationery and am on seventh heaven whenever I visit a stationery shop. 

Notebooks, coloured pencils, erasers, pencils and pens of different types, highlighters, post-it notes, markers, envelopes of all types and sizes, exercise books etc. – are a major weakness for some. If my family wants to buy a birthday or a Christmas present, they know exactly what brings a smile on my face. Stationery! I’m the easiest person in the world to buy something for.

Please consider the fact that I’m not the only stationery fan in the world. There are a number of people who share this common passion. The entire “tactile” experience of using a tangible pen and paper encourages me to have a touchy or feely experience that further sparks creativity.  It helps in putting our ideas down in words or sketches and drawings. What a great feeling it is to open a notebook and find ideas or sketches we’ve jotted down in the past. Typing sentences on electronic devices is nowhere as satisfying as writing them down. On the other hand, typing sentences on your phone is not as creative as writing in a notebook. That is one of the reasons why we find writers carry a notebook with them most of the time.

Which then brings us down to the most intriguing questions of all. What's the source of this attraction in stationary items? Two reasons come to mind. The first is that a stationery item like a pen and paper tickles your imaginative side. Which one of us has not doodled during a lengthy boring conference or a meeting or school lesson using a pen and paper? Today, a lot of time is spent online – sending messages on various apps and devices. But let's appreciate the fact as to how refreshing it is to write something in our beautiful notebook or journal in our very own handwriting. And how enriching is the experience to get hold of a cool pencil case and an assortment of colorful gel pens and markers that bring a smile on our faces. 

The second reason for using stationery such as files, address books and notebooks, and an assortment of office supplies is that they help us in getting organized. The fulfillment and joy of holding a loose leaf file filled with sheets of paper and cardboard dividers in the real world. Writing an appointment on a schedule notebook is way more convenient than typing it into an electronic device.

Although We are no longer reliant on stationery items like we used to. But let’s be honest, out of text messaging/emails and a handwritten personal message, Which would you rather receive?

Let's be clear about one thing. Being a stationery fan does not imply in any way that one is old-fashioned. It simply means that you still retain the ability to appreciate finer things in life that make us organized and creative in whatever we do. It means you deny being a sheep rather you decided being an individual with your own signature style and individuality. For all us stationery fan boys out there, Stationery is still cool!