The Moleskin, The Pelikan, and Mr. Waterman
Reprint from Life Unplugged Column, Tucson Green Magazine. Octoberby Susan L. Feathers
Like caterpillars in a chrysalis each of us is transforming in a new time that is more sustaining of life on Earth. Note how still is the exterior of the little vessel in which each cell of the organism rearranges for a new life. My being still for this metamorphosis is the act of writing morning pages in a journal, pen and ink at hand.
“Writing is my refuge. It’s where I go. It’s where I find that integrity I have.” `Charles B. Johnson
The beginning of a new journal is an act of creating sacred space in the midst of otherwise cluttered days. It’s a place to record feelings, thoughts…keep a record of weather, the birds that show up at the feeder, or make plans and do accounting.
My journal provides a starting place for the day, thoughts of no particular consequence perhaps never to be read again but which provide the transition from slumber to activity:
Woke to a heavy downpour! It has subsided now, thunder rolls and the dawn sky is all thick gray clouds…water dripping from the eves of the house. 5:30 a.m. Coffee, humid air, occasional trilling of a cactus wren.
I write in my journal except on rare days when I have to jet off early or perhaps I write something else. The journals I have been using are the Moleskine (pronounced mol-a-skeen-a), hand made by Modo Modo an Italian publisher, and hand stitched with creamy smooth vellum paper. The Moleskine line of journals was recently revived and has gained in popularity. I notice people using Moleskines more frequently now. (Not to worry. No animals are abused in making these notebooks! Moleskine is a generic term for journals that are bound with oil-cloth covered cardboard that the manufacturer calls ‘moleskin’ because of the soft textured finish.)
The Moleskine tradition began two centuries ago in France where poets, writers and artists purchased the notebooks from fine stationery shops in Paris. Van Gogh and Ernest Hemingway both used Moleskines to sketch or draft their masterworks. In 1986 the last publisher of Moleskines closed the door and for two desolate decades there were no Moleskines to support the artist, writer, or traveler. Then, in 1998 a small publishing house in Milan brought the Moleskine back to life.
Each Moleskin notebook is stitched to allow it to lie flat when opened, and each comes with a handy back pocket. A strong elastic strap keeps the notebook tightly closed. I’ve found Moleskines of many kinds in Tucson: music pages, watercolor paper with detachable pages; notebooks that flip upwards; lined or unlined, hard bound or soft bound; pocket or notebook sized.
Once I started using the Moleskine notebook, I have used no other. My current routine is to start morning pages in the front and business pages in the back, then work toward the center.
This daily notebook of business is an invaluable record for me as a small business owner. I am a grant writer and freelance writer by trade. I plan each day, put business cards in the back pocket, record work accomplished, meetings, and record notes from phone calls and meetings. When I transition to a new notebook as I am today, I carry the filled notebook with the new journal until no longer needed.
A personal journal is whatever you make it. I keep notes, a friend’s encouraging email which I transfer from notebook to notebook so that on dismal days when I feel hopeless or discouraged – my friend’s note is just a pocket-away; stash movie tickets, and receipts from business lunches. I figure some day many years from now these pockets will bring back a flood of memories perhaps for a memoir or so my kids might discover their mother’s true nature when they find these little journals after I am long gone.
Lastly, a word on the pen I am currently using. About three years ago I decided to invest in a good fountain pen. I chose a Pelikan, a German-made pen of exquisite quality and durability. Sarnoff’s Art Supplies on Campbell Avenue keeps an excellent collection of fine quality fountain pens.
The Pelikan I chose has a plump forest green and black-stripped body with an ebony cap trimmed in gold. The long gold pelican beak serves as a pocket clip which I never use. I chose a broad nib. For ink I use Waterman black, a French ink of incredibly smooth flow. All together these elements offer me a high quality experience every time I sit down to write.
Each morning, usually around dawn, I make fresh, organic Fair Trade coffee, flip on KUAT classical music station, cuddle up on the living room couch near the front window and join my companions the Moleskine, the Pelikan, and Mr. Waterman for a grand writing session.
So, the journal has become my chrysalis, my refuge during a time of transformation.
Moleskine Notebooks can be purchased in Tucson at:
Antigone’s Books
Barnes and Noble
Borders Books
Sarnoff’s Art Supply
P.S. After submitting this essay, the Editor, Mikaela Quinn, sent me a note about the Moleskine line of journals. To my dismay I learned that the Milanese publisher, Modo Modo, in an effort to keep up with demand, shopped out the printing of the journal to a Chinese firm, apparently, years ago! This discovery was another reminder of how present we need to be when buying products, to read the label, to ask questions.
Yet, the current version of the Moleskine printed in China meets the high quality standards of Modo Modo in contrast to the expectation that cheap manufacturing always results in diminished quality. Should I not purchase Moleskines because they are manufactured in China? Rather than shut that door, shouldn’t I engage with them instead, make sure Chinese manufacturers realize that U.S. markets demand good working conditions for employees and responsible environmental practices?
Is there an alternative to the Molelskine journal of similar quality and usefulness made closer to home? I don’t know. But, I will continue to explore this issue and report on what I learn in next month’s column. In the meantime, please excuse me for showing the lace on my unsustainable underwear.
