Archive for September, 2009
What do you say we start calling it “The Webbie?”
I hear it all the time…people asking why Rhodia is calling their new hardback journal “The Webnotebook.” On my recent trip to Manhattan to meet with Karen, I posed that same question and the unofficial theory is that the president of Clairefontaine named it as such to represent a notebook that can be used to write down the ideas from the web of your mind. Knowing how my own mind is a constant tangle of thoughts and ideas, I like the name- though I do find it slightly long on the tongue.
So from this moment forward, I propose that we give it an easy to remember nickname. I think we should call it…..
The Webbie!
What do you think? Does it fit?
What Music Defines your Summer of ’09?
Each summer, it seems as though there is one artist or group that holds my attention and eventually comes to define that period of time in my life. Last year it was Stone Temple Pilots – getting to see them reunited with front man Scott Weiland kept me rockin’ with my head in the clouds for the whole summer.
This year it’s been Jack Johnson. His album “In Between Dreams” has quickly risen to one of my top 10 all-time favorites and I think I must have played the song “Staple it Together” at least a thousand times…. and how about you? What was your musical highlight of these past summer months?
Journaling while on Vacation – What works best for you?
Image courtesy of Nanakorn Photography © All rights reserved
Back when I worked at the camera shop, (before the digital age) I would go on vacation and have my photos developed the minute I got back. Or I would go to a concert or show and have my pictures developed the same day – usually within an hour. While there is something to be said for instant gratification to keep you in the moment, I found that if I waited a little longer to see those pictures that it was somehow better. By allowing time to pass, it allowed for a different kind of reflection. Now that times have changed and anything can be instantly recorded with a snap of your cell phone camera, it seems as though something has been taken away as much as it has been given to us.
For me, writing really kicked into high gear around 2005. Now I never travel without a journal, but the way I use it while on vacation has changed during that time. I used to sit and try and record every little detail, I would be so descriptive that it began to feel like a chore and more often than not, I’d write for the first day or two and then abandon it – often never finishing my thoughts on the journey.
Nowadays, I think I have found a way to prolong the experience – one that allows for future reflection in much the same way when I would wait to have my photos developed. Rather than try to record every detail, I write general impressions. I take notes. Write down single words or phrases, and I usually do this at the end of the day- a recap of sorts. This helps me to remember the overall experience, but also allows me to come home and further elaborate – sometimes at great length, on what I experienced. I also like the way that creating a little distance for yourself allows your perspective to shift. Back in 1996, I had one of the worst vacations ever – or so I thought at the time. Putting distance between between myself and that experience has led me to see that some very important things happened that weekend – things that literally changed my life. While I didn’t write about the experience at the time, if I would have just sat and ranted about it in a journal, just spewed forth with all of the frustrations I was feeling at the time, I may have dismissed the event and never taken the time to reflect on how good it really was…
If you write when you are on vacation or away from home, what process works best for you?
Is Writing is a Solitary Occupation?
Image courtesy of Nanakorn Photography © All rights reserved
“Writing is a solitary occupation. Family, friends, and society are the natural enemies of the writer. He must be alone, uninterrupted, and slightly savage if he is to sustain and complete an undertaking.” -Jessamyn West (1902-1984) author of The Friendly Persuasion, a classic tale of the American Midwest.
I feel as though I can write anywhere, but that my best ideas seem to come when I am undisturbed by the outside world. A quiet writing space allows me to tap deep into my creative vein – I fall into a delightful rhythm that ends either when the piece is completed, or when the “beep beep beep” of a new text message breaks my concentration. (Note to self- remember to turn cell phone off when writing…)
Do you need a quiet space to write? Or can you write at the corner coffee shop surrounded by chatter?
User Review: Kate and the Webnotebook
Photo Courtesy of Kate Marshall – see more of her Webnotebook images here.
Kate from the blog K’s Notebook gives her impressions on the Rhodia Webnotebook:
“I think I’ve found my new permanent journal. Scratch that– I know I’ve found my new favorite journal! You could write in these things with half of a blue crayon and the paper would still hold up.… I threw every pen I had at the book and it held up with aplomb: ink didn’t feather or bleed (if at all), nib widths were accurate, and it didn’t feel like I was writing on a dry leaf. Whee!”
Thanks Kate! We are glad you like the Webnotebook. Click here to read Kate’s full review.
And Away We Go! Biffybeans is the new Rhodia Driver
Image courtesy of Eric. See more of his pictures here.
And so here I am, pleased as punch to be driving for the orange team. Ever since I was a child, I loved all things connected to paper- writing, drawing, doodling, and to this day, I can still spend hours in a stationary or art store just breathing in the creative goodness.
Some of you may know me from my blog, Spiritual Evolution of the Bean – a project that I started with the intention of sharing my ever growing collection of product reviews. They were scattered all over Flickr and various other discussion forums, and I thought that a blog would be a good way to put them all into one easily accessible space.
Others may know me from The Fountain Pen Network because I have a special fondness for writing with a fountain pen. Their ease of use, combined with good quality writing paper is a pure writer’s bliss.
For those of you meeting me for the first time I wave a hearty “Hellllloooooo!” and I invite you to take off your shoes and stay a while. In the future, we want you to become as much a part of Rhodia as the products. We invite reader submissions of Rhodia product reviews, as well as photos of how your use your Rhodia and where they take you. We will be inviting you to submit your feedback and also make suggestions on what kinds of Rhodia products you would like to see in the future. Oh, and contests! I can’t forget to mention the contests! We will be giving away all sorts of goodies this year including the New Rhodia Webnotebooks, limited edition Paul Smith notebooks, and the new Rhodia Weekly Planners.
Be sure to stay tuned -
Stephanie
