moleskin vs. napkin

I bought a Moleskin (tm) sketchbook last week from the bookstore, and let me tell you, I was excited.

Finally, I would have something that great artists used to bring visual genius to life, and a place to pen my innermost thoughts, workings, and ideas.

The next morning I went to my Exhibition Design Studio class.

EVERYONE HAS A (*@%(*@)% Moleskin. How did I not realize this before?!?!

Excuse my francais.

I watched everyone draw loose sketches, write down notes and lists, all with a fine micron ball point pen, and apparently, everyone seems to have my thought process. Buy a fancy $16 notebook and somehow the brilliance MUST come. Oh how I feel herded into the masses. My quest for individuality among the design community has been thwarted yet again! And how silly I feel, duped by incredibly simple yet amazing branding and marketing from the likes of Moleskin.

Moleskin wants you to associate yourself in the same circle as Hemingway and Picasso when you use their notebook. Its quality construction and craftsmanship notions to the past, when craftsmanship and imagination made these puppies bring inspiration to many famous artists and writers. So when you open the cream tinted pages.......you are capable of just about anything.

I'm not trying to dispel that it is a well made notebook; the strappy elastic part that holds the pages in is quite convenient, not to mention the neutral black color makes it match with any outfit.

I know what you're thinking: who cares, it's a NOTEBOOK. Write in whatever you want; your ideas can go anywhere. Napkins, Binder Paper, Manila envelopes (it's been done.)

But if artists sometimes get inspired outside of themselves, what's not to say that the actual medium that you sketch in can be a source of inspiration itself versus being merely a place to put ideas.

The notebook is still sitting on my shelf wrapped in its cellophane. Sometimes I'm just silly. Bah.