mahabis guide // the power of putting pen to paper

A creative outlet. A repository for thoughts, ideas, memories. The written word, treasured. 

The mahabis notebook, available now. 

Writing can be many things to many people; a creative outlet, a learning tool, an organisational crutch. For those whom creativity flows from unexpected crevices of the world, whether the most mundane commute to work or upon summiting Everest, it is invaluable to always have the ability to create a record of whimsy or wonder. The simplicity of pen on paper holds great appeal. It won’t run out of battery or distract you with an ad. It provides you a clean canvas, and a reliable one.

A notebook purveys privacy and intimacy in the age of digital, where the value of pen on paper can become somewhat lost. The plethora of apps available to take in your every thought, idea, snapshot and memory is overflowing. What they lack though, is the charm and tactility of a simple note in your own handwriting, in a real book. Much akin to the ongoing existence of magazines, books and newspapers, a notebook is a tangible weight of pages and ink for you to hold.

What’s removed is the distraction. To be faced with a white page, empty of notifications, is refreshingly clear. A blank space for you to fill with observations, thoughts and ideas will allow your own words to take you on a journey. One which may lead to a brilliant discovery, a sense of clarity or direction unguided by external influence. A commonality is held in reluctance to begin a fresh notebook, borne of an anxiety to make mess of a shiny new possession. On the contrary, by the time a book is full, each crease, page corner and ink mark will be so full of character and personality, it will be unmistakably ‘yours’.

Pen on paper can also be one of the most valuable learning tools; revision need not be left behind in exam days of school. Many find the act of simply writing something down can be valuable in committing it to memory, which can be helpful for those more forgetful amongst us. And of course, it will still be there to refer to should you need to fact check at a later time.

We are so used to live-editing ourselves before we publish, that it can be daunting to go back to analog, to have the first draft in paper and ink just as soon as it pops into your head. In an instant, a thought becomes real, something you’ve created. Therein, lies the beauty of it: nothing is lost in the process of editing for its platform; there’s nothing so honest and raw as a written word.

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