Dan Provost of Studio Neat: Why We Made the Mark One

I’ve always enjoyed asking the maker of a thing the “why” behind their making. What problem were they trying to solve? What was lacking in what was out there that made them decide to do their own?

Such is the case with Dan Provost of Studio Neat. I’ve love their products and have a couple that I use all the time. They are well made, beautiful, and full of nice touches and attention to detail. So, it was delight to have him answer the above questions regarding their pen, the Mark One:

I was introduced to the Schmidt P8126 rollerball refill when a friend gifted me a Retro 51 pen. I loved the way the pen wrote–the ink flow was so smooth and nice. But I hated the pen! I shared the pen with Tom and he agreed on both counts. So we thought, could we make a pen for this refill that is uniquely Studio Neat? And thus began the design process.

Probably my favorite thing about Mark One is it’s such a “pure” industrial design product. I don’t mean that in an arrogant or pretentious way, I mean it is an object that literally has a single button on it that you press to use. Our job was to make that button as satisfying as possible.

If you are in the market for a nice pen or unique notebook designed for a life where the analog and digital coexist, it’s worth checking out Studio Neat.

Why Martha McPhee Carries a Notebook Everywhere | Wirecutter

Why Martha McPhee Carries a Notebook Everywhere | Wirecutter

I take it with me because it helps me track the uncharted territory of the present moment. In this act of gathering—scrawls about things noticed on the way to a store, the playbill for my son’s brief acting career, glue-sticked to the page—I’m forced to slow down and tend to the parts that evoke a whole.

(Via reader Rahul Gaitonde, published several months ago but I’m just seeing it now.)

My Journaling Webinar Is on YouTube! — Mac Sparky

My Journaling Webinar Is on YouTube! — Mac Sparky

Last week I did a free webinar on how and why I journal. It came out great, and I got a lot of positive feedback on it. I usually add the webinar content to the appropriate field guide after I’ve finished it. In this case, however, I don’t have any field guides where adding a 45-minute journaling webinar makes sense, so I’m posting it to YouTube. Enjoy!

Worth making the time to watch. Especially if you are looking to start, or re-boot, your journalling process.

 

Finding an idea and creativity space with PLOTTER – Brad Dowdy [Interview No.003] – Plotter

Finding an idea and creativity space with PLOTTER – Brad Dowdy [Interview No.003] – Plotter

I tried out many planners and notebooks at my job. My planner has rules, my journal has rules. However, I don’t have any rules when I open this up, so it just becomes a space to explore, freewheel, and expand on ideas. It’s an idea space that none of my other notebooks have.

PLOTTER is a Japanese notebook system soon to be released in the U.S. Nice profile of Brad and how he’s been using it while testing it out.