Why women in particular love stationery

Remember the sheer joy of getting your first September pencil case or that highly prized smelly rubber collection? I do. Vividly. And my stationery addiction has potentially quadrupled since then. Whether it’s a beautifully embossed leather notebook or the perfect planner (see my Holly's stationery picks for temptation), I don’t mind confessing that my crush runs deep. Yet buying stationery for oneself in adulthood is often a guilty secret. It’s proof that you’re inflicted with a requirement to not only write lists, but also to write lists on particular types of paper, with specific pens that roll exactly the right way across the page and… it’s making my heart beat wildly already. But why?

I think it’s partly because, as women, we have to deal with The Triple Shift of paid work, unpaid work and emotional work in order to keep it all just ticking over. And the reimbursement for all this unjustified, time-consuming, often invisible labour, is a new goddamned notebook. It’s cheap (compared to say, a fair salary...), gives a sense of control and offers us the opportunity to make sense of — or produce miracles out of — life. So I’m hereby declaring buying stationery a guilt-free zone.

What do you call a person obsessed with stationery?

Many years ago at the beginning of Holly & Co, we were talking about language and how we need a word for the joy of ticking something off the list (we settled on ‘tickulation’). Or when you succumb to the office treats, you have a ‘snaccident’. Well ‘stationeryphilia’ is what we named our stationery addiction. We especially love that it’s got ‘feel ya’ in the middle because it is a true feeling for stationery isn’t it? It’s a passion. I know that ‘papyrophiliac’ is the formal word for paper lovers but for many, it goes beyond that. The good news is that being stationery obsessed is actually good for you. The world’s greatest ideas often start with a line of ink on a piece of paper, and so pens, pads and other desk accessories can help you achieve the extraordinary, including:

• Being organised. Boosting productivity and efficiency, and giving you a sense of control (especially when you file all your greetings cards, for example!).
• Being mindful. Experiencing the joy of collecting stationery and providing a digital detox. It’s wonderfully tactile somehow and helps us be present.
• Being creative. The blank page. Infinite possibilities. Yours to do with what you will. Fresh, unsoiled pads and pens represent potential and aid self-expression (I’m tingling again).
• Being nostalgic. Sharing familiar ‘back to school’ vibes and the thrill of a new term.
• Being connected. Showing who you are and sharing a love of stationery with fellow stationery enthusiasts.