I just finished filling up the A4 size Master Dots notebook from Leuchtturm1917. It’s a nice book, and I’m tempted to start another one. Instead, I found myself writing in a new poor man’s midori I made.
Why? The smell. I’m addicted to the smell of the book, and that is one of the biggest reasons.
It’s gotten me thinking about how so many of the things we use to record our thoughts have a distinct smell.
Pencils. Both the cedar wood in finer pencils and the graphite, not to mention the erasers.
Leather accessories. Always a pleasure whether it is a briefcase or a notebook or a pen case. Leather is such a wonderful smell – on par with coffee and chocolate.
Inks. Fountain pen inks range from nearly odorless to quite stinky depending on the brand, but all are distinctive. Ballpoint ink can also be pretty strong, especially when a broad point is used. A freshly-filled page of writing with almost any instrument has it’s own smell. My kid’s crayons come to mind.
I’ve noticed that sometimes this smell triggers thoughts. When I rediscovered pencils a while back the smell of sharpening brought back an avalanche of memories from my grammar school days. The smell of fountain pen ink reminds me of several things. Grad school, journaling, certain trips I’ve gone on.
What about you? What do smells trigger for you?
