The essential journalist news source
Back
10.
October
2016.
Why we still love stationery and letter writing even in the digital age

PRESS RELEASE


Why we still love stationery and letter writing even

in the digital age

 

Despite the onset of the digital age, notebooks, cards, pens and pencils are having a comeback in a new trend for stationery subscription boxes. Spotlight Stationery is run by Mary and Rob Wright from Cheltenham in Gloucestershire and they've seen an increase in demand for their themed collections of stationery since they launched in 2015.

Rob says the interest in their stationery boxes has been phenomenal and stationery is definitely still popular despite the onset of online communications. He comments: ‘We may live in a digital world but the desire for some analogue down-time is increasing, particularly for people looking for an outlet for their creativity. The rise in popularity of keeping a journal, and bullet-journalling in particular, is taking the stationery world by storm and the internet is full of examples which are works of art in themselves.'


Spotlight Stationery customers range from crafts enthusiasts to committed stationery hoarders and Mary and Rob make every effort to vary the contents as much as possible. Spotlight is positioned at the luxury end of the subscription box range and onlyincludes premium brands and specialist artisan producers. The boxes are selling out every month, proving that stationery still holds great appeal for many.

 

Lorna Mumford, a psychotherapist and mindset coach says that we do still hold a torch for the art of writing and giving and receiving letters. She says: ‘Psychologically, receiving a letter or a card impacts us far more than reading a message on a screen because of the human touch. Someone has actually taken time and care to do that for you and it shows they really are thinking of you.

‘We are far more likely to remember it as significant emotion has been attached to it. It is very easy to reply to a text or email without too much thought or effort and still feels somehow faceless. Actually sending something on paper shows genuine thought and it is tangible. When we write things down with pen and paper it also cements it in our heads as being 'real' - it is the physical act of getting words out of our heads and committing them to paper. When we type things we lose some of that impact. Plus, we all love to get a proper letter through the post! It is exciting not knowing who it is from, whereas with digital communication we can see straight away who is contacting us, there is no mystery!'

Jake Hamilton from Waremakers, a web-magazine that shares understated high-quality products and objects, says that the physical notebook provides an opportunity to create your own world. ‘They exercise different parts of your brain than digital devices, and the blank page offers the freedom to connect ideas visually and allows you to focus without distraction. There are no social media alerts, no opening new tabs, no beeps or vibrations. You don't have to worry about draining your battery life, you don't need to update software every four months, and you don't have to register an account with a company that may have access to your data. Best of all, physical notebooks never crash.

Jake says the stationery boxes that Spotlight supply will have a direct and positive effect on the brain of the owner. ‘The physicality of notebooks can improve cognition by stimulating the part of the brain that processes information, priming our minds for original thought. Swiping and typing simply doesn't have the same effect. Because digital technology trains us to assume that information is perpetually accessible, the notes we take on smartphones and tablets become as ephemeral as the last factoid we looked up on Wikipedia.

 

‘If you're a creative scribbler, there's no better alternative than a blank sheet of paper. Digital planners are still trying to figure out how your creative processes work, but with paper your imagination is limitless. When you scribble into a notebook, you do so in a way that makes sense to you, forming a deeper connection to that idea, and it becomes far easier to reach that coveted "Flow State" which unlocks creative potential.'

 

Jake says that stationery offers the freedom to make mistakes, which is crucial to embracing the creative process. He concludes: ‘True inspiration lies in earlier versions of thoughts, images, and equations, whereas digital technology makes it all too easy to revise, delete, autocorrect, copy and paste, and thereby lose potential pathways through mental blocks. Only with a physical notebook can you personally enjoy the creative process to the full, making you more likely to engage in fresh pursuits of original thought.'

 

Rob and Mary are delighted with the response to their boxes and how people have rekindled their love for stationery. Mary says. ‘I believe another reason why stationery is so popular is that it reconnects us with our childhood; everyone remembers the inevitable trip to WH Smith at the end of the summer holiday to get supplies for the new school year. There's definitely something about opening a new notebook for the first time. Who knows what you'll fill it with? The possibilities are endless!'

Spotlight Stationery box contents change each month and include premium notebooks, quality pens and pencils and postcards with illustrations by recent graduates and young artists. The company's customers include stationery-lovers in over 14 countries including the USA, Canada, Japan, Israel, Finland, Malaysia and India.

Stationery addicts can find about more about signing up for a monthly or bi-monthly box of stationery atwww.spotlightstationery.co.uk

 

Notes

 

Spotlight Stationery provides a monthly or bi-monthly supply of contemporary notebooks, postcards, pens, pencils and accessories curated by Mary and Rob Wright.

 

Every month, subscribers receive a unique collection of contemporary stationery, featuring both premium brands and items from artisan makers. Each box includes a set of four postcards featuring the work of talented young illustrators.

 

For more information, please visitwww.spotlightstationery.co.ukor emailhello@spotlightstationery.co.uk

 

Follow Spotlight Stationery onInstagram,FacebookandTwitter

 

Media Contact: Rachel Jones fromCheltenham Communicationson 07825 568244 or emailrachel@cheltenhamcommunications.co.uk