Over the past year, I’ve been writing and sharing more about my writing hobby. I’ve been journaling for years with a simple Pilot G2 Ultra Fine in a Leuchtturm1917 dot grid notebook, and that setup has worked well for me. I still use a Leuchtturm1917 daily for work, but with how chaotic life can be, I’ve realized that a smaller notebook works better—at least for now.

I’ve also been experimenting with different tools, trying to find what makes this hobby more fun and efficient. That’s why my family surprised me with some new stationery—pens, notebooks, and storage—to help me expand my setup. It was a thoughtful gift, and I wanted to share what I got and how I’m planning to use everything.

I have to start with the Lamy Studio Pen in Imperial Blue because I can’t get over how good it looks. The blue is deep, rich, and absolutely stunning. I love the way it feels in hand—sleek but not too fancy, well-balanced but still practical.

I have the fine nib, and it writes beautifully, but I’ve been thinking about trying a medium nib just to experiment a bit. I want to practice my handwriting with fountain pens, and using different nib sizes might help with that. It’s something I’ll get into more over time.

That said, I don’t know if I’ll ever carry this pen outside my office. It’s just too nice. There’s a sentimental value to it that makes me want to keep it safe, and honestly, I don’t trust myself not to lose it.

The Midori A6 notebook was another unexpected addition, and it completely threw off my journaling system—but in a good way. I wasn’t sure how to use it at first, but after some thought, I decided it’s going to be my gratitude journal.

Lately, I’ve noticed that when I sit down to write, I tend to focus on what went wrong, what stressed me out, or what I need to fix. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I don’t want my journaling to be only about the negatives. I want a space that helps me focus on the good things, even if they’re small.

This Midori notebook is going to be that space. Every day, I’ll write about one positive thing—something I enjoyed, something that made me laugh, something I’m thankful for. I think it’ll help shift my mindset over time.

And honestly? It’s a beautiful notebook. The paper feels amazing, and my brother even got me a plastic cover for it, so I can carry it around without worrying about damage.

Another cool addition was two Traveler’s Company inserts. Since we recently visited Tokyo, I’m planning to use the Tokyo Blank Insert to recap my travels.

This one is perfect because it’s not just for writing—I can add stickers, souvenirs, ticket stubs, or anything else I picked up along the way. It’s going to be more than just a written record; it’ll be a physical memory keeper of the trip. I love that about the Traveler’s Notebook system. It lets you mix different formats in one place.

The second insert is a craft paper folder, which will be great for keeping loose notes and small mementos organized.

Now, the Tokyo Steel Storage Box is still up in the air in terms of how I’ll use it. Right now, I have all my stationery stuffed into my black Toyo tin—washi tape, extra pen ink, accessories for my Traveler’s Notebook.

I know I can do a better job organizing everything. Maybe I’ll use this box to separate my ink refills and tools from my paper goods so I’m not constantly digging through everything when I need something small.

What I do know is that it’s a really nice storage box. The blue color is clean and modern, and I love that it stacks with my other tin. No matter how I end up using it, it’s going to help keep things tidy.

This hobby has become a calming, creative outlet for me, and I’m excited to keep sharing my journey. As I work on building my YouTube channel, I know I need to get more comfortable on camera. It’s one of those things where the more reps I get in, the better I’ll be.

Speaking is different from writing. Sometimes what’s clear in my head doesn’t come out as clearly as I’d like when I’m talking, and that’s something I want to work on. It’s a muscle I need to train.

So, I’ll keep making videos, keep refining how I share my thoughts, and keep building this space where I can talk about a hobby I really enjoy.