New Year’s resolutions have rightly fallen out of favor, given how they’re nearly always doomed to fail. After trying - and failing - to keep traditionally framed “resolutions” for most of my life, I’m now firmly on the “yearly themes” bandwagon, in which I try to keep things fairly general and then build new habits to support the theme throughout the year. I don’t plan on writing a full length piece on this idea, at least not here. If you’re interested in reading more on this idea, you can check out books by James Clear and Charles Duhigg, and if you’re more of a podcast person than a book person, the latest episode of Cortex on RelayFM digs into the concept of annual themes.
With that said, after spending the past few days ruminating on what worked - and didn’t work - in the 2010s, here are five themes that I’d like to build on for the next year (or ten), all of which will affect the blog in some way. Don’t worry, I’m not planning on going anywhere, but I also don’t want TGS or my outside personal and professional life to stagnate, and you’ve got to evolve to keep things interesting, right?
Write.
The most stationery-centric of these “themes”, and perhaps the most important because it ties the rest of them together. I need to write more. Not here, on the blog, but offline - in notebooks, in journals, on scrap paper, wherever. And not just writing for the sake of writing, to test pens, notebooks, and paper. I need to do real writing, because that’s how my brain works best, whether it be processing complex ideas, planning out projects, keeping track of tasks and to-dos, or finishing the half-novel I’ve slowly churned out over the past eight years. One possible outcome is that you see more process-focused reviews here as I re-evaluate not only how I use things but how well products actually hold up to daily use.
All of this ink needs to go. Details on how I plan to run my sales this year at the bottom of this post.
Own Less Stuff.
Cancel subscriptions. Give stuff away. Sell stuff off. Use stuff up before buying more. With the exception of a few specific products that I churn through on a regular basis, I stopped stockpiling stationery last year. I’ve reached full S.A.B.L.E., and if I stopped buying stationery today, I’d never use up what I already have. Some of this can be sold off to recoup unwisely spent funds and/or to re-invest in TGS, which I will discuss further below. I’m not going full Marie Kondo, but when stuff becomes clutter it develops a sort of psychic weight that prevents me from fully enjoying those things I am actually using at the moment.
A fraction of the pens I acquired over the past couple of years that don’t get nearly enough love. They need to move on to new homes. All of these, and more, will be available in the stationery sale discussed below.
Stop Chasing the Latest and Greatest.
Relatedly, “upgrade culture” has burned me out. A lot of the clutter around my house consists of old devices (computer components, phones, tablets, Kindles, etc.) that have accumulated as we’ve been asked to spend ever-increasing amounts of money on devices that represent, at best, only marginal improvements over the last iteration. Pen companies aren’t necessarily doing the same thing - there’s no need to “upgrade” a fountain pen unless it breaks and can’t be fixed - but I wrote last month about the seemingly endless proliferation of “limited editions” that aren’t limited in any meaningful way, which really makes nobody happy. It ticks off collectors who might be looking to acquire something special, and for others it confuses the market and creates FOMO. Starting last year I’ve focused on making more informed purchases with an eye towards longevity and craftsmanship.
I need to work my way through my book backlog. Only a fraction of these have been read.
Read More.
If I have one great regret from the 2010s, it’s the degree to which I allowed so much of my media and information consumption to be pushed online. I used to consider reading books a core part of my life, and though I still technically “read” a lot, it doesn’t feel the same. I have shelves of unread books to plow through, and while I managed to read more than 15 books last year and mostly kept up with a New Yorker subscription, I can do - and have done - more that that in the past. Actively reading makes me a better writer, drives creativity, and just makes me feel better about myself.
Try New Things and Trust Others to Support Me.
All of these entries will touch on the blog in some way, but perhaps this last one more than others. This coming April, I will have been writing The Gentleman Stationer for six years. Over that span of time, not much has changed in terms of format. The site has focused on product reviews, namely pens, pencils, and other fine writing accessories that not only look good and are fun to collect but serve a functional purpose. TGS is a one-man show. I’m the reporter, editorial board, and business manager, and as the site started to consume more of my time over the years I took on sponsors, advertisers, and affiliate partnerships to generate revenue to cover my costs and compensate me for at least some of the 3+ hours per day, 7 days a week I was putting in.
I don’t have a problem with my current business model, per se. I love to write. I retain full creative control and operate with relatively low overhead. I’m careful about who I partner with, and nearly all of my advertisers and sponsors are also friends. That said, it does create some discomfort on my part that the success or failure of The Gentleman Stationer as a business is driven entirely by clicks and commissions, and having to generate revenue in this way offers little flexibility to explore new ideas for content such as audio and video content, livestreams, curated retail, product collaborations, etc.
For the past year, I’ve considered how best to fix this. Should I create a “membership” model that I run myself, with a paid newsletter, etc.? Should I branch into curated retail? Should I write a book? At the end of the day, I’m still considering different options, but decided that the Patreon platform offers me the most flexibility given where the site is now. I like the idea of trusting my readers to support the site to whatever degree they see fit, and having the opportunity to interact with my most dedicated supporters on a much more personal level.
Patreon Benefits
First of all, absolutely nothing will change here on the main site. Content through Patreon will be 100% extra for those who wish to help support the site financially. If the Patreon is successful, you may see fewer advertisements on TGS as I choose to work closely with a smaller number of sponsors and partners. For now, the main benefits for Patreon sponsors include the additional content available on the Patreon platform and early access to my periodic “gently used” sales with progressive discounting based on your level of support. Other benefits will include pen show meetups, first crack at any exclusive products, a members-only “e-mail hotline”, and more if things take off. A full discussion of the various tiers and benefits is available on the Patreon page. If you decide to support TGS, you will have immediate access to the Patrons-only content, which will contain a link and password to access the sale page. The sales will run quarterly, and will remain Patreon-exclusive for the first 30 days after which I will open them up to the general readership. Currently, the sale page contains dozens of pens (including Aurora, Edison, Esterbrook, Leonardo, and Pilot), bottles of ink, and pocket notebooks, with more being added as I work my way through Goal No. 2 discussed above (“Own Less Stuff”). I’ve really tried to price this stuff aggressively to reward you all for supporting me. I can’t afford to give it away, but I can do my best to make it worth your while!
I know this has been a long post, but it’s one I needed to write, and I truly believe that changing things up will help set TGS up for success over the long term and ultimately keep this site an interesting and inspiring place to visit. Thank you for your years of readership and support, and I look forward to many more!
Disclaimer: This post contains links to paid sponsors and affiliates.