In Praise of Ink and Fibers
To work away from the desk
I try to be as digital as I can. My paper to-do list has long since been replaced by Reminders on my iPhone and even my contacts fully reside in the cloud nowadays. I strive to keep my life in the cloud, it makes a lot of things much easier. In fact, one of my favorite apps on my iPhone is IFTTT, which is about as futuristic as you can get for something from the App Store. However, I seem to always cling to those few analog things.
There’s something about a piece of paper covered in inky writing, it has texture; soft ridges pushed up by a pen pressed firmly on the page. Stepping back, a leaf of paper scrawled with hand-writing is an epitome of craftsmanship. No small effort created those words, arranged them in a pleasing order, and traced simple shapes into complex meanings. On a typed document, however, this isn’t so. Sure, there remains the thought behind the words, they're still in a proper order, but there isn't the same artistry thickening the words, making them bold thoughts instead of mere telling.
One of the most pleasing things about using pen and paper is it’s availability. While in some cases the stigma of having a phone or laptop out is diminishing, it’s still looked down upon in formal settings. I often write in class alongside work I'm doing, it doesn't distract me too much and I don’t interrupt anything so most of my instructors don't mind. Although I'm certain that if I were to take out a laptop and start writing something I'd get reprimanded immediately. This is because paper is discreet, silent. A laptop on the other hand, makes turbofan like noises at the drop of a hat and sharp clacking like literary tap dancers at every keystroke. Even outside of school I find using less modern methods are preferable. Living in a often rainy climate I find writing outside, something I enjoy greatly, often coincides with getting a little bit wet. This couldn't be done with a laptop, unless I found some sort of expensive water proof case and carried it around with me. I prefer use a little waterproof notebook that I bought for a few dollars, perfect for outdoor scribbling. It’s leagues ahead of ruining a computer.
I've lost many things digitally. A computer crash left me bereft of thousands of files, but I've never permanently lost something I've written on paper. A page, covered in writing, can never run out of batteries, be corrupted, nor hacked. Even if a page is lost, writing provides a lasting memory cemented at the first stroke that can’t come from typing something on a sleek keyboard. I keep a folder of my writing scraps, bits, and pieces of half formed ideas. I keep these for looking back upon, reviewing, perhaps even finishing a thought. These are always with me, no matter where I am. A hard drive is only a solid drop away from loss.
I love writing something on paper with a smooth pen and a view in front. It’s much preferable to sitting, legs atrophying, at a desk, the only thing in sight the harsh glow of a computer screen. Its glare fatiguing my eyes with each passing minute.
Computers disconnect us from our work, whether it’s writing or design. The ability of a computer to do nearly anything, show us almost everything, this removes a certain motivation that comes from being deprived of extraneous information. When you sit before a blank page with a pen in your hand, your mind sets forth a determination to fill the emptiness and occupy your time. This sort of connection can only be the birth of something worth your while.
While I do spend a decent amount of time using a computer to type up things and do coursework and what not, I'll always choose sitting outdoors for my writing.
