I often observe how much contentment and enjoyment come from the wholesome pleasures of a simple life - family, community, nature and home. There is so much excitement and awe in new technology, and the seeming miracles it can perform make it easy to forget that we, including all the natural world, are the most remarkable technology of all.
It is easy to overlook how our bodies perform incredible calculations and feats of genius in every moment. With so much attention paid to the clever things artificial intelligence can do, it still has very little ability compared to the intelligence of what is natural. This is where the mysterious forces of equilibrium compensate for deviations from the balance point. As more technology and non-organic materials populate our everyday lives, the attraction to simplicity and the natural world strengthens.
To balance my time staring at the glary screen, I have returned to writing a to-do list using a pencil on paper. The scratchy, swishy sound of the pencil travelling across the page feels deeply comforting and calming to my mind. It is a slower pace, and I consider the trees whose lifeforce became the paper and whose wisdom encourages questioning of what is really important on my to-do list.
Another gift of putting pen to paper is doodling. So many dreams and ideas are hatched from doodles, which typing on a keyboard doesn't enable. The artwork for this collection arrived as I was doodling my dream cottage and garden on some butcher's paper. It looked so inviting that I made it the central illustration for the diary cover. What a delight for these chickens to have a quaint blue greenhouse, rows of vegetables, a pond in a barrel, and many flowers in a walled garden. I could happily be the chicken chatting amongst the carrots or perhaps napping in the wheelbarrow. As you can see in the photos, the floral pattern was created petal by petal and colour by colour. It takes days, and it was such a heavenly, meditative, and serene space for my mind to work on this pattern.
This year's new collection also includes some inspiring new products you've been asking for. There's a Twigseeds journal as a companion to the much-loved Twigseeds diary, giving extra room for thought, contemplation, plans and endless doodles. Then, my most anticipated new item is the Twigseeds A4 Desk Planner. With lush and lovely thick paper, there is plenty of space to hatch plans and write notes for the week ahead. I can't wait for you to experience the joy of using these new products!
I hope you find some delightful details to inspire and corners to doodle your dreams in. I encourage you to explore our new collection and find the perfect product for you.
With love,
Kate Knapp