On my desk today: a Fieldnotes Notebook

Keep a notebook. Travel with it, eat with it, sleep with it. Slap into it every stray thought that flutters up into your brain. Cheap paper is less perishable than gray matter, and lead pencil markings endure longer than memory.

Jack London, 1903
WOYWW on iHannas desk Fieldnotes notebook, gluestick and phone as always (Photo copyright Hanna Andersson)

On my desk today

What’s on my desk today is not very exciting, but let’s have a look anyway.

  1. Gouache paint in two of my handmade paletts and the tin where I keep some of the tubes.
  2. Another of my many home made pencil cases, this one made from a favorite fabric in light blue.
  3. A Fieldnotes notebook with yellow cover. I was trying to fill it with daily pages, but I am not feeling it at the moment… shall prospone that project.
  4. A brand new glue stick, used to glue things into said notebook.
  5. My cell phone, a dear old friend. I had this profanity sticker inside the transparent cover since summer, when I did an interview with the artist who created the sticker.

Let’s just take a closer look at these things for today. My gouache tin does not contain “my home grown cress”, but paints:

Metallic tin with gouache colors from Arteza inside (Photo copyright Hanna Andersson)
Metallic tin with gouache colors from Arteza inside.

If you want to hear from me, I have a video showing how I set up these ceramic palettes and swatched the gouache for the first time. It was published on my YouTube last year but I never made a blog post about it. Maybe you’ll enjoy it now if you missed it then?

If you can’t see the embedded video watch goache paint swatching and new palette on YouTube.

But back to current desk view.

Things on Hannas desk at home (Photo copyright Hanna Andersson)

Here’s a closer look at my very loved pencil case.

Home sewn pencil case with butterflies and flowers made by me (Copyright Hanna Andersson)
Pencil case that I sewed in 2005, still going strong 19 years later.

Isn’t this pattern happy and so very cute? It’s one of my favorite fabrics ever. My pencil case is a bit dirty and worn now, but it is still going strong 19 years after I made it. I think it looked better back in 2005 when I made it (oh, how I love this record of makings). Go on take a look at how beautiful it was then, and compare it to today’s wabi-sabi version. I loved it then, and in a different way now.

Thanks for stopping by my desk here in Sweden today. I appreciate it.

Cat themed stationary on my desk (Photo copyright Hanna Andersson)
BTW, I forgot this photo of my desk in a previous WYOWW post, when there was a cat theme going on. Love that cat head pen!

This post is part of NaBloPoMo where I write 30 blog posts in November. Thanks for reading and leaving me a comment, it encourages me to keep going. To follow along subscribe to blog posts via email or RSS. I also have a sweet Substack Newsletter about art, craft and creativity that you might want to sign up for so that we can keep in touch in the future. I’d love that. On instagram I’m @ihannas and on YouTube Studio iHanna. Take care and stay creative friends.

What’s On Your Workdesk Wednesday
This blog post is also part of a blog link-up called What’s On Your Workdesk Wednesday (WOYWW). I joined for the first time recently and shared a view of my desk in October. WOYWW is hosted by Sarah Brennan of the blog Sarah’s Craft Shed. Everyone is welcome to join, showing what’s on your work desk. This blog post is part of WOYWW 806!


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16 Responses

  1. This is wonderful. I’ve just gotten back into notebooks and art is my obsession right now, though that scares me. Loved seeing your pencil case, now and in 2005.

  2. Love that opening quote. I want to get in the habit of keeping a notebook like that, and have set the goal of recording what happens in a day – even the seemingly mundane, such as “phone call from so-and-so,” – but rarely keep it up more than a few days at a time!

  3. Yes, I love that opening quote as well! I’ve been carrying a Fieldnotes notebook around with me, but for some reason haven’t used it. Maybe today will be the day.
    Love the cell phone sticker. Ever since the election, I’ve decided I should start swearing more.

  4. what a sweet hand made pencil case!
    My son has been taking sewing lessons and he made a little pen case that I’ve been using to coral the pens that I keep with my journal. It makes me so happy every time I use it.

  5. Hi iHanna, you made me smile when you mentioned about the daily Field notebook. I started something similar last year but just got distracted and it’s still sitting there for me to get back to it. That’s a lovely little pencil case too. Promise to pop back later and have a look at the video as it sounds interesting. Wishing you a very happy and productive woyww. Hugs Angela x11x

  6. good luck with your daily blog posts. I have trouble doing one a week!! happy WOYWW Helen #2

  7. Ditto to the love for that opening quote. I took three fieldnotes journals away with me and filled two of them. I have a few more and this is a reminder to not save them for when I’m on holiday.

  8. On my WOYWW post I have, well, at least the beginnings of a book/holder I am making to collect all my Daily Journal booklets (similar to the Field notes but I make them for each month. Each one holds 6 booklets so I have two collections per year. Since I have begin this I have been doing daily journaling and I fount it really keeps me on track. I love the quote, and the “kip it with you” part has been the most helpful – for me, that means keeping it right on my desk, so as soon as I sit down, I write. Loving the cats too :)
    It’s a sad/angry/scared but doing my best WOYWW
    Mary Anne (8)

  9. Love that pencil case Hanna – will definitely be a hit with a few of the WOYWW ladies who are predominantly sewers. Those gouache paints look lush! Stay safe and Happy WOYWW. Sarah

  10. The pencil case looks perfect. I love that it has been part of your life for so long and I think any scuffs and wear just represent all sorts of memories of what it’s been through as your trusty sidekick over the years <3

  11. I’ve been glad to see you blogging again.

    Your Jack London quote went straight into my journal. For some reason over the years I really haven’t copied many quotes there. This one resonated with me.

  12. I can’t write my thoughts by hand at all – I can write so much faster o my computer where I keep all my daily journals, thoughts, dreams, gratitude…! Also very easy to look things up when I need to find out things like when did I buy this vacuum that just stopped working? What temperature was it a year go today? Nice and easy. But I do love making art journals. Your paints look fun. I bought a guache set a few years ago for a project but haven’t used them since. I should get them out! Have a great week, Lindart #14

  13. Everything on your desk is delightful & inviting and it makes me happy to see all of that color, especially the little groupings of gouache paint. Your video was very relaxing to watch 💛 and I love that bumblebee yellow.

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