What a great way of looking at purchasing, scarcity, the feeling of missing out, and ways to manage that. As someone who engaged in retail therapy as a way of managing anxiety in the past, leading to trouble (spending too much money) and then realizing that once I had it, it didn’t really excite me, or relax me…and I just wanted to get something else. This was a problem I resolved with the help of a specialist (no shame in that!) And now, I can practice what you do similarly…admire something very beautiful, I might love to have it…but I don’t need it. Admiring it is enough for me. Putting things into a “wish list” instead of the shopping cart and hitting “buy” is also helpful. Yes, I might miss out on something that sells out, but I can go back a few days later, and often most of the things on the wishlist, I remove, thinking…I really don’t need it, it is cute, but what would I use it for? I already have 3 things for that same purpose. I’ll use those instead. Now, that is what is giving me a relaxing feeling of control over spending, and learning that admiring things, seeing how people use them in different ways, can be an enjoyable and relaxing thing just in itself…I don’t have to have the same things that they have, or do things in the same way they do, or buy what they buy…but I can relax and enjoy watching them enjoy it. Going through my stationery recently to organize in a new space made me realize just how much I have that I haven’t been using and I definitely don’t need more of…and a few areas where “this item could be helpful, let me shop around for it.” I was able to be more thoughtful about it as realizing how long it took to organize stickers, washi tape and other things helped me realize I have plenty of stationery that I like to play with…and a few things that I still needed (like birthday icon stickers…all used up!) This has provided me with a sense of empowerment and control over something I struggled with (buying too much on the spur of the moment because that made me feel good…until the credit card bill came 😢.) I was chasing something externally that I needed to change internally, and I worked hard to do that! But, now I’m able to know that just the act of walking through a store or the mall and browsing and looking at things is a relaxing thing for me to do…and I don’t have to buy anything. I can just enjoy being by myself, listening to a podcast, and seeing what’s available, touching fabrics, looking at cute little toys…whatever, and not feel the need of “buy it, buy it, buy it.” It is a very freeing feeling, but not one that didn’t take hard work to achieve. I hope for anyone who struggles with this to seek out help available, it is worth the peace you will have in the end.
Thank you, truly, for sharing your insightful and powerful story! While my experiences are not exactly the same, I nevertheless felt so seen by your familiar account of chasing that desire only for that emptiness and hunger to quickly return after I received my order. A few years ago when I was taking pottery lessons, my teacher told me how he sold his bowls in Australia and Japan. He said the difference with his Japanese customers was that they would often take longer to drop into the store, examine his wares, feel them in their hands, then go away for a few days before returning, sometimes to touch and hold the bowl again. I’ve tried to be more slow and intentional with my purchases, really take the time to ask myself all the wonderfully reflexive questions you ask. My teacher said he didn’t necessarily receive fewer sales in Japan but he did receive fewer returns as the customers took the time to figure out if they really wanted it. I will think of you next time I take a stroll through the mall, and just admire the beautiful things around me 😊. I will highlight your comment and hope it helps many more people start their journeys towards healing. I know I’ll be coming back to read it again the next time I feel anxious about a limited edition fountain pen release 😄.
@ And I thank you, truly, for your kind words…for telling me that I said something you found helpful. That has made my week. I sat here for about the past hour, writing a rambling dissertation when I realized, all I needed to do was say, “thank you.” Thank you for your videos that helped me to reflect and understand my own self better by explaining your process…and remembering that for me, journaling/planning is a process, not a product. Neither one is right or wrong…a knitting project of a cool sweater…that’s a product I’m looking forward to. I can enjoy the process of the clicking needles, the beautiful wool, and the garment growing some every day towards completion…but I could never just sit there with a ball of yarn and randomly knit. That’s okay. I can sit and randomly write! That is a “process” situation where the process itself is what is to be enjoyed, not making sure the seams of the sweater are lined up, the stitches are correct, but that I was able to enjoy putting pen to paper, sticking something pretty to the page, enjoying the memory of the item, and letting that be the “planner peace” for me. And, yes!!! Definitely do as the Japanese customers did for the pottery…take time with the new limited release. If you don’t get it, because you thought and waited for it, maybe it wasn’t meant for you. Another “limited release” will come in the next week, don’t worry! 😂
Thank you for talking about intentional consumption and scarcity mindset. The journaling community is full of temptations - it is difficult to watch a TH-cam video without wanting what they are using. I think I will put stickie note reminders in all my journals saying that I don't have to own everything that I like. I have enough.
Absolutely! And I imagine one of the ways to drive more views and engagement is to dial up the emotional notch in haul videos and express wild exuberance for purchases. They can be so exciting and fun to watch though I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made purchases after watching TH-cam videos and then felt anticlimactic when my own order arrived. “I have enough”! I feel like that’s such a valuable antidote to scarcity. I’m going to hold that message close to my heart as well! ☺️ Thank you so much for being here. Your comments are really so thoughtful and kind! 💛
What a great discussion! Thank you so much for sharing. I've just discovered your channel and I love it! Looking forward to watching more of your videos. ❤
Ohh that's such a kind message, thank you!! ☺ I'm delighted you're here. I look forward to seeing you in more videos. Thanks so much for supporting my new channel! 💛
Thank you so much for your kind message! It really means a lot to me to see your support as a small channel. I’m happy you’ve taken the time to leave a note because your channel looks exactly like what I love to watch 💛. I’ve subscribed to you and look forward to watching your videos ☺️.
Thank you for sharing and for your interesting point of view and honest reflections. I can see myself in everything you said about over-consumerism and fomo. I decided to be more mindful this year and channels like yours will help me in my journey.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this kind comment! ☺️ I’m very glad to hear my ramblings about consumerism and fomo resonate. Stationery is in many ways one of the more gentle and mindful hobbies, so the ways false scarcity and urgency can infuse it are surprising and disappointing. Wishing you the best in your journey!! 🥰 And thanks again for supporting my new channel!
That tiny TN charm is adorable!!! I am guilty of purchasing notebooks when I don't always have a plan. I've been trying to reign it in, but 2024 was not a shining moment from that perspective. I have tried two of the three pens you showcased in your video. I didnt have the greatest experience with my Lamy Safari, so I didn't explore other pens in that line after that. Maybe someday, I'll get a chance to try it out! I can relate to what you said about the enjoyment of using stickers and tapping into your inner child. I have always loved stickers and stationery. Getting lost in a notebook brings me so much comfort. 🥹 I just have to keep checking in with myself to make sure I'm not getting too excessive with my stationery hobby. It's so easy to spend money on cute things! Thank you for sharing your perspective on the scarcity mindset and how it can negatively impact our wellbeing. I enjoyed hearing about your favourite items, your thoughts on consumerism and how you've managed it. I look forward to hearing about your "flops" in your next video!
I think travel years ought to be given more grace, especially when you go to a stationery paradise like Japan 😄. We're clearly not alone in the comfort and joy stationery and cute stickers offer us, and these warm and genuine communities are so far and few in between. I can empathise with a Lamy aversion. My first fountain pen was a Lamy CP1 for some reason and the experience was so awful I was put off fountain pens for the next 10 years before stumbling into the stationery TH-cam community in 2023 gave me the confidence to try them again. My Lamy 2000 wasn't exactly love at first sight and it took finding the right ink (the first ink I tried in it was J. Herbin Perle Noire and it was too dry) to get into the flow (pun intended). Thanks so much for being here and taking the time to leave such a kind and thoughtful comment! 💛 Your support means a lot to me. See you again soon!
Thank you for your terrific recommendation! Writech pens look gorgeous!! I’ll check them out as I use a lot of highlighters and gel pens for work ☺️. Thanks also for watching and taking the time to comment. It means a lot to me as a new channel 💛.
I just found your channel and really enjoyed this video and the first one I was about you “flops” from 2024. I love fountain pens and can’t wait to see more.
Thank you so much for watching my videos and taking the time to leave such a lovely note! I really appreciate you being here and hope to see you again in another video! ☺️
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on consumerism. Your thoughtfulness on how to appreciate from afar is inspiring and I will most definitely apply this in my thinking and when FOMO tries to creep in. ❤️ I’m a new sub here and love that I ran into your channel. 😊
Thank you so much for being here, and leaving such a kind and supportive comment! It’s very encouraging as a new channel ☺️. Here’s hoping we both have a year of greater intentionality and peace with our stationery! 🥰 I hope to see you again in another video. Thanks again for being here!
Loved seeing your favorites! The Kyoto edition TN is so beautiful 😍It was so helpful to hear you talk about pen and ink pairings as well. Coincidentally, I just ordered a sample of Kiri-Same today haha!
You have impeccable taste! 😊 Kiri-Same is a wonderful ink. I’ve honestly not yet found a fountain pen it doesn’t work well in. What pen will you be inking it up with?
@ oh that’s so good to know! I ended up ordering a TWSBI Eco! I know you recommended a TWSBI Diamond 580, but since this is my first FP I wanted to start at a more beginner price point, so I felt the Eco might be a good start! Plus I’ve heard they’re quite similar? I’m soo excited💕
@moonlit.journal I think that’s a terrific choice for a starter fountain pen. I’ve never used one but I know lots of people who love it. I would recommend TWSBI’s in general over a Lamy Safari (another popular starter fountain pen), but I can’t say I love my Diamond 580 because the weight makes it a little tiring to use. I think the Eco is lighter and may very well be more comfortable ☺️. Hope it comes soon!
What a great way of looking at purchasing, scarcity, the feeling of missing out, and ways to manage that. As someone who engaged in retail therapy as a way of managing anxiety in the past, leading to trouble (spending too much money) and then realizing that once I had it, it didn’t really excite me, or relax me…and I just wanted to get something else. This was a problem I resolved with the help of a specialist (no shame in that!) And now, I can practice what you do similarly…admire something very beautiful, I might love to have it…but I don’t need it. Admiring it is enough for me. Putting things into a “wish list” instead of the shopping cart and hitting “buy” is also helpful. Yes, I might miss out on something that sells out, but I can go back a few days later, and often most of the things on the wishlist, I remove, thinking…I really don’t need it, it is cute, but what would I use it for? I already have 3 things for that same purpose. I’ll use those instead. Now, that is what is giving me a relaxing feeling of control over spending, and learning that admiring things, seeing how people use them in different ways, can be an enjoyable and relaxing thing just in itself…I don’t have to have the same things that they have, or do things in the same way they do, or buy what they buy…but I can relax and enjoy watching them enjoy it. Going through my stationery recently to organize in a new space made me realize just how much I have that I haven’t been using and I definitely don’t need more of…and a few areas where “this item could be helpful, let me shop around for it.” I was able to be more thoughtful about it as realizing how long it took to organize stickers, washi tape and other things helped me realize I have plenty of stationery that I like to play with…and a few things that I still needed (like birthday icon stickers…all used up!) This has provided me with a sense of empowerment and control over something I struggled with (buying too much on the spur of the moment because that made me feel good…until the credit card bill came 😢.) I was chasing something externally that I needed to change internally, and I worked hard to do that! But, now I’m able to know that just the act of walking through a store or the mall and browsing and looking at things is a relaxing thing for me to do…and I don’t have to buy anything. I can just enjoy being by myself, listening to a podcast, and seeing what’s available, touching fabrics, looking at cute little toys…whatever, and not feel the need of “buy it, buy it, buy it.” It is a very freeing feeling, but not one that didn’t take hard work to achieve. I hope for anyone who struggles with this to seek out help available, it is worth the peace you will have in the end.
Thank you, truly, for sharing your insightful and powerful story! While my experiences are not exactly the same, I nevertheless felt so seen by your familiar account of chasing that desire only for that emptiness and hunger to quickly return after I received my order.
A few years ago when I was taking pottery lessons, my teacher told me how he sold his bowls in Australia and Japan. He said the difference with his Japanese customers was that they would often take longer to drop into the store, examine his wares, feel them in their hands, then go away for a few days before returning, sometimes to touch and hold the bowl again. I’ve tried to be more slow and intentional with my purchases, really take the time to ask myself all the wonderfully reflexive questions you ask. My teacher said he didn’t necessarily receive fewer sales in Japan but he did receive fewer returns as the customers took the time to figure out if they really wanted it.
I will think of you next time I take a stroll through the mall, and just admire the beautiful things around me 😊.
I will highlight your comment and hope it helps many more people start their journeys towards healing. I know I’ll be coming back to read it again the next time I feel anxious about a limited edition fountain pen release 😄.
@ And I thank you, truly, for your kind words…for telling me that I said something you found helpful. That has made my week.
I sat here for about the past hour, writing a rambling dissertation when I realized, all I needed to do was say, “thank you.” Thank you for your videos that helped me to reflect and understand my own self better by explaining your process…and remembering that for me, journaling/planning is a process, not a product. Neither one is right or wrong…a knitting project of a cool sweater…that’s a product I’m looking forward to. I can enjoy the process of the clicking needles, the beautiful wool, and the garment growing some every day towards completion…but I could never just sit there with a ball of yarn and randomly knit. That’s okay. I can sit and randomly write! That is a “process” situation where the process itself is what is to be enjoyed, not making sure the seams of the sweater are lined up, the stitches are correct, but that I was able to enjoy putting pen to paper, sticking something pretty to the page, enjoying the memory of the item, and letting that be the “planner peace” for me.
And, yes!!! Definitely do as the Japanese customers did for the pottery…take time with the new limited release. If you don’t get it, because you thought and waited for it, maybe it wasn’t meant for you. Another “limited release” will come in the next week, don’t worry! 😂
Thank you for talking about intentional consumption and scarcity mindset. The journaling community is full of temptations - it is difficult to watch a TH-cam video without wanting what they are using. I think I will put stickie note reminders in all my journals saying that I don't have to own everything that I like. I have enough.
Absolutely! And I imagine one of the ways to drive more views and engagement is to dial up the emotional notch in haul videos and express wild exuberance for purchases. They can be so exciting and fun to watch though I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made purchases after watching TH-cam videos and then felt anticlimactic when my own order arrived.
“I have enough”! I feel like that’s such a valuable antidote to scarcity. I’m going to hold that message close to my heart as well! ☺️ Thank you so much for being here. Your comments are really so thoughtful and kind! 💛
What a great discussion! Thank you so much for sharing. I've just discovered your channel and I love it! Looking forward to watching more of your videos. ❤
Ohh that's such a kind message, thank you!! ☺ I'm delighted you're here. I look forward to seeing you in more videos. Thanks so much for supporting my new channel! 💛
Thank you for sharing I am so happy to have found you 😊❤
Thank you so much for your kind message! It really means a lot to me to see your support as a small channel. I’m happy you’ve taken the time to leave a note because your channel looks exactly like what I love to watch 💛. I’ve subscribed to you and look forward to watching your videos ☺️.
Thank you for sharing and for your interesting point of view and honest reflections. I can see myself in everything you said about over-consumerism and fomo. I decided to be more mindful this year and channels like yours will help me in my journey.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this kind comment! ☺️ I’m very glad to hear my ramblings about consumerism and fomo resonate. Stationery is in many ways one of the more gentle and mindful hobbies, so the ways false scarcity and urgency can infuse it are surprising and disappointing. Wishing you the best in your journey!! 🥰 And thanks again for supporting my new channel!
Really enjoy your videos! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for coming back! It means a lot 🥰.
That tiny TN charm is adorable!!! I am guilty of purchasing notebooks when I don't always have a plan. I've been trying to reign it in, but 2024 was not a shining moment from that perspective. I have tried two of the three pens you showcased in your video. I didnt have the greatest experience with my Lamy Safari, so I didn't explore other pens in that line after that. Maybe someday, I'll get a chance to try it out! I can relate to what you said about the enjoyment of using stickers and tapping into your inner child. I have always loved stickers and stationery. Getting lost in a notebook brings me so much comfort. 🥹 I just have to keep checking in with myself to make sure I'm not getting too excessive with my stationery hobby. It's so easy to spend money on cute things!
Thank you for sharing your perspective on the scarcity mindset and how it can negatively impact our wellbeing. I enjoyed hearing about your favourite items, your thoughts on consumerism and how you've managed it. I look forward to hearing about your "flops" in your next video!
I think travel years ought to be given more grace, especially when you go to a stationery paradise like Japan 😄. We're clearly not alone in the comfort and joy stationery and cute stickers offer us, and these warm and genuine communities are so far and few in between.
I can empathise with a Lamy aversion. My first fountain pen was a Lamy CP1 for some reason and the experience was so awful I was put off fountain pens for the next 10 years before stumbling into the stationery TH-cam community in 2023 gave me the confidence to try them again. My Lamy 2000 wasn't exactly love at first sight and it took finding the right ink (the first ink I tried in it was J. Herbin Perle Noire and it was too dry) to get into the flow (pun intended).
Thanks so much for being here and taking the time to leave such a kind and thoughtful comment! 💛 Your support means a lot to me. See you again soon!
Love this Helena! The Kyoto edition is my fav in my collection too ❤
It's so good! The colours of the leather and foiling complement each other so well. Thank you for the little charm that makes it all the cuter! 😍
Thank you for this!!!
One of my favorites have been the Writech pens and highlighters!
Thank you for your terrific recommendation! Writech pens look gorgeous!! I’ll check them out as I use a lot of highlighters and gel pens for work ☺️. Thanks also for watching and taking the time to comment. It means a lot to me as a new channel 💛.
I just found your channel and really enjoyed this video and the first one I was about you “flops” from 2024. I love fountain pens and can’t wait to see more.
Thank you so much for watching my videos and taking the time to leave such a lovely note! I really appreciate you being here and hope to see you again in another video! ☺️
Thank you for sharing,this is the therapy I need. I just discovered your channel ❤️
Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a kind comment! Your support is very encouraging ☺️. I hope to see you again in another video!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on consumerism. Your thoughtfulness on how to appreciate from afar is inspiring and I will most definitely apply this in my thinking and when FOMO tries to creep in. ❤️
I’m a new sub here and love that I ran into your channel. 😊
Thank you so much for being here, and leaving such a kind and supportive comment! It’s very encouraging as a new channel ☺️. Here’s hoping we both have a year of greater intentionality and peace with our stationery! 🥰 I hope to see you again in another video. Thanks again for being here!
Loved seeing your favorites! The Kyoto edition TN is so beautiful 😍It was so helpful to hear you talk about pen and ink pairings as well. Coincidentally, I just ordered a sample of Kiri-Same today haha!
You have impeccable taste! 😊 Kiri-Same is a wonderful ink. I’ve honestly not yet found a fountain pen it doesn’t work well in. What pen will you be inking it up with?
@ oh that’s so good to know! I ended up ordering a TWSBI Eco! I know you recommended a TWSBI Diamond 580, but since this is my first FP I wanted to start at a more beginner price point, so I felt the Eco might be a good start! Plus I’ve heard they’re quite similar? I’m soo excited💕
@moonlit.journal I think that’s a terrific choice for a starter fountain pen. I’ve never used one but I know lots of people who love it. I would recommend TWSBI’s in general over a Lamy Safari (another popular starter fountain pen), but I can’t say I love my Diamond 580 because the weight makes it a little tiring to use. I think the Eco is lighter and may very well be more comfortable ☺️. Hope it comes soon!
@@tinytigerco Oh that's good to know about the 580! I was able to try an Eco in store and it felt great, so smooth and comfortable in my hand.