We're over the moon to introduce our new series Putting Pen To Paper, where we feature different individuals & showcase what they use their favourite notebook for. It could be for poetry, sketching, song writing, illustrations, & everything in between.

To start the series off, we got to go inside the notebook of calligrapher Lauren Hung from The Blackline Bottega.

What is your occupation? 

My job is bizarre. I say I'm a calligrapher but I end up doing a lot more than just calligraphy. And I say Creative Director, but I also end up being the person that executes the work, manages the project and runs for coffee. I guess I'd say I'm an all-round creative - a visual-problem-solver for my clients. 

Plain or Lined paper? 

Oo hard question. If I'm writing longer pieces or fleshing out the writing behind my quotes I go straight for lined paper. It keeps my thoughts easy to find and is easier for me to build upon or flesh out if I revisit something I've written previously.  But if I'm letting my creative juices run free, plain paper is my go-to! I guess you could say, my right brain likes lined and my left brain likes plain! 

When do you put pen to paper? 

It's a constant for me! When I'm feeling particularly inspired, my notebooks will be with me constantly. I keep both my notebooks on my studio desk within easy reach during work. (I'm still training myself to take them with me everywhere I go - at the moment my phone is full of notes that I need to compile into my notebooks). Sometimes, when I wake up with an idea, I'll stumble my way into the studio to write a few words down too. I don't really have a routine for writing in them but I do find that they get used daily to record ideas, the beginnings of a quote concept / idea or a visual image or solution that I want to explore. 

What inspired the Pen to Paper in your images

I often have to view my scribbles critically, so I was inspired to just let my words flow organically without revision - and see where they land. When I'm writing, I find I'll write something over and over, only to come back to the first option because it looks the most authentic with all its flaws and idiosyncrasies. I just wanted to let the words be. 

What does journaling look like to you/how do you journal? 

I keep a diary for daily events so my journals are predominantly process driven. In my lined journals, I record ideas, thoughts and quotes that I want to explore more or that I think are working well. I don't tend to categorise my thoughts into groupings - I just let my thoughts run chronologically and find that I am generally able to polish an idea as I go on or mix it with an unrelated idea. Some of it is complete mumbo-jumbo written in an inspired trance never to be looked at again. 

In my visual journals, I record and keep scraps of drafts and designs that might spark a new idea or show me the way on future projects. I record what I think works well or could be improved upon. It is often where I explore the visual translation of the words I've written too. For example, in my lined journal, I might have written "today is the outcome of the world you created yesterday" in handwriting on a single line. In my plain journal, I'll have this scribbled up in calligraphy and hand-lettering; looking at how I feel it's best visually conveyed. 

Feeling creative & want to put pen to paper yourself? Start here with this favourite notebook of Laurens.