On a Notebook's First Blank Page - Andrea Hunter

A top down view of the first page of a notebook and writing tools on a wooden surface. On the left, an open brown pencil case showing four tombow brush markers. In thecentre, a stack of kraft coloured notebooks, the top one opened to the first page, held open with a large skeleton clip. A hand-lettered quote is on the page, written out in the text content below. The corner of a houseplant is visible in the bottom right corner. The corner of a white mug on a white macrame coaster is visible in the top left corner. A stack of two books and reading glasses is visible in the top right corner.

When I open a new notebook to the first blank page, I usually don’t want to start right in. My too-big handwriting, corrections and awkward spacing can wait ’til later pages. I like to have the first page set a lovely tone, and make me happy every time I open it.

(Also, sometimes the first page is glued in funny, or I want to start my actual content on a full double page spread … or am I really particular?)

I mean, you could leave it blank. But why not use a space for creativity if you can?

So this is one of my go-to ways to fill the first blank page. A quote that I love that has something to do with the notebook’s purpose. (This one is a reading journal.) I like to write them by hand, to practice my hand-lettering, either in a mindful absorbing way, or just to keep my hands busy while watching TV in the evenings. But there are also gorgeous quotes, on Pinterest and Instagram for example, that could be printed and pasted in, as an alternative.

No one can be called friendless who has God and the companionship of good books.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Here’s to more pretty first pages.

stationery in the photo

P.S. The houseplant in this photo is absolutely fake,

P.P.S. Every week Creative Market offers a few digital design elements to download for free. Today I downloaded this pretty font.