This week, I thought it would be fun to share a few of my favorite things. I’m interpreting this loosely. But you’ll get the idea. It is offered up as a glimpse into my life and my way of thinking. Here are pictures and brief discussions about 5 of my favorite things. (Can you hear Julie Andrews singing in the background?)
These things are listed in no particular order.
Image is copyright David Locicero
1. Moleskine Sketchbooks
I have been using Moleskine sketchbooks on and off for about 15 or 20 years. I love them. I like the sizes. I like the paper. I like the binding. I like the pocket in the back for tucking in bits of paper and business cards. I like the sewn in bookmark. And they come in black! Black is the preferred color for most architects.
Also pictured above is the old, leather cigar case I use as a pen case. I bought this case back in 1984 and it has been in my bag or in my pocket nearly every day since. About 3 months ago I misplaced it and it caused me hours of panic, grief and a great sense of loss. Fortunately, it turned up when I wasn’t looking for it in a place I hadn’t even considered looking for it. I’m glad I have it back.
2. Soy Lattes
I’m a coffee drinker. There was a time in my life, when I was working for a big firm that had a coffee maker going seemingly 24/7, when I was drinking 6 or 7 cups of coffee a day. I don’t do that any more. Generally, I have one cup of coffee in the morning and that’s it. If you’re only going to have one cup of coffee, make it a great cup! So I start my day with a soy milk latte. That keeps me going all day long.
Image is copyright Imaginazione Srl, Milan, Italy
3. Pierro Fornasetti
Fornasetti was an Italian designer who was active from the late 1930’s until the mid-1980’s. His son carries on his business. Fornasetti drew obsessively and produced literally thousands of drawings that were used for porcelain place settings, cigarette boxes, fabric, wall paper, and hundreds of other objects for interior design. Not every drawing of his is a favorite, but his body of work is a favorite.
Image from WikiMedia Commons
4. Alexander Calder
Calder was a modern artist whose work never fails to make me smile. He is credited with inventing the mobile. He also painted and sculpted. So much modern art has dark themes, hanging around in modern galleries can be an emotionally trying affair. But Calder’s work was almost always, bright, colorful, charming, and whimsical.
I can’t recall if I downloaded this picture from the manufacturer’s website, or from the site of a pen dealer. I didn’t take this photo.
5. Fountain Pens
It sounds odd given my addiction to my Pixel2 phone, and the fact that I do most of my work on a computer, but I love fountain pens. There is simply something about the way they feel when you write or sketch with them that puts pretty much every other drawing instrument to shame. Fountain pens come at all price points from the ridiculously cheap to the mind bloggelingly expensive. My pens are closer to the cheap end. I see no point in paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for something I might lose.
I could go on. I could wax poetic about a few of the tools and gadgets I use in my kitchen. I couldn’t function without my phone. But this is a good representation of a few of my favorite things.
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