WORKING HANDS with HIGHTIDE: Nancy Wu

As a stationery brand, we are always curious how and what people use our stationery goods for. With this blog series, focusing on the hands at "work" and beyond, we ask five questions about the usage and meaning of the stationery tools to our friends in Los Angeles.

For our seventh post, we visited a LA based designer, Nancy Wu at her house in Mt. Washington neighborhood. 




Q1. What do you do with Sikigu Pad Notebook and POSCA markers? What do you like about these stationeries?

 

I like the A4 format of the notepad and also the perfect binding, it's a really elegant notepad! I'm drawn to the POSCA markers because they have an opaque, paint-like quality when the ink dries. The boldness of the marker tip forces me to be a bit more confident when drawing--no hesitation! 

Nancy is drawing with a Posca marker, Medium PC-5M in khaki on a Pad Notebook in A4, plain. 

Q2. In our technology driven world, what does it mean to make things by your hand to you?

Making things with my hands keeps me grounded and reminds me that not everything comes instantaneously. I enjoy the process of constructing a little note, wrapping a present with intention, or making a simple meal for a friend. Making is a type of love language for me that can't be replaced by email or text messages :).

She uses Penco large scissors in ivory. 

Q3. Pencils or Mechanical Pencils?

Pencils because I enjoy feeling line weights fluctuate with more or less pressure. And also the very satisfying process of sharpening them.

Q4. What’s in your pen case/pouch? If you don’t use a designated stationery case, how do you store your stationeries? 

To hold pens and pencils, I use a miniature wax canvas tote bag made by my friend Kazumi Takigawa. The scale of the bag gives me so much joy, which is an exciting way to feel when you're picking your tools. I also use a Building Block brick doppler to store miscellaneous stationery such as post-its, utility knife, measuring tapes, loose change and random bits.

A Building Block brick doppler in the rear and a Kazumi Takigawa's miniature waxed canvas tote bag.

In the brick doppler, she keeps plant seeds, memo pads, her dog's name tag, sharpies, two tape measures, a lip balm and a matchbook from local businesses. 

Q5. What is your most favorite stationery?

I like keeping things low key and am happiest with a HB pencil and some simple paper. 

____

Nancy Wu is a LA based designer. She is the co-founder of Building Block, a design studio where she and her sister create functional and fun-spirited accessories + objects as a means to compliment life. On her down time, she loves to dote on her dog and garden.