Let's talk about stationery haul culture
So my confession is that while i like to think that I'm a bit more sophisticated, if I see anything Pochacco + stationery related, I will buy it. I am not immune to impulse buying cute things (not just Pochacco) because 1. I love cute things and 2. I have the type of ADHD that gives me poor impulse control. I'm working on #2 -- I have meds!
I've been around stationery my whole life and it's become a hobby that I'm really into now. When I was a kid, it was the Sanrio store and the small Chinese/Korean shops that sold stationery for kids (or bootleg things, you never knew). Honestly, you never knew what you were going to get. It was more about the discovery in the store rather than knowing what you were going to buy ahead of time.
In the early internet/social media days, it wasn't about what you had, but how you used what you had. The world wasn't as global so sometimes it was hard to get things you'd see others have on the other side of the world. It was focused on showing creative layouts and organization for school. Nowadays it's all about influencer culture and the "look at this awesome (expensive) thing I bought" and now you want it too.
With this influencer culture, it feels like we've lost that spark/sense of inspiration. I mean sure, you still get that but now its a numbers game on the internet - instead of sharing how they organize their lives, people share what they bought instead. Haul videos are so popular and normal now.
The shift becomes more apparent when you see that people are now shifting from tools/layouts to trophies of things they've bought. I mean I'm into collecting too, but for me it's also less about the thing I've bought and being mindful about how I will use the things I've bought.
The cycle now becomes new product > hype > buy the thing > abandonment > repeat.
The problem with this cycle is that now we've just started accumulating so many things and we've abandoned them. I've seen destash parties where people buy a bunch of things, are in that abandonment phase, and will bring it to a destash party. Everyone gives away what they've bought and others can take those items and 'discover' something new and shiny. While awesome, it kind of perpetuates that cycle of abandonment > new shiny thing.
I've also seen this in larger planner companies as well - where one becomes the holy grail item until something new comes along. Hobonichi has gotten very popular and recently people have started getting into Louise Carmen.
So what am I trying to say after all this? Let's get back to the essence of it all - more creativity, less consumption/materialism! Let's be mindful about our stationery use - Before buying, ask yourself: What will I use this for and when? You can also incorporate more junk journaling (using every day items to decorate) or make mini goals to use all of X thing. Most of all, let's try to resist the influencer cycle while still trying to enjoy the hobby.
Personally, I have decluttered a lot of items and have only kept things that I know I will use (it's still a lot, I'm not going to lie). I have stopped buying more items and I'm actively trying to get through my stash by giving myself small goals of using all my stickii club stickers, or using only washi to decorate. It gives me a goal/challenge and makes it a bit more fun to use the things I already have. It's changed my attitude towards the things that I own and the things that I think about buying. I urge everyone to give it a try!