Pasgadh Bindery - escape from the digital overload

One of my main reasons for starting Pasgadh Bindery was to find a creative outlet that would allow me to escape from my computer screen.

As part of my job, I spend all day staring at the computer. Then, in the evening, I would come home and use my own laptop or mindlessly scroll on my phone. Even the tiny amounts of artwork that I had been doing were based on my iPad.

So, when I decided one evening to teach myself bookbinding, I realised that I had found a satisfying creative process that has increasingly encouraged me to find time away from my screen.

Concentrating on the bookbinding process - focusing on accurate measurements and neat fold lines - also meant that my mind was kept busy on the task. There is something almost therapeutic about folding sheets of paper to form the signatures and carefully sewing them together to form the book blocks.

Research has proven that creative activities can positively affect mental well-being. It reduces stress levels and blood pressure, promotes relaxation, and boosts the immune system. Creative activities are also thought to bring us into the present moment and, therefore, encourage the practice of mindfulness.

With the advances in technology, it seems easier than ever to spend all our time on our laptops or on our phones, and if you’re anything like me, it can give you a feeling of digital overload.

I think it is important that we all find a creative outlet in our lives, but it saddens and worries me that creative subjects seem to be getting pushed out in school, and with the introduction of AI, are we going to end up in a situation were we rely solely on computers to generate our art and our writing for us? Wouldn’t it be better if AI could do the boring stuff like clean the house and sort the tax return? Then we could use our free time to do all the fun, creative stuff. (It probably could do our tax returns but no one seems to be pushing for that).

For this reason, I want the notebooks and sketchbooks I create to be the encouragement you need to find time out of your day for your own creative pursuits. I want you to find the same quiet joy and pleasure in the simplicity of using your book as I experience while making it for you.

Remember, just because you don’t have a job as an artist or a writer, it doesn’t mean you’re not an artist or a writer. If you create a piece of artwork, you’re an artist; if you make written words, you're a writer. I often need to remind myself of this, and it’s easier said than done, but it doesn’t matter if you don’t think your drawing or writing skills are good enough; just create for your own enjoyment and screw what anyone else thinks!

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