Blank pages pack promise and potential. New Moleskine notebooks, possessing trademark ruggedness and portability, help fuel inspiration. Whether collecting drawings, notes, journal entries, sketches or other written material, while there are many copies, there are no substitutes.

My Moleskine notebooks (I’m partial to the standard large ruled notebook, although a new line of colorful models certainly prove intriguing) collect short story ideas, novel concepts, project management notes, mathematical equations necessary for calculating pricing models, lists, tasks to complete, recipes, movie and book recommendations and more. They’re regularly dropped, drenched in a sudden downpour as occurred yesterday, subjected to coffee spills and otherwise abused, yet retain their integrity for years.

I just wish pairing an equivalent pen or pencil were as easy as selecting the notebook. I’ve tried a wide range, from the classic Bic Cristal to a marbled-blue Waterman ball point that literally just broke this week after 25 years of service. When it comes to a matching stylus, I’m still searching.