Instrument, Surface, Setting, Story: An Interview Series on Creative Tools and Spaces with Andrew Hahn
"I have to keep my creative and personal work separate."
Recently during a journaling workshop I participated in, the conversation turned to writing supplies and which journals, pens, and writing environments each of us prefer. The conversation went on for almost an hour and I realized once we’d moved on that I could have listened to other writers and artists talk about their chosen supplies all night. I decided to reach out to the creatives in my life to ask them about four components of their creative process, and I am so grateful for the generous responses they provided. I can’t wait to share them all with you.
Andrew Hahn is the author of the poetry chapbook God’s Boy from Sibling Rivalry Press. His work can be found online in Hobart Pulp, The Florida Review, and Barren Magazine among others. His latest project is a novel titled Rivermont, about two queer friends in Lynchburg, Virginia whose lives are disrupted when a friend returns to town, claiming to be demon possessed.
Instrument: What writing tool do you use? Pen? Pencil? Tablet? Or do you go old-school with a quill and ink?
I’m big on Pilot-brand pens, my favorite is the Juice Up .04 Retractable Gel Ink Pen. I first found these pens in LA at the Kinokuniya in Little Tokyo. I bought a black one (because it’s my favorite color to write with), and then I bought a multipack of different colors for when I markup my manuscripts.
I also like to journal in a different color when I travel so I can easily find trips I took if I want to reference it!
Surface: What do you write on? A lined paper journal? Dotted? Grid? Do you flip the page sideways or write long-ways?
I need a college-lined or tighter notebook to keep my thoughts organized. I use a Moleskin Hardcover Notebook (I’m also fine with Leuchtturm1917 notebooks) for private journaling about what I’m learning about myself, or instances I feel like I need to “talk it out.” I’m not much of a daily journaler, but I will in spurts.
Let me throw a wrench in this and say I use a different notebook for songwriting and/or story ideas, and for this I use a Kokuyo D Shaped Soft Ring Notebook A5.
I have to keep my creative and personal work separate. I need a notebook I can be ridiculous in –– write a letter to a former lover or once-important person, write in the voice of a character I’m struggling to figure out, write a character profile, etc.
Setting: Where do you create? An office? From bed? On the couch? Is it silent, or do you need background noise like music (with or without lyrics)?
I would die if my daily writing space was my bed, but I will do that when I’m traveling and don’t want to watch TV in the evenings or something. However, I will journal in bed.
I prefer a table with room for green tea and maybe a snack and a candle. I love a café for writing and journaling. I love background music (in headphones only), but it has to be an album I’ve heard a thousand times or not in English.
I’ve become a Hikaru Utada stan since 2022 with her album Bad Mode, and I listen to the live album about every time I sit to write.
Story: Describe your perfect writing day in three sentences or less.
Things that contribute to my perfect writing day:
Overcast with a moderate temperature, perhaps a little drizzly
A new tea
Something low key to look forward to in the evening, preferably with friends
Emotional clarity––no stressors, no looming tasks or chores