@garpu_somay (3)

by Aika Mentari · July 11, 2025

Where Artists Gather: Our Journal in Its Habitat

We have already seen our journal in the hands of the artist Garpu Somay (@garpu_somay) at the edge of a still river. Now we see it in an entirely different habitat, and one no less important: a pop art cafe loud with colour and with inspiration.

This photograph is not about the process of drawing. It is about what happens before it. The silent moment before the first stroke. The moment an artist simply sits, observes, and lets the world around them soak into the mind.

A Silent Bulwark in the Middle of an Explosion of Colour

Look around it. An explosion of colour. A bold pop art style on the walls and on the tables. This is a rich environment, one that keeps feeding the eye. In the middle of it all, on the table, sits a leather journal. Closed. Calm. Full of potential.

The journal is not in use, but it is there. Always within reach. Like a promise. A tool ready for whenever an idea decides to arrive. It is the anchor in the middle of a turbulent sea of inspiration.

A Companion in Working and in Reflecting

I reckon this is the true function of a good tool. It does not only keep you company while you work but also while you reflect, while you search, and while you wait. Its presence alone is already a comfort.

That an artist whose work is so alive and so dynamic chooses to carry our journal to the places that matter to them—whether wild nature or a crowded creative hub—is everything to us.

Before there is a work, there is inspiration. And before there is inspiration, there is a moment of observation. A good journal has to be there for all three.

It is a reminder that we do not only make a product to be set on a table. We make travelling companions for creators, wherever the adventure carries them.

Ready to soak up the inspiration around you? Find the right companion for your own creative adventure.