An Artist’s Studio
Lucy Mahon and her Smythson diary.
Beyond noting down your daily to-dos, a diary ought to be used in a way that is unique to you ― for artist Lucy Mahon, it’s a blank canvas for her thoughts to meet paper, documenting every flurry of ideas while in the studio.
Each year, Lucy adds a new diary to her collection — bound in vibrant shades to spark inspiration — and this year includes our new dateless diary, the Soho Planner, which features a blank calendar layout ready to be filled in at your own pace.
Serving as a time capsule to preserve her thoughts and fleeting words, the many Featherweight pages of a Smythson diary capture the essence of her creativity in abundance.
“Writing down notes is usually the very beginning of any process for me. I use my diaries as much to look back and draw from as I do to plan ahead. I’ll often go through them and pull out words or things that resonate, write them up on scrap bits of paper, and stick them up around the studio. They can be little springboards for ideas; sometimes they make their way into my work immediately and then sometimes they’ll serve as a reminder of something I liked and I’ll come back to it another time.”
“Writing down notes is usually the very beginning of any process for me. I use my diaries as much to look back and draw from as I do to plan ahead. I’ll often go through them and pull out words or things that resonate, write them up on scrap bits of paper, and stick them up around the studio. They can be little springboards for ideas; sometimes they make their way into my work immediately and then sometimes they’ll serve as a reminder of something I liked and I’ll come back to it another time.”
How will you use yours? If it matters, write it down; a Smythson diary is a chance for time properly dedicated, feelings truthfully expressed, and plans (or ideas) made with intent.
Discover our 2025 collection now, instore and online.