Why I have kept the damn possession of drawing & writing?
Marc Northstar’s Odyssey: An Epic Journey Through Words
During a Design Thinking course at Stanford University, I was asked a question by our Prof. Barry Katz, “Why I have kept the damn possession of drawing & writing?” I was left out of words but said that I express my thoughts by drawing lines, lil dots, and some writings.
These drawings are not merely sketches or concepts, but rather intricate pieces of art that have no further edits. My passion for drawing started during the time I was obtaining my BA in Architecture Engineering, where I was taught to digitalize my drawings. However, I gradually became frustrated with the limitations of expressing the original impressions using software (AutoCAD and ArchiCAD), and thus began handcrafting my architectural drawings in a reverse manner. When I was hired at Hopkins Architects, I was introduced to a specific set of tools that remain a constant in my life, a Mitsubishi Pencil Co. UniPin black ink pen, and a Daler-Rowney ivory paper hardbound book. Since then I started to carry these tools with me wherever I go, using them to document my travels and experiences. Gradually, I built a new habit by creating a vast collection of books, with each one telling a unique story. The A5 books document observations and expressions, while the A4 books showcase the my prowess in drawing.
Today, I rely exclusively on these pens and Daler-Rowney paper at home, work, and on my travels. Every year, I order enough to last me the year and then replenish my supply for the following year.
In 2006, my software era came to a halt, and I became wholly dedicated to the art of manual creation through constant drawing and documentation, no matter where I was. I traversed neighborhoods, cities, and countries, whether by air or rail, and even during earthquakes, I crafted a book for each location or period.
Today, in my San Francisco abode, I possess a bookshelf exclusively designated for these books. I refer to them as the Black siblings, where the A4s symbolize the males and the A5s signify the females. Each book narrates a unique tale, with the A4 volumes portraying a wordless account, while the A5 pages serve as records of my observations and expressions.
The accumulation of these collections has resulted in an unending chain of knowledge that grows and travels with me wherever I go. I have written and drawn in books from various countries, including Singapore, Germany, China, UAE, Qatar, Malaysia, Kenya, USA, and Borneo!
What I admire about these series is that they help me refine a talent that runs in my blood. The ivory hue, the texture of the paper, and the black ink that assertively blends on these pages; all have become poetically identified. It is a way for me to breathe in and out through my thoughts.
For both A5 and A4 books, I create an aesthetically scripted introduction page that includes the author’s name, title, date and place of birth, and time. Additionally, I create an end page that includes the author’s name, date and location of completion, and time.
The A5 book measures 5.9x8.3 inches and holds a collection of stories ranging from my time spent in room 282 at Lathrop Library in Stanford, to my observations of nature in the oldest jungle on earth in Malaysia, to my technical observations of aircraft wings while flying over the Pacific Ocean on Korean Air. It also contains my thoughts and experiences related to my family, hopes, dreams, obstacles, ideas, sex, failure stories, love, laughter, déjà vu, and stars that I have never seen before. All of these stories are written indelibly with a 0.2 mm UniPin pen.
On the other hand, the A4 book measures 8.3x11.7 inches and showcases my talent in drawing. It features sophisticated and elegant drawings that talk to the space they occupy and are interspersed with calligraphic scripts. Each page is drawn on the recto side while the verso side is always left blank. The variety of these books is fascinating, with dedicated books for towns like Los Gatos in California, neighborhoods such as West Portal in San Francisco, jungles like Taman Negara in Malaysia, trains such as those taken during Christmas holidays in Germany, and much more.
The A4 books consist solely of drawings, each with its own unique personality and imbued with pure and clear emotions felt in the moment. Even if I return to the same spot to draw again, the next drawing will express a different language and spirit entirely. Lately, I have been working on a book called “One Sansome Street.” I visit the corner of Sutter and Sansome Streets in downtown San Francisco to create drawings that capture the essence of that moment.
Even though it may be difficult for others to comprehend the meaning behind my drawings, I trust in my own abilities and instincts. I create not for the purpose of displaying my work to others, but rather because I have a deep-seated belief in its importance. To me, these books and journals serve as a fundamental building block for anything I aspire to achieve in the future. For example, my journey to Room 282, where I am currently studying the history and theory of design with Professor Barry Katz, would not have been possible without the expression and idea chains that I have captured within my creations.
Whenever I pick up my UniPin pen and lay it on the ivory Daler-Rowney sheet, I know that every stroke is a link in a chain that will ultimately lead me to my ultimate passion: Design and Architecture. Sometimes, the scenes I witness in my daily life are too complex to capture on paper, such as the train racing by, cars honking, fog rolling in, and people strolling with their dogs. In these cases, I don’t rely on my surroundings for inspiration. Instead, I allow my imagination to take over, drawing simple yet purposeful lines to balance the ivory page, letting my intuition guide me. Every line is a breath of confidence, and with every stroke, I feel closer to unlocking the undiscovered moments that I am so eager to discover. These drawings are not just art, they are a tangible representation of my journey towards my passion, a journey that I am proud of and determined to continue.
Within the pages of my A5 journal, I embody a multitude of roles — I am the anthropologist, the design thinker, the biographer, the dog lover, the observer, and more. These pages serve as a reference for both my academic pursuits and my personal journey, where I refine my goals and work towards achieving them. My collection of black journals will continue to expand and evolve even after I am no longer here to fill their pages.