What makes us creative? Nothing, says Seema Sharma. Instead of a stifling void, she views nothingness as the wellspring of creativity, which is why she created Write Nothing in Here, a doodle and sketchbook that is the Seinfeld of notebooks: It's all about nothing.
Wait a second. Isn't every blank notebook about nothing? That's true, but Write Nothing in Here isn't just empty. It's a paean to nothingness: a notebook filled with quotes and writing prompts about nothing as a concept, not just as an absence of content. Write Nothing in Here demands that you take the empty page as a necessary part of the creative process.
"Every book is either about something or forces you to think in a certain direction. I like to let go of all directions and inspire people to do the same. I think that nothing is a perfect stepping stone to creating and coming up with the most amazing thing," says Sharma.
Sharma points out that when we're kids, a white piece of paper is a riotous playground for our imaginations, but as adults, we can find its blankness intimidating. That's why so many notebooks these days have margins stuffed with writing prompts, inspirational quotes, daily schedules, and drawing grids. Sharma supposes that if we got back to being inspired by the blankness of a page, as opposed to being intimidated by it, we'd be more creative.
Is Write Nothing in Here a gimmick? Sure. But it's a clever one, being perhaps the most meta blank notebook you can find. And Sharma's right: no one should be intimidated by a blank page. It's a universe of possibility unto itself. After all, even the best notebooks start from nothing.
Write Nothing in Here is available from Amazon for $17.