Braxton Haugen, a London-based American filmmaker, embodies this love of letter writing. A 21st-century polymath, he works across short films, sketches, short stories, and poetry, all approached with a distinctive aesthetic and a meticulous analogue mindset. For Braxton, letters are more than correspondence; they’re a creative tool, appearing in his films and in his own life, where he exchanged letters with his girlfriend Liza for a year before they met in person.
MADE FOR: BRAXTON HAUGEN
A love letter to letters.
There is an undeniable pleasure in writing and receiving letters; the considered act of committing your thoughts to paper, or the excitement of seeing a handwritten envelope lying on the doormat. Letters preserve moments in time, capture emotions and memories in a tangible and enduring way.
“Writing letters changed my life. Texts, emails, and messages come and go, but letters stay,” he reflects. “I’ve been writing letters for years; they got me my dream job and my dream girl.”
Recently, we invited Braxton to our Sloane Street store to design his own bespoke stationery – a collaborative process where our consultants helped translate his personal aesthetic into the signature suite of paper. It was an experience which he says made him feel “like a kid in a candy store.” After poring over the myriad options of papers, inks, fonts, colours, and more, he landed on two sets, each with matching envelopes.
For longer letters and writing scripts on his typewriter, he selected Imperial Writing Paper in Ermine White Laid. Engraved with his letterhead in Portland Place using a striking red ink, it’s a choice Braxton deems essential: “The size is perfect for travel and for studio work, and the experience of writing on it is so pleasant. It’s the product I can’t live without.” Complementing this, his choice for shorter notes was the Kings Correspondence Cards in Bond Street Blue, engraved with Saint George font in signature Smythson Blue ink.
“I like to make letters as much about the person I’m writing to as myself,” he says. “The best letters are windows into a writer’s heart.”
IN CONVERSATION WITH BRAXTON HAUGEN
You chose paper for your typewriter in your bespoke Smythson order — would it be fair to say you prefer analogue over digital when you’re creating?
As a filmmaker, so much of the process is digital now. I still float my part of a project then I can look to an inkjet method to refine it, break it and to understand how that can create some strange device with blank piece of paper and a pencil or a typewriter that I find is conducive to good writing. I’m grateful for all the modern tools at my disposal, but the computer is full of distractions. The blank page is therapeutic for your ideas. Late think part of it is that the old ways are old, and the analogue is kind of tough and hard.
How does stationery fit into your creative process?
All of my notes begin as little ideas and sketches on paper. You can find the seeds of all of the movies I’ve made in the last five years on a piece of paper, or in the margins of my diaries. Everything is written out before I begin shooting. I always try to keep some room for improvisation, but I would say probably 75% of what you see in my final films, you could find on one of my pages and be able to match it from script to screen.
You visited the store for a bespoke stationery appointment. What was your favourite part of the process?
It was such a thrill to pick out my own bespoke stationery. I could’ve spent the whole day there. Since I’m using the stationery for letter writing, I thought what I need to experience the material would be opening the letter. My favourite part of the process was arriving at the perfect font and colour combination. It was about making the right first impression when someone opened the envelope.
Can you walk us through your bespoke Smythson stationery? Why these designs?
Getting the different sizes of the stationery right was really the first part in choosing the designs. I opted for correspondence cards for shorter thank-you notes, and the writing paper for longer letters. Part of my decision-making was choosing stationery that would look equally as beautiful with handwriting as it would with script from my old manual typewriter. I was especially drawn to how floating writing with a pencil looked on the stationery, my instrument of choice for most occasions.
Blue or black ink?
Blue.
Fountain pen, ballpoint, or pencil?
Pencil. I make a lot of mistakes.
Notebook, writing paper, or postcard?
I write on everything I get my hands on. But if I had to choose, I would go with writing paper. I find that I work best when I have everything laid out in front of me. Script writing is a little bit like putting together a puzzle, especially when the moves I’m making from day. So I love being able to spread out beneath me and across my workspace.
Send letters or keep a diary?
Both! But I am a much more disciplined letter writer than I am a diarist. I feel like I always write better with an audience in mind.
Keep or recycle old diaries and notebooks?
I keep absolutely everything. I am a major pack rat. I have every scrap of paper I have written on saved and organised going back to 2019. I’ve accumulated quite the archive.
Doodles or neat notes?
I have all the best intentions to start with neat notes. But without exception, all of my projects evolve into doodles. I think it is central to my creative process.
DESIGN YOUR OWN BESPOKE STATIONERY
From bespoke wedding stationery to personal correspondence, bring your ideas to life with a personal consultation at our Sloane Street store. During your appointment, our Bespoke Stationery Consultants will guide you through papers, finishes, inks, and design options, helping you refine your vision into a finished creation that’s uniquely yours. To begin, book your consultation online or visit us in-store.
Book an appointmentAlternatively, our curated collection of signature templates offers a simpler way to personalise stationery with your own details, while retaining the classic Smythson finish.
