I’m the President of Moleskine. My Notebook Knows Me Better Than Anyone.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ward H. Simmons, president of Moleskine. It has been edited for length and clarity.

When I was 18, I moved to New York City for the summer to work for Ralph Lauren. It was my first real taste of independence. I was staying with friends of friends and had no responsibility to anyone else, other than calling my parents once a week to let them know I was alive.

At work, I was exposed to so much beauty. There was the architecture of the flagship store, a mansion at 72nd and Madison, and the grandeur of celebrities coming through. I got to meet Princess Diana and actor Tom Selleck. It was enlightening.

I wrote down every detail of the summer in my notebook, in cursive penmanship that looked gorgeous on the page. Writing in cursive felt romantic and eloquent. Now that I’m 57, looking back on those notebooks and seeing the city through my fresh 18-year-old eyes makes me stop and say, “woah.”

I grew up in the north and south, with the best of both worlds

I grew up in two worlds, split between the north and the south. My family had a farm in Kentucky and also a home in New York. During my formative years, I spent a lot of time at boarding school in Memphis.

I had the best of both worlds. In my family, manners and respect meant everything, no matter where I was. I had the southern drawl and the ability to wave to strangers as I drove down the street in Kentucky. In New York, I loved being exposed to culture through museums and art shows. It felt like the world was at my feet.

My grandfather taught me about hard work and giving back

I had four idols growing up: Mohammed Ali, basketball legend Julius Irving, business magnate Howard Hughes, and my grandfather. As I read about and watched these men, I learned about leadership.

My grandfather, whom I’m named for, knew about hard work. When he was 14, he started sweeping floors in a tobacco plant. He rose through the ranks until he became the president of the Tobacco Association of the United States.

Don’t hate me for it, although big tobacco had its problems, my grandfather was a great man who was always intent on making people’s lives better. He would pay for the college education of people who worked on our family farm. From him, I learned about working hard and giving back.

My dad, a banker, taught me to always do things the right way. If I missed one weed in the garden, he’d have me out there, making my wrong right until the job was done.

Working here has reminded me of the power of writing

I’ve been lucky to apply the values my family gave me to the world. At Ralph Lauren I learned about beauty; in marketing at Hugo Boss I learned how to take that beauty and pair it with the magic of the brand in order to drive sales.

Moleskine is different. We’re not marketing a beautiful or luxury item. Most of the notebooks we sell are plain black. We’re really selling inspiration. We’re marketing dreams and giving people a vehicle to write those down, just like I did as a fresh-eyed 18-year-old in New York.

Working at Moleskine has opened my eyes to the power of writing more. It helps me be more creative and thoughtful. I still love writing in cursive; I enjoy how it looks on the page, but it’s about more than that. I believe that putting pen to paper fires different neurons and helps foster creativity. That’s so important, especially for future leaders.

I joke that my notebook knows me better than anyone else. But it’s true: I write down my dreams and disappointments — the good, the bad, and the ugly. In 10 years, things will be so different, and I know in the future I’ll enjoy looking back on these days.