#12PenPersonQuestions

Question 1 If you consider the different ways you can engage with pens and stationery—as a user, a collector, a hobbyist, a creator, a maker, a vendor—which roles fit best and what percentage of 100% would you assign to each? Are you happy with the balance?

I'd split the biggest part of the pie equally between user and hobbyist at 40% each. I use a range of analog tools daily to write, take notes, plan, correspond, get artsy, etc., but I also spend a significant amount of time and energy exploring, learning, and sharing which I'd categorize as hobbyist—or I like the term enthusiast. The remaining 20% I'll assign to the role of collector.

This breakdown feels in line with my current priorities. Maintaining a balance between the time I spend as an enthusiast or participating in online and in-person pen communities and actually using these things in my daily life is important to me. I want to continue to keep the "collector" aspect in check as an enjoyable but not dominating element—managing "FOMO" and not buying (or keeping) things I have no intention of actually using.

The idea that all of us join and grow in the pen community with a different mix of interests and priorities for stationery (not to mention different budgets and resources) has been on my mind for quite a while. Each role is likely to engage with these tools, this hobby, this community differently—important context to keep in mind. Comparing ourselves to or being overly influenced by people whose interests and priorities don't align with our own can, at the very least, dampen our enjoyment—ultimately our journey is our own.

Question 2 What is something you want to understand better or develop more informed opinions about?

I want to understand many things and something new might capture my interest at a moment's notice—but I've had an ongoing desire to develop more nuanced opinions about pencils, specifically wood case pencils. As much as I would expect to be a mechanical pencil person, those aren't the tools I tend to reach for.

I know I like wood pencils, I prefer hex to round, and am not immune to cool aesthetics (ehem, Blackwing). The area I need to spend more time exploring is the business end of a pencil—the composition, performance, and feel of the various cores. To that end, I've gathered up a range of Blackwings and other pencils I've accumulated over the years, plus several single pencils I picked up at The Gentleman Stationer shop after trying out several testers and reading resources like Best Pencils by The Gentleman Stationer and Top 5 Wooden Pencils by The Pen Addict.

I've found various colors of toned paper that I like to sketch on, plus plenty pencil-friendly paper for writing—so I can sit at my desk, pick a random pencil from a tray, use it for a quick sketch or do some writing, and then make a quick note about how using that particular pencil felt. I put all the pencils in the tray with the points facing the same way to start, then after using a pencil I flip it the other way so I can quickly tell which ones I haven't used recently the next time I grab a random pencil.

Through this process I hope to increase my perception of the nuances and develop stronger opinions about the strengths and weaknesses of each pencil. I'm less interested in finding favorites than figuring out what each pencil is best suited for, so I can better match pencils to my specific use cases and preferences. Since I want to draw and write by hand more in general, it's a win-win scenario.

Question 3 In the pen community, what's something someone has said or done that stuck with you?

I don't remember every detail of this exchange clearly, but this moment from about a year and a half ago stuck with me. It had been less than a year since I started this site, and I'd only made a handful of posts so far. Everyone has to start somewhere, but even writing in my own tiny corner of the internet, not bothering anybody, doubt creeps in that there's already several well-established, popular writers in our community—why should I, socially-awkward and eccentric, share anything when I have far less experience, what could I possibly have to add? But one of these established voices that I respect and admire had been supportive in sharing my fledgling writing, and when I had a chance to thank him in person I remember him saying something to the effect of "we need more voices in our community."

We need more voices. I have thought about those words in the context of the pen community a lot since—both related to the choice to increasingly share my own voice but also being much more aware of the voices I give my attention to. This refocused my perspective. Times are such that our collective attention can shape the world, so I have an increased awareness for giving my attention, and support, to a diverse (in every sense) range of voices. I strive to be a voice worth listening to, but recognize that's less about experience or charisma and more about showing up and being authentic, thoughtful in what I say, and a good listener.

Question 4 There are now 25 hours in a day, a bonus hour is available to use however you like as long as pens or stationery are involved—how do you spend your hour?

With a true bonus hour, my desire would be to hold the space for things I want to do and let go of the pressure of what I feel I ought to be doing for a moment. I would spend this time combining all the things I do with pens and ink—swatching, drawing, painting, writing—for creative, artsy projects like some of my favorites listed below and dozens of ideas that haven't been realized yet.

Exploring ink painting with different papers, techniques, styles, and subjects.

Filling in the paper testing notebook I designed with painting, swatching, and writing tests.

Capturing moments and quotes from favorite books in a books journal.

Question 5 In the pen community yearbook, what would your superlative be? (i.e. "Best ______", "Most _______" "Most likely to _______")

I was assigned a senior superlative in the yearbook (though my graduating class was pretty small so most of us were). Not sure they are always edifying to those that receive them, but this is a chance to pick my own. What do I want to be known for in the pen community?

This was a fun thought to explore, and while I'd say there's no need for "Most" or "Best" to be objectively true or apply to a singular person in this context, I still wanted to choose something that felt somewhat unique to me.

Most likely to pull out an ink swatch – Olive Octopus

There are a lot of inky people in this community, but I think one thing that sets me apart is how often I carry an honestly excessive amount of swatches around with me. I'll happily own that—these inks are best experienced in person so I'll be prepared to enjoy that experience in person with others as often as possible.

Question 6 How do you feel about your handwriting?

I imagine this is a complicated and personal question for many of us. I'm not particularly proud of my handwriting, but for the most part I accept it for what it is. I often write too fast and legibility suffers. But, if I slow down a bit I'm generally ok with how it looks, messy still but with some personality.

I use mostly standard case printing with some cursive connections if it speeds up a grouping of letters, though I tend to lose definition for some letter combos, like "ing" at the end of words. A few years ago I changed my "a" to a two-story "a" and am pretty consistent with that now. I rarely use all caps.

I enjoy a nib grind that gives line variation—the Naginata Togi style grinds like Kirk Speer's Katana and architect style grinds that produce narrower vertical lines and wider horizontal lines are my favorite. I also like using stub/cursive-italic style nibs which make narrow horizontal lines and wide vertical lines, particularly the S.I.G. nibs from Franklin-Christoph.

I like the aesthetic of handwriting, so even if my "nice" handwriting still isn't particularly worth showing off, I have been taking photos of text I've written to turn into vector graphics used for the urls on stickers, labeling different types of paper, and even in the header of this website.

Question 7 What is something you are proud of doing, achieving, or overcoming?

If you told me a few years ago that I would be streaming on Twitch 5-6 hours a week, I'd never believe it. I've long been self-conscious of my voice, appearance, low charisma, coming across differently than intended, just being perceived in general—a lot of hangups and yet after watching several small or niche streamers on Twitch for years I found myself inexplicably wanting to stream myself.

The thing about Twitch is, you put yourself out there and people have to choose to come watch—so what's to lose by trying? I'd been participating in the Relay podcast network's annual campaigns in September supporting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and starting a few years ago individuals could set up a sub-campaign through the Tiltify platform, which included access to streaming assets from St. Jude's Play Live initiative. So two years ago, with those resources to help me get started and a desire to support the hopeful mission of St. Jude I challenged myself to try out streaming just for the month of September. But after September, I didn't stop.

Things grew slow but steady at first, with incredible support from the pen community including established streamers like the one-and-only Pen Addict Brad Dowdy and fellow Twitch watchers I'd been hanging out with in chat for years. All the people who come to hang out and explore inks, pens, art, and whatever with me continue to be incredibly supportive—even reassuring when those insecurities creep back in—but more importantly we enjoy spending time together. I'm so grateful and proud of our community there, so many people are pen pals or even IRL friends now too. Hanging out at pen shows is amazing, but Twitch is a bit of that that I can do from my home a few days a week, I really look forward to it. I'm proud of myself for overcoming those fears and hangups enough to get started—and then keep going—but I didn't have to do it alone.

Question 8 You're going on a writing retreat anywhere in the world—where would you go, what would you write, and what would you write with?

Some features I would look for in a writing location are:

• A comfortable place to sit close to a window that could be open at least part of the day, or maybe a screened-in porch, with a nice view and natural light.
• A safe space within walking distance to walk around and sit outside, not too crowded.
• Easy access to prepare or acquire food so that meals aren't a big distraction.
• Tea. Copious amounts of fresh-brewed tea.

I'm sure a lot of amazing places around the world could fit those requirements, but somewhere I've been before that comes to mind is the Oregon coast—a cabin surrounded by trees and wildflowers within walking distance of a quiet beach. Walking a breezy beach wearing a light jacket, gazing at giant rocks out in the water and watching the sun set over the ocean is my kind of coastal experience.

In this picturesque zone away from the demands of daily life, what would I write about? I'm not inclined to write fiction, I'm better at organizing and presenting ideas than creating them. As a web developer, I'm drawn to the medium of the web and would love to have more time to write about dozens of things to expand my website—tidbits and stories I learn when researching inks and their names for sketches on Col-o-dex cards; video games whose combination of story, visual art, and gameplay mechanics captivated my attention for an unforgettable experience; useful things that make my life better; instructional content about using fountain pens, going to pen shows, painting with ink, etc.—whatever pieces of my life seem worth capturing and sharing.

To pack for this trip, I'd bring fountain pens that I have emotional connections with (certain collaborations and maker pens), and maybe a few TWSBIs and Opus 88s with large ink capacity. I'd bring a variety of familiar inks in earthy shades, mostly shading or chromashading but maybe a couple shimmer inks. For paper I'd choose my new Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter A5 Slim cover with multiple inserts of plain or very lightly marked dot/grid notebooks with a range of nice paper. Some people might thrive with a simplified, consistent tool set to minimize distraction, but for my brain having a variety I can switch between is more helpful for maintaining focus.

I'd also want to bring some supplies for non-writing, artistic expression including at least one glass dip pen, a water brush and palette, wood pencils and sharpener, at least one notebook with plain pages, coloring pages, and toned paper for pencil sketches. Finally, my 13-inch laptop to type up whatever I've written, and maybe write a little code too.

Question 9 What's a current or favorite creative outlet?

I'm pretty driven to create a lot of the time (I'm 18,000 unfinished projects in a trenchcoat), but the activity that is currently easiest to jump into and actually be a relaxing creative outlet is painting with fountain pen inks.

I began painting with inks very early on in my journey down the fountain pen rabbit hole, but starting with a blank page is intimidating so I didn't do it very often. The release of the first Dominant Industry Ink Archiving book last year changed that by removing many of the barriers of indecision—the page layouts and designs are so well done, all that's left is to grab some inks and color them in.

A second Ink Archiving book with a new theme was released this year. I regularly spend a couple hours streaming on Twitch on Sundays painting a page in these books and still look forward to it every time.

Ink Pony Club grew out of this enjoyment of painting, ultimately becoming a venue for me to try to share the joy I find in painting with ink by making it as easy and unintimidating as possible for others to join me, especially if they've never done anything like this before.

Question 10 What's something that causes you benign envy—the kind of admiration and desire that leads to inspiration or motivation?

I am enamored seeing people's travel journals with ephemera, stamps, sketches, watercolor, etc. I have not had the time, focus, discipline, and skill to capture memories in that way, but I would love to be that person.

My memory recall is not great, but improves with prompts. I just tend to be maximally busy anytime I travel without any downtime in the schedule to capture things during the trip, and then upon return it's always a scramble to catch back up with "normal life"—I may need to take a hard look at how I travel to do a bit less in order to build in more time for reflection. Taking photos and using a little photo sticker printer has helped, but I haven't been very consistent and I'd love to do more sketching/painting to capture moments, and include more ephemera.

I was most successful in travel journaling with my trip to San Francisco for the pen show last year, but not with any of my travel this year. The Sketching with Fountain Pens class I took at the D.C. Supershow gave me practice and ideas for simplifying my expectations and focusing on capturing a particular detail when sketching. Photos exist, so sketching should be an editorial, curated thing to capture something from the moment in a different way than a photo would. I'll try to find ways to travel journal more but in the meantime I keep admiring so many beautiful travel journal pages that people share.

Question 11 What's a comfort item, material, or color?

It turns out I draw a lot of comfort from this hobby since I could easily list dozens of comfort items from among my pens and stationery including almost anything in olive drab, a growing collection of items made by or in collaboration with people I have connections with, so many weird and interesting inks in an earth-tone palette, the NWF material used by Franklin-Christoph, etc.

But in the end, I've picked an item whose primary role is to provide comfort and utility at pen shows or meetups , when it's not too HOT—my pen show shacket (a portmanteau of shirt and jacket), which I wore most recently at the Washington D.C. Supershow.

I love a good jacket, and this is my favorite shade of olive drab with lots useful features (my version of the pen show fishing vest):

• Epaulets on the shoulder to secure my lanyard where it doesn't irritate the back of my neck and pull my hair out,
• A place to pin my Pen Addict button with name and online handle,
• Shop towels and hand wipes to handle any inky situation stuffed into the hand pockets, and
• Chest pockets that can (mostly) fit my cell phone and a pen sleeve.

I can get this set up and then wear the shacket all the days of a show, or skip the lanyard and button and wear it to a regular pen club meeting.

Question 12 What would be a dream collaboration, project, or partnership?

I'm increasingly passionate about contributing to the local, regional, and online pen communities I'm involved in as opportunities arise—in particular, being a part of educational and supportive community spaces is feeling like a good fit. Co-hosting a table at the roundtable event at the Arkansas Pen Show earlier this year and helping to support the Vanness Pen Lounge at the D.C. Supershow this month confirmed that. I've also become more involved in setting up and managing Discord communities this year.

I did not anticipate these great opportunities I've had thus far, so I don't want to limit this dream of doing more with specifics. I'd welcome any opportunity to collaborate with my local shop, and I'd really love the opportunity to do more in-person seminars or workshops about topics like fountain pen basics, ink swatching, and painting with inks.