I've had a number of hobbies over the course of the pandemic. The progression was pretty standard, I think:
- Making bread
- Cast iron cooking
- Houseplants
What happened next was doubling down on my Fountain Pen hobby. I've really blown out my collection over the past 30 months, buying several unique, bespoke pens from artisans and established companies alike. I've filled a full drawer with bottles of ink from all over the world.
The Washington Post attended the DC Supershow this summer and wrote about it:
The ever-mounting presence of digital technology in daily life has turned some toward the hobby, said Bryant Del Toro, a software engineer who creates content as ThatJournalingGuy. Digitally expressing creativity can be a challenge, he said. That’s where analog instruments and particularly fountain pens come in: “You pick up the pen, you’re more intentional with your thoughts, and it adds a whole bunch of personality.”
It's that, exactly. I write things down with my nice pens using nice ink in my nice notebooks. It feels great, looks great, and really helps me to be more intentional with planning my day or projects.
Next up, though: Mechanical keyboards.
(Currently typing this post out on a Keychron K4 with Gateron Brown switches.)
