Consider The Pen
You deserve a great pen.
I Ink, Therefore I Am
Consider the pen. That one, right there. The one in your mouth that says DoubleTree by Hilton® on the side. Do you like it? The way it writes, not the taste. What color ink does it have? Is that your preference? Do you have a preference? How long have you had this pen? Why? And where did you get it from? Is it a cherished memento from a special stay at the DoubleTree by Hilton®—or was it cosmically transferred into your possession by the Universe?
There is only a small chance that pen was given any consideration. But you should consider your pens. Pens are everywhere—commonplace items openly hiding in all of the common places: desks, bags, cars, pockets, behind ears, between teeth.
They go unnoticed the same way chairs or pillows do: invisible until they cross over from “not bothersome” to “bothersome.” For many, it seems the only thing a pen must be in order to be considered a good pen is “available.”
What pen do I prefer? Whichever is closest.
But pens that mysteriously come into your possession have a tendency to mysteriously disappear, too—probably because they’re paid such little attention.
It’s funny how the pen is often most seen when it cannot be found. And, ironically, if these are the kinds of pens that you keep around, then you don’t know what you’re missing in the first place.
Penabling
The world of pens is vast and its borders stretch far beyond the office supply closet and the shelves of Staples. In fact, a large percentage of the world’s best and most interesting pens are not even readily available in America. That doesn’t mean you can’t find them, you just have to know where to look, which is to say: mainly, Japan.
Of course, there are simpler options. Is there a local pen or stationery shop nearby? (Here’s a map of some.) Do you live near a Japan-based stationery specialist like Kinokuniya? (There are 15 nationwide.) And have you heard of the internet?
Pens are personal and so you’ll always have a better experience shopping for them in person, but if that’s not an option, then the internet is. Most modern stationery addictions begin at online gateways like JetPens, which is a borderline magical marketplace for hard-to-find stationery products, comprehensive purchasing guides, and useful tutorials. JetPens answers the question: What if Willy Wonka was really into school supplies?
They carry nearly everything on the market—and there is a lot on the market.
There are gel pens, ballpoint pens, rollerball pens, and fountain pens. There are pens with felt-tips, micro-tips, needle points, and nibs. There are multi-pens, erasable pens, brush pens, and calligraphy pens. There are glitter pens, metallic pens, and scented pens. There are large pens, mini pens, ergonomic pens, and pocket pens. There are pens made out of metal, rubber, plastic, and recycled plastic. There are pens that write in black, in blue, and in blue-black. There are “noise free” pens specifically designed to eliminate rattling parts.
And that’s just a sampling of what’s available for $3.
While the pen market is expansive, it doesn’t have to be expensive. The value proposition of the pen is unrivaled. There is perhaps no similarly low-priced item capable of having such a considerable positive impact on your everyday life.
Do The Write Thing
This is not just a matter of having a pen that works as opposed to a pen that doesn’t. Aesthetically pleasing, usable, and reliable design can translate into literal pleasure and delight.
Sure, at a basic level, all pens are just things that apply ink to paper. But sometimes a pen is mightier than the sum of its parts.
Great pens exceed expectations. Great pens take you by surprise. Great pens demand you pick them up. Great pens are mourned if they’re lost. Great pens are functional, but not fussy. They are reliable, but not stubborn; simple, but not boring; affordable, but not cheap. Great pens can truly be transcendent.
Great pens are vessels of joy. They are enjoyable to write with, of course, but also to just have and to hold. They are enjoyable to click, spin, and twirl; to cap and uncap. They are enjoyable to ink, refill, fix, and tinker with. But they are most enjoyable in the way that they’re so specifically not pencils.
There is an actual tactile pleasure to putting ink on paper. And that’s not to mention the psychological benefits. A good pen will inspire you to write with it and writing by hand improves memory and helps unlock potential creativity.
It can also be meditative and therapeutic. For starters, if you’re putting pen to paper, you’re probably not staring at a screen. In that way, pens are a sort of analog therapy, a refuge from the relentless onslaught of our digital existence.
But mostly they’re just fun. You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy pens—a lot of them. And you should. Buy a lot of pens, keep the ones you love, and give the rest away.
You deserve a great pen and great pens deserve to be recognized. For too long, people have settled for whatever dumpy pen has found its way into their possession. The effortlessly attainable standard of “plastic stick that sometimes makes marks on paper” is not helping anyone. This is the soft misery of low expectations.
But before you start your quest for the perfect pen, know that no such thing exists. There is no objectively perfect pen. But if life is about the journey, not the destination, then this journey never has to end.
Get Some Link
The easiest way to start your journey is the same way most people do: The Pen Addict and JetPens.
Brad Dowdy runs The Pen Addict blog and a podcast. His regularly-updated Top 5 Pens list is a great way to quickly get the lay of the land. And his list of Pen Friends will pretty much capture all the other good resources.
JetPens is a great place for shopping, but also for window shopping. They have guides, sampler packs, and basically every entry-level pen on the market. Plus, their store is eminently searchable, can be filtered a thousand different ways, and sorted by popularity so you can see what the public enjoys.
Or, just buy one of these and move on.
All Writey Then…
What are you writing with? Did you read this and buy something new? What was it?
In the pen community, when you enable someone to buy more pens, it’s called penabling. It’s corny but, naturally, the pun is unavoidable. And I’ve taken little to no time to make sure all the headers in this piece also incorporate tortured pen puns.
This concludes my sincere plea for regular people to become pen people.
Consider yourselves penabled. ⚑