Collecting is part of the fountain pen hobby. It is often inevitable that we fountain pen addicts end up with a library, small or large, of fountain pens, inks, and paper. Some have a lot of pens because of necessity, some have too many inks they want to try, and maybe some just like collecting all the pretty colors.
Falling down the fountain pen rabbit hole will eventually lead you to asking yourself “so now what will I do with all these pens/inks/notebooks”?
Or maybe you’re interested in owning a fountain pen but you just don’t know if you’ll be able to use it enough to justify the cost.
Use it for journaling or planning
Journaling whether in long-form or in bullet form is a surefire way to get you to use your pens. Because journaling is typically done on a daily basis, we can easily go through multiple pages and also use our favorite fountain pens and inks.
Practice your penmanship
Writing with a fountain pen will not magically make your handwriting look better. At the end of the day, this is a writing instrument and it is all about the skill of the one who uses it.
I’ve been writing in cursive most of my life but it wasn’t always the best. When I started using fountain pens regularly, I noticed how much my handwriting improved since I started. Practice makes progress, remember?
You don’t necessarily have to practice American cursive. You can always just work on your own font whether it’s in cursive or in print.
Take notes
If you’re not an academic, use your fountain pen to take notes during a meeting. You could also take down some notes while you’re reading non-fiction books – maybe there’s an interesting quote somewhere or a new lesson learned.
If you’re a scholar or an academic, use your fountain pen in school. Use it to take down notes or use it when you’re reviewing for an exam.
One of my fountain pen friends just graduated from Law School. When she first got into fountain pens, she immediately used it for note-taking, studying, and occasionally, taking exams. She uses a TWSBI Eco and consumes more ink than me, a serial journaler. She finds fountain pens more efficient for note-taking because of how much ink she demands.
Fun fact: This friend of mine recently tried a Platinum Preppy for a mock bar exam and she went through the entire ink cartridge in one day. I’ve been writing pages with my Platinum Preppy (since around April) and I still have a quarter of ink left in the cartridge!
Write letters (to your loved ones or a pen pal)
Communicating online is quick and instant but there is just something about a handwritten letter. A handwritten letter feels more personal and sometimes, even more sincere than a typewritten letter. Write them a letter on their birthday, on other special occasions, or whenever you feel like it.
Writing to pen pals is also a great way to put those fountain pens, inks, and papers to good use. You can try participating in the International Correspondence Writing Month. Also known as InCoWriMo, it “challenges you to hand-write and mail/deliver one letter, card, note or postcard every day during the month of February”
Doodle or Draw/Sketch
There are a lot of artists who use fountain pens and fountain pen ink for sketching or drawing. If you’re not confident with your penmanship or are just better with drawing, then you should use your fountain pens for your art.
John of Fountain Pen Love uses his fountain pens to create these amazing doodles!
Iñaki DeMa (@inaki.dema) does these amazing drawings of fictional characters using fountain pen inks.
Nick Stewart of @quinkandbleach creates amazing art and ink swatches with his fountain pen inks.
Maybe you’re more into cool abstract art like the ones by Leigh Reyes (@leighpod).
Catalog your fountain pen inks
Creating an Ink Journal is also another great excuse to use fountain pen inks. What essentially goes into a fountain pen ink journal are: writing sample and a swab of your ink.
My fountain pen ink journal is filled with writing samples and ink splatters of fountain pen inks that I own. I write down when I purchased the ink and also what I like and dislike about the ink.
If you’re not into journaling, consider cataloging using the Col-o-ring Ink Testing Book. These were designed and created by Ana from The Well-Appointed Desk so that you can create a swatch collection of all of your fountain pen inks.
Join challenges like #30Inks30days or other 30-day journaling prompts
30 day challenges or prompts are common on social media. These challenges encourage participation from members of their respective community.
Ink Journal has been hosting this a 30 day ink challenge on Instagram for a while now. The goal of this is to challenge fountain pen addicts to use one ink every day for 30 days and share it on social media. It sounds a bit overwhelming but it is actually extremely fun.
Share ink samples to your friends
Sharing is caring! Already have a friend who is into fountain pens? Great, give them a sample vial of an ink that you know they will love. Want to penable someone? Give them ink samples of inks that will make them stay in the fountain pen hobby. You probably have enough ink to last you a lifetime anyway, so why not share a few milliliters of inks to your fellow fountain pen geek.
Read: Medical Supplies Fountain Pen Addicts Can’t Live Without
Use your fountain pens, inks, and paper. Use it now. There is no time like the present. These are writing instruments and are made to be used (unless your pen’s purpose is only to be displayed). Keep on writing and find more ways to write with your fountain pens!
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