The Art of the Pen

Fountain pens, journals, stationery, letters - a return to the way it was

In a world where we type messages on a keyboard or keypad, the thought of actually writing something with a pen can seem quite daunting. I recently found out that penmanship is no longer taught in schools, and that learning to write in cursive is a thing of the past! But think about this. Most of us receive more messages through e-mail and text than we’d really care to. If you are like me, my e-mail in box has at least 700 unread messages at all times. Why?! Most of them are from people that I don’t know!

What is your reaction when you receive a handwritten letter or note card? I bet it makes you feel pretty good, right? I much prefer to sit and write a letter to someone than to send an email. While I am grateful that friends write me messages, I get an extra dose of satisfaction when I receive something in their own script.

I have had a love of fountain pens since I learned to do calligraphy at the age of 11. I bought my first fountain pen as a teenager, and now my collection numbers well over 100. One of my favorites is the MONTBLANC Meisterstuck 149, a pen that I bought over 30 years ago. It is the one pen that I don’t lend!

I use my fountain pens for everything. Journaling. Letter writing. Thank you notes. Grocery lists. You name it, there is a fountain pen behind it.

Let’s bring back the art of the pen, and the art of writing letters. At least to someone special. You will make their day!