I bought my first fountain pen back in September 2023. It was a Lavender Kaweco Sport I stumbled across on Amazon, that I just thought looked cool. When I got it I clicked in the cartridge that came with it, tried it, and really liked it. And then that was it. I used the pen a bit, but didn’t really think too much more about it.

That was until mid-October 2023, weeks later, when I was cooped up in the house for a couple of weeks with a bout of COVID. I somehow found myself watching a tonne of fountain pen and ink videos on YouTube, and was fascinated by it all. There are different filling systems, beyond just cartridges? You can get sparkly inks? And people are paying how much for a single pen (how I laugh about that one now!)?

Through watching fountain pen content I began discovering a lot of different pen and ink brands, and so came the Jinhaos, and the Lamys, then the TWSBIs, alongside an entire rainbow of other Kawecos. And then came the different coloured cartridges, then the converters, and the millions of little bottles of Diamine inks in an assortment of colours. 

By New Year’s Day 2024 I was so obsessed with fountain pens and inks that I started this blog devoted to the hobby. As someone who’s been a sporadic writer throughout their life, I was also going through my most productive writing era yet, as it was a great excuse to both be creative and use my pens and inks. I also took up journaling, partly to use my pens and inks, and as I discussed in this post, it’s been very beneficial for me!

Getting into fountain pens and joining the online community has also pulled me headlong into adjacent areas of the stationery world. Never have I been so obsessed with different kinds of paper, and with different notebooks and notebooks systems (especially Traveler’s Notebooks!), and more recently with planners. 

Has the whole experience of immersing myself in this hobby been hard on my wallet? Absolutely! As a newbie I bought cheap pens, but a lot of pens, and in more recent months I’ve slowed down but made much pricier purchases, now I know what I like. Plus I’ve now been sucked into the fun (but expensive!) world of Hobonichi and Traveler’s Company. 

But has it ultimately been rewarding? Also yes! As I’ve said, I’ve never been this productive and creative, and becoming a member of such an overall kind and friendly online community has been so much fun. I’ve even attended in-person events like the Northern Pen Show, and had an amazing time, and I got to explore some amazing stationery shops when I visited London in July. 

And throughout what has been quite a turbulent year for someone as anxious as me (a big house move to a new area, and I’m about to start a new and very different job), my little desk with all my pens and inks, and notebooks, and planners and stickers has been my happy place, and will continue to be. So here’s to a year in the fountain pen hobby, and to many more years!

So when and how did you get into fountain pens and/or stationery? How do you think the hobby has enhanced your life?