They’re just pens and pencils, aren’t they? Just little machines for writing. Besides, we have computers and tablets and our phones we can write with. Or we can just speak while the computer does the writing. Or just tell AI to write it for us.
Yes, we have all of those modern conveniences. I use them all, to great advantage. And yet, they seem to be best at distracting us from thinking or writing anything with meaning or feeling or joy. When we write longhand with an implement that transfers the strokes from our minds to our hands to the page, we force ourselves to think about stroke and space and line. We must gauge and spell and conjure fine motor skill. We are so much more involved in the process, we naturally feel more creative and connected.
Using a manual process to improve my concentration and connection to what I’m writing is one part of the answer to why I like to write with a pen, especially one of high quality. Bringing more senses into the the act heightens the experience. And that is the key to another important aspect; joy. If it were just about writing by hand, I could use my Kindle Scribe all day to get that part of the experience. When set on “fountain pen”, the result is fairly pleasing.
But that leaves out materials and preparation and the awe associated with using great paper, interesting inks, and exquisite writing instruments. The aesthetics of it are something most people don’t see, and that’s natural. That’s good, really. The common methods are great for most people, that’s why they are common; they serve the purpose. But I’m seeing well beyond utility to beauty, and I find in the aesthetics of handwriting with ink on paper a rare experience that connects back up through my mind to my spirit.
Humans are great at adding multiple aesthetic layers to our utilitarian objects. Think of clothing. Jeans and a t-shirt will likely fit the purpose in most of life, but we have myriads of myriads of ways to dress ourselves beyond the basic need to be covered, warm, and properly supported. Why is that? Because utility doesn’t use enough of our brains. We crave aesthetic interest in variety, even in the commonest bits of our lives.
In some sense, my choice of writing instrument speaks to personal style, temperament, even a sense of belonging to a tribe. Just as I gravitate toward certain types of clothing, a style, the same goes for pens and pencils. A certain feel. A certain level of attention to detail. And my taste varies depending on the situation, just as my clothing varies depending on weather, activity, company, event, destination, transportation… so many factors.
As far back as I can recall in my life, I’ve loved pens and paper, most stationery, in fact. Office supply stores have been favorite haunts of mine. My grandfather’s desk (in his insurance business in our home) was a place of wonder when I was three or four. I can recall writing pages full of “words”, before I could even form letters beyond A B C.
So, for me, and I am not alone, the engagement, the aesthetics, and the nostalgia are all important parts of why I want to write longhand with an interesting writing implement. It need not be something exquisite in every case, any more than I’d want to wear a top hat and tails every day. But I crave variety and joy and a bit of beauty from the experience. And that’s “why writing instruments”.
