Fountain Pen Day Celebrations at Pen Pen Boutique – all are invited!
Dear Pen Friends,
As Fountain Pen Day is coming up on the 6th, I wanted to take time to talk about the value of fountain pens as an outlet in these difficult times. But first, I encourage everyone to participate in our Fountain Pen Day handwriting contest, especially those 15 or younger, I would like you to help and encourage to participate in! We’re holding a fun writing competition for best overall handwriting, best cursive, best print, and best handwriting by someone 15 or younger. You could win a nice fountain pen, so enter soon! For details on how to enter and prizes, check out our blog post on the contest here.
As so many events have been cancelled and we’re all spending so much more time isolated from each other, it’s important to have something to keep our minds engaged so we can keep our sanity and stave off loneliness and depression. I’ve found that fountain pens fulfil this role very well, as the exercise of writing is a valuable way to express yourself when you can’t talk to someone else face to face. But writing can be done with golf pencils that cost 10 cents, so what’s the advantage of using a fountain pen? Beyond the fact that the uniquely smooth and pressure-free writing experience of fountain pens makes it far more comfortable to write for extended periods of time, the particular consideration that goes into using a fountain pen elevates the experience of writing.
By choosing your pen, nib, and ink, you turn the potentially pedestrian aspects of writing into another opportunity for expression. Not only is what you write personally but so is how you write it. Because the purpose of writing, in this case, is to express yourself in a way that’s not easy to do safely nowadays, it’s valuable to maximize the creative elements of writing, and fountain pens are a great way to take them to the next level.
Beyond the value of writing as a way to express yourself, there are other smaller benefits of writing regularly that are good to remember. For example, you can use writing as a convenient way to collect your thoughts, improve your communication skills, and stay sharp as you age. It takes only a couple of minutes to write each day, but it goes a long way to make you a more thoughtful and engaged person.
As I close, I want to encourage everyone to take time for their own well-being as we all deal with this pandemic. I know that we’re 7 months in, and the worst part of quarantine has arguably passed, but as we’re still not back to normal, it’s still important to remember that we need to find ways to express ourselves. Without some kind of outlet, you’ll go crazy, and even if you don’t, I guarantee you’ll be a lot less happy than if you tried to express yourself.
Happy Fountain Pen Day and KEEP WRITING,
Thank you,
sincerely,
Leena
Leena Shrestha-Menon
PEN BOUTIQUE LTD
5560 Sterrett Place, Suite 101
Columbia, MD 21044
www.PenBoutique.com