A few years ago, I fell in love with fountain pens and writing by hand. Burned out from a stressful tech job, I was looking for something new — something that could get me in touch with my senses and the present moment (instead of the computer screen I was stuck in, 8 hours a day).

I started by resurrecting an old Lamy Safari I had lying around, and was quickly captivated by the meditative, physical process of writing. I started taking handwritten notes, journaling to dig deeper into ideas, and writing letters to family and friends.

I was shocked by the effect of this new hobby: writing by hand is a deeply calming experience that grounds you in the present moment and connects you with your body. Using fountain pens takes it up a notch and gives you the unique pleasure of using a beautiful, purpose-built tool for that writing.

And using bottled inks in your fountain pens elevates and expands the experience again, giving you access to thousands of incredible inks (and and endless parade of color, shade, shimmer, and sheen) from hundreds of companies and independent makers that care about this hobby as much as you do.