THE FIRST PEN, THE DAILY PEN, THE FIERCE PEN, AND THE FUN PEN

I am a hoarder's worst nightmare. I am so quick to donate away excess things, in the ever-furthering pursuit of a neat, organized, systematised home, where I know the precise location of everything in it.

My only vice is jewelry.

Technically, all the pieces perform the same basic duty of adorning an outfit. But, to me, each piece gives an outfit a different energy. My mum feels the same way about her many bottles of perfume - different ones for different moods. My brother does this with watches - all tell the same time, all with different flair. 

One of anything would seem sufficient. But collections allow us to show up in the world in different ways.

While I've kept my life - the furniture at home, the food I eat, the routines I follow - perfectly minimal and disciplined, I'm opening up to the idea of buying different versions of the same item, because each version is a completely different experience of the object.

Branching out from jewelry, I've wandered into fountain pens. I have 4 so far (the inaugural 4 of what will likely one day become many), and each has become associated with a particular kind of writing for me.

The First Pen

A little over a year ago I bought my first fountain pen on a complete whim. It was nothing fancy; a cheap one from Amazon. Don't be fooled by the grand name: the Atterson Elegance Luxury Fountain Pen.

I believe the word luxury is becoming so commonplace that it will soon lose its meaning.

The incorrect marketing aside, it's a scruffy pen I've come to love. This is the pen that yanked me into the world of fountain pens - bottled ink filling, cursive writing, the quill-like sensory scratch of nib on paper. I associate this pen with the experience of discovery.

I've written a comprehensive review of the Atterson Elegance Fountain Pen for anyone looking for an accessible starting point.

The Atterson Elegance Fountain Pen 

The Daily Pen

It was a few months after my first pen that I felt ready for a second. Still, nothing too expensive. 

I set out to buy a Pilot Metropolitan, famed as an excellent beginner option - and the colours were fun, too. Unfortunately I couldn't find one in the local stationery stores. I was antsy. I couldn't wait for an online purchase. I needed something NOW! What I found and settled on instead was a magenta pink Pilot Explorer.

Magenta pink is my third favourite colour. You can visit the Keli H gallery to see what my other favourites are ;)

The Pilot Explorer came with a standard black cartridge, which was an entirely different experience to bottled ink. The ink cartridge is simple - insert an already filled plastic vial of ink into the body of the pen, quite similar to changing the ink straw of a ballpoint pen. There's nothing exotic about the ritual. The body of the pen is plastic. This pen has become my daily work horse that I use to write in my business diary, scribble on notepads, sign courier delivery slips. The Pilot Explorer is the pen I associate with the experience of reliability.

The Pilot Explorer 

The Fierce Pen

For my 33rd birthday last month I decide to treat myself to a navy blue and gold Jinhao X450A fountain pen I'd been eyeing. Now, Jinhao isn't the most expensive of fountain pens, but their designs have presence. Their products look important. The X450A is a weighty pen. The body is large, made of solid resin, and heavy to hold. The nib is medium broad - the writing comes out wide and bold. I paired it with an opulent emerald green bottled ink (called Diamine Shimmer and Sheen in the shade Garland). I use this pen to journal my manifestation affirmations. The energy pairing of this authoritative pen and commanding ink colour is fierce. This is the pen I associate with the experience of power.

Pen: Jinhao X450A in the colour navy and gold

Price: R299

Ink: Diamine Shimmer and Sheen in the shade Garland 10ml test sample 

Price: R120

Purchased from: writespoke.co.za 

Inking up my fountain pen:

The Fun Pen 

I needed a cart filler on my birthday purchase, to get free delivery. I'll be honest, it's the only reason I picked up the Jinhao Safari ... but no regrets at all. The Jinhao Safari is a cheap, generic knockoff of the more premium Lamy Safari, yet somehow just as good as the real thing. I ordered it in the navy blue shade (you can have a guess at my favourite colour) and was really pleasantly surprised by what turned up. The pen is plastic, but of a much sturdier kind than even my Pilot Explorer. It feels comfortable to hold - the head of the pen has two grooves where your thumb and index finger are supposed to go, so you are always holding the pen in the most comfortable position. There is a little window in the body, where you can see the ink level. I paired the pen with a magenta pink bottled ink (Diamine Inkvent in the shade Jingle Berry). I use this pen when I'm decorating my journal - to draw little hearts and stars - or to jot down a cute thought I'm having. The colour of the pen and ink together just give me a small dopamine rush. I associate this pen with the experience of frivolity.

Pen: Jinhao Safari in the colour navy 

Price: R65

Ink: Diamine Inkvent in the shade Jingle Berry 10ml test sample 

Price: R120

Purchased from: writespoke.co.za 

Testing out the Jingle Berry ink in the Safari:

There is a noteworthy ballpoint pen I have, but this pen is a queen. She deserves a blog post to herself. She is, of course, the rose gold Swarovski with pink crystals, I use only for book signings!

Written by Keli H, author and publisher. This piece is from her personal editorial archive on style, authorship, art, and inspired living. More articles at keli-h.com