It’s no secret that the team at Inkstable is obsessed with fine writing instruments. We could go on and on about the qualities of penmanship when using a fountain pen, or how we love the heritage feel of a luxury brand in our hands. But the reality is, it’s just cool to use a fountain pen. There’s an elevated status when you whip out your Montblanc that changes your entire persona to others. “Oh,” spectators say, “he’s got it all put together.”
The reality is that more and more, people are looking to the past to shape their contemporary personalities. A few years ago, it was vinyl records. Then it was Polaroid cameras. Now, we see a new respect for collecting fountain pens, and we have to chalk it up to vanity, if nothing else.
Taking out a fountain pen shows others that you have a bit of old-world charm about you. Perhaps you inherited your pen from your grandfather (heirlooms are always cool), or perhaps you picked up a Montegrappa while in Italy for holiday. Every pen, even a new one, tells a story. It becomes a conversation starter. It becomes, well, a part of your story, too.
What story do you want to tell? That’s the question you may want to ask the next time you look for a fountain pen. Perhaps you want to be seen as a bit more serious. An Otto Hutt can accomplish that. Maybe you want others to know that you value luxury. Well, S. T. Dupont has something to signal this to others. Every pen brand gives one the opportunity to use that brand’s message as leverage for your own personal brand. Find a cool pen, become a cool guy. It’s really that simple.
Now more than ever, in the age of Instagram, we are struck with the need to impress. Our vanity is for the world to see. With that, you might as well embrace it and think of fountain pens as an accessory as much as a writing tool. Pretty soon, others will notice. And, really, what’s better than looking suave?
