What to do when you are tired of the fountain pen hobby?

In the fashion world, things always come and go eventually, and it is inevitable that we would fall out of love with the materialistic objects we’ve been enjoying. There are a few things you can do with your precious yet not so exciting writing instruments when they’ve gone stale.

Cleaning and storing them away

A few weeks gone by without any words or prompts or even a simple doodle, then it’s probably time to start cleaning your pens out. Even though modern stationery can still be fine being left alone for weeks without damaging themselves, it’s still a good practice to maintain them every once in a while.

Rinsing your pens out of ink and storing them in dry and cool places should be the first thing to do if they do not get as much use as they should - in case you decide to pick them up again and they are ready to be loved again.

Selling / Condensing the collection

There are many ways to go about this step, but please keep in mind that not many fountain pens and writing instruments are sought after by the general public so the idea of you fetching a decent bargain or even a gain from reselling pens is quite far fetched.

With that out of the way, here is a list of things to do:

    1. Passing it on to another collector

    2. Listing it on local pen groups

    3. Approaching local pen dealers and asking them for an estimate

    4. Penabling someone new to the pen hobby 

Rediscovering what’s left out there

After putting the old and boring pens away, it might be time to become a new-beginner all over again.

Steel-nib pens that are often overlooked make really good candidates for this new experiment, since all you’re looking for now could just be a pen to get by, or even limit yourself to using a single pen and ink for the next month. This process could give yourself the headspace needed and perhaps, that passion for writing instruments would spark again.

Doing the bare minimum

1 word, 1 doodle,…or even just a line on a page…I do understand the use of ink and paper is now limited to school work, hobbyist or even just a signature at the bottom of your receipt, and I too, fall in to this endless loop of the digital world’s constant stream of scrolling and clicking. So doing the bare minimum for a mere 30 seconds everyday is the least you could do to prevent yourself from forgetting that essential skill of using a pen. However, if that is still too hard for yourself, then it’s time.

Letting things go, eventually

All things in life end, eventually, and that also includes our relationship with materialistic objects. It’s like finishing your favorite Netflix series,you’d probably find yourself sitting (or lying, you do you) in front of that screen wondering what to do next, and next thing you know Netflix is already shoving another season of what-ever-is-popular on your face, or being a weird one like myself, watching the same show all over again. Either way, the end goal of finding enjoyment and relief in life is the better thing to do here, perhaps?

Thank you for reading and in the meantime, how about checking out how many of these things are true to you after a few years into the fountain pen hobby?