A Fountain of Creativity

Writing with a fountain pen has been around since the 1800s. It can easily be both a meditative and creative activity, allowing your mind to drift free of monotonous daily tasks. Unfortunately, due to humankind’s constant pursuit of perfection, we invented the computer. This invention signaled our arrival in the Digital Age, and the death of an elegant art.

The computer. This soulless box of electrical wiring was invented to make us more efficient. Efficiency, however, does not foster creativity. We need room for error. We need room for our mind to wander without digital distractions. Rest your fingers on that cold, lifeless slab of buttons called a keyboard. Are you inspired to let your creativity flow? Pressing a programmed set of keystrokes will not make creative miracles appear on your monitor. Instead you will sit glued to your monitor as it emits the same pale glow as an electric bug zapper. How is this supposed to evoke creativity?

For me there is no better vessel for transferring my thoughts to paper than my tried and true fountain pen. There is no dead weight creating digital representations of your thoughts. There is no glowing screen begging for your attention. Give in for the slightest moment and you have just spent 10 on Facebook. There is no hindrance of thought. It’s just you and the pen making ideas come to life using your unique handwriting. Your creative conscience is allowed to freely flow from one topic to the next. You get lost in the experience, as everything else becomes a void. Rather than getting lost in a digitalized existence, you get lost in your own words.

Grab a pen.
Relax.
Get lost.

Written by Tobi Whaley