Editing The Pen Addict 222/transcript (section)

== Fountain Pen Day ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' So, I think most people know you online as the guy behind Fountain Pen Day, and we're going to talk a lot about that. But I want to talk about before Fountain Pen Day. Like, you know, I talk all the time about how I got started with my pen fascination. You know, I had this deep-seated thing when I was a kid where I was always hunting down pens and paper. How did your love for pens and stationery and all this stuff get started?

'''Cary Yeager:''' I think, you know, as a kid growing up, it started there. As most of us, you know, your first day of school and you get that list and you go to the store. And I just always was excited about getting all this cool stuff to have. And I think it was more, you know, having the right pens and the pencils and the right sharpeners and the cool erasers. So, I think that kind of started me, you know, way back when, when I was, you know, going from nursery school into first grade kind of thing. And from there, it was always just about having a cool pen. I always had that fascination. And it wasn't fountain pens. It was just the cool click pen, you know, whether it was one of the pilots or, you know, any of those. Or the mechanical pencils I used to be into. And when I, I guess later in life, I ended up on, and a lot of people have had this happen. I was on Straight Razor Place and I got interested in shaving. And using a straight razor just seemed cool. You know, you see it in movies sometimes. And at the same time, it's scary. So, I'm on Straight Razor Place and everyone's into it. And it's, you know, it's kind of like the same culture where everyone is, they start with that basic one. And then it becomes more and more and more custom and custom grinds and everything that goes with it. Long story short, we had somebody come over from one of the other boards, Blade and Badger. And they were talking about a custom fountain pen that they were getting a number of done by Edison Pen Company. And I was like, oh, that's cool, a pen, all right. And then they were like, well, it's a fountain pen. And I read more into it. And it just kind of went from there. And while I didn't get in on the buy at the time, because I didn't know enough about it, it kind of pushed me over into Fountain Pen Network and where they were talking about it. And I was like, wow, okay. And I just slowly progressed over into it and started in reading about all the pens and seeing people's different writing styles and how people – I think the thing that got me most was how people improved so much on their writing, you know, and just from writing every day, you know, and finding a reason to write and then finding the perfect ink and the perfect paper and, you know, all the things that go with it. So I kind of took to it. And it just kind of exploded from there. And I was all in after that.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' You're kind of like me. It's like, you know, we had this – I had this stationary fascination young, but it was never fountain pens. You know, in the U.S., in schools, we're not brought up using fountain pens. We're mostly having to use pencils. And then, you know, as we get older, we're allowed to use pens, you know, ballpoint pens or, you know, rollerball gel ink pens. So it sounds like your fountain pen, you know, discovery came like in the last five or ten years, kind of like mine did, right?

'''Cary Yeager:''' Yeah. About five years. About five years now. So actually a little bit longer than that. But yeah, and it just – you just take to it, you know, like a duck to water. It's like, wow, this is it. And, you know, with our community being the way it is, you learn quickly that there's so many genuine people out there that really are into it and they want to share and talk about it and get together.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Right. Do you remember some of the first fountain pens you used? The first – What kind of got you started?

'''Cary Yeager:''' The first fountain pen I actually used – I mean, I live in New York, and it's like this mass of people. And the first fountain pen I used had to be one that I bought online because it was really – there is no brick-and-mortar store close enough to me. I mean, I could go to Manhattan, but that's – you know, you're trekking into the city. And I ended up buying one online. But I had looked at and was intrigued by Mont Blanc when I first started because so many people had them, and it was just, you know, the hot topic. And it was also a brand that I knew. You know, Mont Blanc you see everywhere. You see it in the stores, and there are little cutouts here and there. And I – the first pen I got, though, was a Rosetta Coronado. And it was because it was a larger pen, and people had compared it to the size of like a 149. And it had big hands. So I remember I got that. And as soon as I got it, I tried it. And I had to use the ink cards because I didn't realize it had no ink. And I remember using it on copy paper that I had because I didn't have paper either. And, you know, it was kind of like that thing. I got the pen, and then you realize, okay. And so right away I ordered. And I think, if I remember correctly, the first ink and paper I got was from the Goulet's. And I remember I did that. And from there, it – I kind of – I really liked the pen, and I still have it. But I found people who were talking about Pendleton Brown had custom done some nibs. And they'd done a cursive italic. And I was like, you know what? I'll get that. Let me get that. So I remember I was all excited, and I got it. And being new and still new into fountain pens and not really written a lot, you know. And even when I had written with it, it was a medium. So it was nice. It was smooth. It was easy. Easy to handle. You know, it was very comfortable, and I felt good with it. And then I stuck a Pendleton Brown. I think it was a smooth cursive italic. And I remember it was about two strokes in. And, of course, I snagged the paper and literally ripped up a piece of the paper. And I was like, okay. And, you know, I think that's what got me is that I realized it's not about scribbling. It's about thinking about what you're doing and watching what you're doing. And, you know, everything makes a difference, how you hold it, the pressure. And the more I got of that, the more I enjoyed it more. Because I realized it wasn't just – I don't want to compare it to that, but it's not like a video game. You just turn it on and you play, and that's it. Right. You know, that wasn't this. You get turned on by it, and you move forward with it. And every step you take is a step to something not necessarily better, but to more creativity and a more style your own. And everything becomes, you know, you more so. Right.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' And, yeah, people always ask me why I like fountain pens so much. And it's because you can make them so personal to you specifically that, you know, that's why I get into it so much. And, you know, that's what you're talking about. But you didn't mess around right out the gate. I mean, you went big. Like, I dabbled, you know, a little bit. Lamy Safari, okay, you know, I kind of – I get it, you know, I guess. You know, I wasn't really concerned with the paper I was using. You know, I just used whatever blue cartridge it came with, the Lamy cartridge, and didn't really get it. And then, you know, I finally started realizing, okay, there's different colors of ink I can use, and there's better paper I can use to make this better. And then I kind of, you know, worked my way through it. But, I mean, you were going big pen and nib grinds right out the gate, huh?

'''Cary Yeager:''' I did because, you know, the people around me kind of fueled it. And, you know, the enablers are everywhere. And, you know, when you're new, people don't want you to. And I know how they feel because I feel the same way. And it's not getting you to go big out the gate as much as it is to keep people intrigued so that they don't get frustrated and they don't feel like, oh, this is too much. That it is easy and it's fun and there's so much to it.

'''Cary Yeager:''' You know, it's like I give away pens all the time. I always have, like, the Pilot Varsity's with me. Because, you know what, no matter what pen you get, and I have plenty, and I've spent more than I should ever have spent.

'''Cary Yeager:''' But that pen, I mean, you pull out a Pilot Varsity, right out of the gate, it works. You can leave it in a drawer for three years right out of the gate. It works. And, you know, I think that takes a lot of the frustration out and helps people realize it doesn't matter what pen you have as long as you're using it. And you can get ones that aren't in the stratosphere, and they work fantastic, and they're fun, you know, and they're part of the hobby. And people enjoy them and respect them because I certainly do.