Editing The Pen Addict 228/transcript (section)

== Listener Email ==


'''Myke Hurley:''' I think I can do it. Howdy, Brad and Myke. First of all, thanks for all of the awesome podcasts. I only found you all around episode 200 earlier this year and have since started at the beginning and have 10 more to go to get to the current, to get current with the whole show. Thank you, Travis, for saying that. And I wonder when you're going to hear this. Who knows? Although I have enjoyed the pen content immensely, I have found I'm gravitating more and more towards the conversations discussing your business practices and the philosophies underlying the choices you'll have made during your respective careers. I love the fact that Travis writes y'all in his letters. I like saying that.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Where is he from? Yeah, he's from Texas. So that's perfect.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I think that's amazing. A friend and I are in the process of starting our own business and I have on more than one occasion stopped to consider how to handle a choice and thought back on one of your discussions of how you handled something similar. Many of these being best practices for sponsors, advertising or receiving free items for review. So even outside of the pen world, you have an impact upon my life. Myke, congrats on the engagement and the new domicile. Please don't congratulate me yet. We're still not even close. I don't even want to talk about it. Don't make me. Also, I really enjoy your editing style on the newly minted vlog. Thank you, Travis. Keep up the good work. Questions for you. Do you have a recommended podcast starter pack for equipment and software?

'''Myke Hurley:''' No. But what I will do is I gave a talk at an Apple store like nearly 18 months ago, but I kind of went through like a basics and I think a lot of that still applies. So all of my equipment's changed, but you don't need to worry about that. But the basics, they remain the same. I'll put a link to that in the show notes. I am part of the PC crowd. Hopefully you will forgive my non-appilyness. I can do that. Don't worry. Also, during one of your numerous podcasts, have you or any of the other hosts spoken about the more technical aspects behind the scenes routines of producing a podcast? Not really, but I am going to make a vlog about that at some point because people keep asking me, even though I think it's a boring topic to show on video, like how I make a podcast. Enough people are asking me that it's on my list to do at some point. Now, Brad, I've got questions for you here. Brad, it looks like you have another killer Kickstarter project on your hands. My question for you is, how do you store your spare nibs? I have a complete range of Lamy nibs, but do not have a satisfactory way of storing them. I saw a pouch Franklin Kristoff makes, but it only has four slots. Have you or NotCo ever considered producing something similar with more capacity? Again, thank you all for everything from Travis.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So I store my nibs in one of the NotCo chimney top cases, which is just the pouch. And all those nibs individually live in either little small containers that they shipped in, little small plastic baggies that they shipped in, like in the way Lamy nibs ship. There's just a little plastic baggie. And I just keep all those in a chimney top because there's no universal storage mechanism for that. It's hard to do something very, very specific. So I just use a pouch and put those different things all in one pouch. So I know all my nibs are in this one location. So I can go in and grab them. That's the best thing I've found to store my nibs. And yeah, sometimes I still have to like dig through that pouch to find the ones that I want. So it's not perfect, but it's the best way. And I want to go back to what Travis said about talking about our individual businesses and things like that. That's something I really enjoy talking about. But I'm also really cognizant of I don't want to talk about it too much, right? So I think it's good when we dedicate half a show to hammer out all the new changes and things that we've gone through and are able to talk about it. I'm glad you can get some information from that to help you with your own business. We try to make the best decisions possible. We're not always right. And, you know, we just try to do the best that we can and make the best decisions for us and our respective companies. And I know I can speak for Myke on that.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yep. Travis, if you don't, I recommend that you listen to another show of mine on RelayFM called Cortex, where this is all I talk about. So if you don't listen to that, then you might enjoy it.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. And if you ever have specific questions, email me directly. I don't mind one bit.

'''Myke Hurley:''' You're so kind.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Always.

'''Myke Hurley:''' You're going to go next or do you want me to take another one?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I'm going to go next. I'm going to make sure to get this one in. This one's from TK.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Hi, TK.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' All right. Dear Brad and Myke, firstly, I would thank you both for the wonderful blog and podcast that you share with all of us. A few months back, I first got into fountain pens when I was reminded of my favorite teacher in undergrad who used fountain pens exclusively and gave some of his gifts to students who won academic awards that he made himself. I first tried to pilot Metropolitan I found on Amazon. And while I didn't love the pen, I fell in love with writing by hand again because of it. I learned shortly afterwards about the pen addict and listened through a large portion of your podcast and read much of your blog as well. It has been a wonderful journey of learning to love one of my favorite things all over again, coming out of a long stint of suicidal depression. Fountain pens and the entire stationary community has given me new life and something to be passionate and excited about after a lengthy period of struggling to get by day by day. And you both have had a big part in that process. And I really wanted to thank you for sharing your passion for pens and paper with so many people. As for a question, do either of you play any tabletop games, board games, and RPGs? As that's one of my hobbies. Sincerely, TK.

'''Myke Hurley:''' So I just want to say, hells yeah, TK. We didn't do it. You did it.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' That's right. That was on you. So good work.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I'm really proud.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Of you, TK, for writing this down and sending it and understanding that you've had a struggle and you fought your way out of it. And you should be proud of that too. And when I read this letter, I had had about a stack of 10 letters that day I was going through. And it's coming again because you know how I am. I stopped. I just started crying. I just stopped. Of course you did. Because that's how I am. I just, you know, I couldn't read anymore right then. I was like, I was, that, this fun that we have affects people in a way that's very helpful and beneficial to them. And can make a, even just like the tiniest little bit of difference. That's a big deal. And I really appreciate that. And I hope, you know, I hope we can give everyone a little bit of enjoyment and a little bit of fun. And I just want to say, TK, for someone who's just gotten into this, your handwriting is impeccable. And your choice of paper and fountain penings is staggering. So you've done really, really well. And you can write to me and Myke anytime.

'''Myke Hurley:''' On that note, I don't take my job for granted. And, you know, this isn't the first time that I've been lucky enough to have a letter like that written to me. It's happened a couple of times. I think it's happened for me and you before as well.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, yeah, it has. We've gotten to meet lots of emails around this topic or around, you know, saying these things.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I take what I do very seriously because I know that it makes people happy. And I will always continue to do that. And at the point where I think I can't do that is when I'll stop doing it.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Which is going to be never.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Which is going to be never. You pry it from my cold hands.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Mm-hmm.

'''Myke Hurley:''' All right, I'm going to go for one now.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yes, I need to compose myself.