Editing The Pen Addict 457/transcript (section)

== Analog Satisfaction ==


'''Brad:''' Satisfaction. So in all the years I've been doing the pen addict thing, like you try to figure out how to explain an analog tool in words. Right. To people that can't feel the same thing you're feeling. And there's never like I can say like something feels good or, you know, I like the weight of this or it's balanced well. And it's still like hard to have these like all these descriptors. So when I was playing with the croquis yesterday, like I tore one of the pages out. Right. This is a very clean tearing paper. Like this would be a great letter writing pad for someone because it's like super clean A5. So I tore out this page and it has this crinkle to it. Let me see if I can catch it on the microphone. Probably not. It might be too quiet. Let me see.

'''Brad:''' So I don't know if you could hear that, but it was like me.

'''Myke:''' I can hear how thin that paper is now. That's like tracing paper kind of thin. Right.

'''Brad:''' So, but it has this thickness to it that almost makes it like kind of crack when you bend it. Right. This is not what copy paper feels like. This is not what notebook paper feels like. There's this crinkle to it. And it reminded me of Anna's paper that she used in that vintage writing pad, which was very thick and kind of crinkly. And like it kind of has those same properties. I don't know what that means, but I got satisfaction out of that. And I didn't, I like, I wasn't thinking about this at the time. And I was like, so that is, that was enjoyable.

'''Myke:''' Can get some.

'''Brad:''' Mm-hmm. Turns out. Turns out. Yes. Yes. To satisfaction.

'''Myke:''' Satisfaction.

'''Brad:''' So I was, I was just messing around with that. I was like, you know, later in the day I was writing just random notes and things. And I pulled out the, the Nakaya that I talk about so much, my favorite, the portable, the black Eo Temanuri. And I uncapped it, grabbed it, and, you know, put my fingers on the grip section and touched the nib to the page. I'm like, and I got a little grin, like on my face. Like that's, that's satisfaction. I was like, why do I keep thinking? Like why today am I feeling all these like little things that aren't like the main features? And I was trying to figure that out. So like how did like the term satisfaction stick with me all of a sudden yesterday after all these years of trying to explain like these things, right? And like I even wrote in our notes, like, I don't think I could write this for the newsletter because like I'm, I'm not a good enough writer to write about feelings in an eloquent fashion. I can write about feelings, but it's just like generally rambly madness. So I'd rather do the rambly madness on the podcast. So it goes like this, Myke. Okay.

'''Brad:''' This is like why the bigger picture, why I like stationary, why pens matter to me, why I do this pen addict thing. It's like, it's back like anyone who's like a pen addict who really cares about what they write with. You're always looking for something better than what you had. Like if it started when you were a kid, you probably had some crappy big ballpoint and you're trying to find like something better. Like this is a pen. It writes, but I want to write a different way. And so you go on this search and that's what led me to, you know, making the blog. But like, how do you describe what works for you? Like I said a minute ago, like I said, it feels great or it makes me smile. Right. I think it like satisfaction kind of takes all those personal thoughts and puts them like into one word, like when I'm describing stationary. And it's, it's very, it's personal, right? That, that word's important. What satisfy, what it's, it gives me satisfaction may not give you satisfaction. Right. It's like, it's the, it's those little personal things beyond like what we see on the outside, like all the external stuff. Ooh, that's a pretty pen. Right. But then there's satisfaction of the depth of the artwork for you or the translucency for me. That's the satisfaction part. So that paper kind of got me thinking about that and the way that paper crinkled. I was like, oh man, like no one's going to sit there. You don't buy the croquis pad and sit there so you can flip around the paper and hear the crinkle noises. Right. Yeah. These are your intangibles, right? Yeah.

'''Myke:''' These are the things that you can't describe. Like, so, like, I'm not trying to toot my own horn here, but the, I find the, in the theme system journal, the, the perforation that we have on the corner to be very satisfying. That's exactly right. Because it does exactly what I want to do. It tears out perfectly every time and doesn't require any pre-folding. And that's what I was looking for. Like, when I decided I wanted to do the corner perforation, I was looking for something that felt good. And it was, and it is this. It is, I was looking for something that was, it was a satisfying thing to remove. Right.

'''Brad:''' Right. So, we buy the theme system journal because we like the idea of journaling and we like the format that it, that it provides. We like the performance of the paper. We like, we get to color in, you know, color in our, our habit trackers. But then, like, when you're using it and you turn the page, you go, oh, today's the day I get to pull the perforation corner out. That's the satisfaction. Right. Because people who are into that think about that. It's like, ooh, I get to do this today. Then they, they grab it with both of their fingers and it snaps. And you go, ah, yeah. Then you go, where do I throw this? I'm not near a trash can. I don't, I don't know what to do with this right now.

'''Myke:''' But like, that's a, some people keep them, you know.

'''Brad:''' It can keep them like the, like the corks in the, in the bottle. Just make a stack of them.

'''Myke:''' Well, like, I know some people keep them like in a little jar or something. And so, they can visually see how many days they've gone through. I think it's kind of cute.

'''Brad:''' So, like, that, that crinkle on that page. Satisfaction. Like, as much as I, the Nakaya, right, is like an impressive pen for every reason under the sun. Artistry, creativity, quality, manufacture. The things that make, thing that makes me happy the most is when I unscrew it the first time and grab the nibs, grab the grip section and put the nib on the page. It's just like, damn. Like, that's it. And then I'm just right. And then I don't think about it anymore. Then I'm thinking like, oh, this is a great pen. But that satisfaction happened earlier in that moment. Right? Like, one of the oldest products that I always talk about, like, I've talked about, like, the Hall of Fame stationary products. And I haven't used this product in years. But the Dome Paper Idea Journal is one of the most satisfying products I've ever used just because of the way it's built. Right? Notebooks don't get built like the Dome Paper Idea Journal. It's big. It's heavy. It's bulky. It's thick. It's got great paper format that I like. So, I'll sit there and I used to use it at my old day job because it was great for, like, gel ink pens and pencils. And it's not great for fountain pens. But, like, that's irrelevant when I feel it because I pick it up and I'm like, damn, that's a notebook. That is satisfying. Right? This is, like, crazy. And then the using it is the bonus. Right? That's the cool stuff. So, I feel like it's, like, just so, so hard to explain. Like, the pen type B is another one, Myke.

'''Myke:''' Oh, yeah. Right? There you go. Yeah, okay.

'''Brad:''' That's not the satisfying part. The satisfying part is thinking about how that happens. Hmm. I get to pull it and make the pop.

'''Brad:''' But what gives me satisfaction is thinking about the engineering that happened and the design and the work that came before the sound.

'''Myke:''' Interesting.

'''Brad:''' That's what I get out of this pen.

'''Myke:''' So, that kind of sets the idea that what can be satisfying isn't the same thing. Right. Because, like, pulling off the perforated corner is similar to popping the pen. Mm-hmm. But what you find satisfying isn't the pen pop itself. Mm-hmm. It's, like, the thing around that.

'''Brad:''' Right. So, it's, like, I don't know. It's just one of those thoughts I wanted to just get out loud because I don't know that I could write about it. Yeah. You know? Like, what other? I'm trying to think of, like, this is a very short list, right? Like, this is a, the satisfying, like, the ultimate satisfaction things is a teeny, teeny, tiny list. I love all kinds of products. Like, I'm sitting here. One of the pens I'm using today is my Sailor Fujiyama Blue, the bung box one with Mount Fuji, rotten. I love everything about that pen. I want to use the pen all day, every day. But never do I, like, stop and go, huh, okay. Right. Got it. Like, it's awesome. It's, like, an elite product. It's one of my favorite pens. But I can't, I don't want to say that it doesn't satisfy me. I don't want to be unfair to the product, but it's different. And that's what's hard to explain. Like, I don't know what other things in the stationary world they're of. Like, and it's individual. Like, everyone has their own satisfaction thing. Maybe it's, you know, the Maquiai artwork that they can see the detail, like, under the lacquering. Gives them satisfaction. Like, the piston mechanism of a pelican, right, is probably someone's satisfaction. Because it's unlike any other piston on the market. It works so well. Point retention on a wooden pencil. That's when I decided to love wooden pencils. When, oh, you mean I can use a wooden pencil and not have to sharpen it every two lines? Oh, and so is there a pencil that, you know, has that just perfect satisfaction of point retention and darkness that I didn't think was possible before, you know? So, all of the products I use and love, that's a bigger pull. But these little satisfaction bits are what keeps me, like, kind of going and searching and gets me excited, right, when I discovered this paper yesterday. So, like, these two conversations kind of roll in together. Yeah. I think a little bit because I just kind of had that feeling yesterday is, like, not only is this good, there's something different about it that makes me feel different about it. And that sets it apart for me personally. And those are the things that are really hard when I sit down to write a review to explain to readers or to elaborate on to listeners because what is satisfying to me just may be, you know, a loud paper to you, right? It's like, how do you figure those things out? So, you know, it's just like, like I was saying back to the sailor, like the Fujiyama, right? It's a standout product, right? It's beautiful. It's aesthetic. It's killer. It feels great. It works perfectly for me.

'''Brad:''' But, like, pick out the part that is the most satisfying. I mean, just like the whole pen is great. But there's a difference in the products where you can find, like, just this true satisfaction with stationery. And, like, I'll never stop looking for it. That's what keeps me going. So it's fun to run into something completely random like a silly Art Deco logo sketchbook from Morimon that set me down this path of what satisfies me about the stationery I use.

'''Myke:''' I have no arguments there. I mean, satisfaction is such a beautiful word for it because it is so much of the things that we do like are the intangible things that are otherwise difficult to describe. That's what we said, right? But that calling it satisfaction is kind of perfect. And I can see why from the way that you described the Morimon croaky notebook.

'''Myke:''' Because it defies a little bit of logic, right? It's also not necessarily on paper. No pun intended. The type of product you would want to use. But there was just something about it that made it good to use. It made it a satisfying product. And also, the satisfaction thing is also cool. It's interesting because it is the thing that you will get after you've made your purchase decision, right? Like, I don't know how easy it would be to truly understand how satisfying you found something until you actually have the time to use it a bit, you know? That's exactly right.

'''Brad:''' It's like an extra bonus. Like, my Nakaya fits that description, right? Like, I worked at deciding on what Nakaya I wanted to get, right? I've talked about this a million times. Like, I put in time and effort to learn and read, to make a correct purchasing decision.

'''Brad:''' And, like, all of that, you know, that helped me get to where I am, you know, four or five years after I bought that pen to just get this ultimate satisfaction about uncapping it, gripping it, and beginning to write.

'''Myke:''' All right. Should we do some hashtag ask TPA questions before we finish out the episode today? Let's do it. All right. Frames asks, how do you clean out the gunk that accumulates in the threads of a fountain pen barrel?

'''Brad:''' It happens, doesn't it? Like, you just get stuff there. It could be, who knows? Who knows? I just, I honestly, there's no real, like, scientific method to do this. I run my fingernail through the thread from top to bottom. And if that doesn't work, I'll run my, I'll get a paper towel and then put that between my fingernail and the thread and run it all the way around. You know, however many spins it takes me to get through it. Like, there's no, and then, like, if I'm cleaning the pen, you know, I'll just run water through it and get that paper towel and just run it through. So, just make sure I'm pressing something into that thread, which is usually my fingernail.

'''Myke:''' I use for this what I would call a cotton bud, but you would call a Q-tip.

'''Brad:''' Yeah. Like, I don't know that they get deep enough.

'''Myke:''' Like, if you press it enough, because they're cottony, right? So that you can kind of... I guess if they're wet. That's why, like, I wet it a little bit or put water in it and then it will soak it up a bit. But I think I saw somebody ask as well about cleaning out this same gunk from the tines of a fountain pen. Do you have any specifics?

'''Brad:''' I do. I do. I use a brass shim for that. I keep two things on my desk that I don't have to go hunt down for when, you know, something's up with a fountain pen. It's the brass shim, which you just run through the tines and it'll clean out, like, any paper fibers that get stuck in there. Especially with someone like me who uses extra fine nibs more so than wider nibs. It's going to affect those more.

'''Brad:''' And then secondly, I keep a bit of... I keep a little square of the 12,000 grit sandpaper. It's like just this little block that I keep. You put a little dab of water on it and you just kind of write circles with your pen. Then that helps to smooth things out. That's more if I get a new pen, say, like a Twisby, and, like, I want to adjust it just a little bit. Like, maybe it's a little scratchy or something like that and you can just run real softly over that. Like, I keep those things on my desk because I use them frequently enough to where they're not hidden off and it's, like, one-off type of things. I use them to help me write better and to make the pens perform better. So, you can pick those up at, you know... You can usually get, like, a kit at different, you know, online retailers of, like, maintenance and cleaning type things. But brass shim and a little piece of sandpaper, the 12,000 grit, it's, like, a super, super, super fine grit sandpaper. Like, total... That'll set you back for both of those things, like, $5, $6, right? And you just keep them on your desk.

'''Myke:''' I don't own a brass shim and I never will.

'''Myke:''' Because every time I think of them, I think of how bad you could get a paper cut from one of those. And it makes me feel uncomfortable and I don't like to think about it.