The Architecture of My Fountain Pen Life in 2023

By Jennifer Houghton

Having set some ambitious goals for my fountain pen lifestyle in 2023, I sat down to tackle the most important part: making a plan. As a wise man once told me: “Make a plan. Work the plan.” So let’s get to it.

• Ink. I mentioned that I wanted to branch out from the shimmers and into the sheens. So, I’m going to go through the extensive list of inks that Atlas sells and pick one ink from each brand to sample. And I’m going to make sure that I branch out from the standard blues and purples that I’ve accumulated. By the end of the year I want to own one ink from each line and they must not include particulates. 
• Pens. I decided to buy fewer pens, but concentrate on one-of-a-kinds and limited editions.  That means assessing what is missing in my collection and staying tuned to the latest offerings from Atlas. When the limited editions crop up, grab them. Remember the FOMO I experienced by not buying the Visconti Ember when I had a chance? Yeah, not going to repeat that in 2023. (When that Leonardo Supernova was dangled in front of my starstruck eyes, I didn’t hesitate. Lesson learned.) So, I will be glued to the run down on the socials this year. Hollywood, ya hear me? I need fancy pens, life coach!
• Paper. I jot down notes and to do lists like I’m an organized mess. So, I plan to pick papers from each brand Atlas carries and test them out. Once I have some winners I’ll report back. I know that this is a highly personalized area, but a girl has to explore to develop her opinions. So watch out. 
• Storage. Look, this one is going to confound me for a while. I consider any idea to be a potential win. As someone looking for a house to call my own, I probably won’t be able to give big storage tips until I put down roots, but I hope to come up with something. Maybe I’ll wander the Atlas storefront or see if I can buy a display case. You’ll just have to stick with me to find out. 

What about you? Are you trying any of my methods? Have a plan of your own? Tell me about it. Let’s make this the year we build a fountain pen Mecca.