(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)
The news of this week’s mass shooting at a school in Uvalde, TX has left me heartbroken, sad and powerless. Recent headlines of other mass shootings, politics (which I REALLY don’t like talking about), COVID infections ramping up again, the war in Ukraine; the list goes on and on. Sometimes, like right now, it is too much to bear and I feel like I have a heavy weight on my chest. All I want to do is stay in bed, play a mindless game or four on my phone for hours on end, pull the covers over my head and hide. It is during times like these that I really lean on my pens to help me find some semblance of peace, or at least, maybe calm some of the anxiety that keeps growing with every negative event that happens. Here are some of the things that I do when I feel powerless, scared and wound-up inside; maybe some of these may help you too.
Journaling
Ok, I’m starting with something that I actually don’t do, but keep wanting to. I even mentioned it last year as something I want to work on this year. Journaling is basically writing down what’s in your head and in your heart. It can be a beautiful and creative outlet; just take a look at the IG accounts of Catharine Mi-Sook, Aina Kristina Reyes or Erick Gama, for some lovely examples. It can also be a very private place for you to release what’s inside you. You can write just a few lines - there are several notebooks out there for just that purpose like Midori’s 5 Year Diary or Leuchtturm’s A5 Some Lines A Day notebook. You can also write as many pages as you like. Some folks like to share what they write with their significant others or on social media and others never let their journals be seen. The choice is yours and I know some folks do multiple types of journaling.
Copying Songs/Poems/Quotes
If journaling isn’t for you, maybe writing down the lyrics to a favorite song or the verses to a beloved poem is more your thing. Even if you know the words by heart, I find that handwriting them makes me slow down and really feel the meaning behind them. And since I can only remember a few words at a time (so I don’t mess them up), it’s hard for me to think of anything else while I’m writing them out, which is a nice break from the constant stream of thoughts pounding inside my head. It might take some time to figure out what things you want to write and it’s ok if different moods means different content choices.
Quotes help to inspire me as well as put into words what my heart is feeling.
Letter Writing
I am fortunate to have about 15 or so penpals and a never shrinking reply pile. When I feel the need to talk about what’s been going on, I know that any one of my pen pals would be happy to “hear” me pour my heart out, or to talk about the latest pen acquisition or plans for the summer. It’s like having a conversation with a friend who is a really good listener. No pen pals? If you’re in the Pen Addict slack, there is a Snail Mail channel where you can find penpals. And if you’re not, you can always check out the InCoWriMo website and find some penpals before next February’s International Correspondence Writing Month. If you’re not sure about writing to strangers, send a card or letter to some friends or family you haven’t talked with in a long time. No matter who they are, people love getting mail that aren’t bills or junk mail and it’s cathartic to boot.
Penpals don’t care about your handwriting (assuming it’s legible, lol) and they don’t care how long it takes for you to reply either. I’ve been fortunate to meet several of them in real life too.
Art/Doodling
I’m not an artist. I don’t really draw or paint or anything like that. I will occasionally pick a doodle or pattern from Instagram and see if I could tweak it and make it my own (instead of outright copying it). It is calming and meditative while pushing me outside of my comfort zone. I really like posts from Mario Patterns, for example, to give me inspiration.
A simple, but colorful Japanese seigaiha pattern took several hours to make but it was really relaxing and I enjoyed seeing it come together.
You can even make a simple Currently Inked page which is functional and pretty!
Handwriting/Calligraphy Practice
I have been slowly writing out Marcus Arelius’ book, Meditations, but rather than doing it in cursive or print, I decided to do it in typewriter font. Why? Good question, lol. I had wanted to read this book for a long time and I randomly decided to use that font for the first two pages and then thought, what the heck, why not? 120+ pages in and it is still one of my favorite ways to unwind and relax. This is another one of those times where I can only remember a few words at a time because it takes so much concentration and time to write in this style, but my mind can’t think about anything else during that time. Sometimes I only want to write a few lines and other times, I can finish a whole page (it takes me about 45 minutes to an hour per page) or more, but when I’m done, I feel just a little bit less anxious and I can breathe again. Because of this, I often spend time doing this at night before bed. You don’t have to go to such crazy lengths but maybe copying a book while focusing on your handwriting is more your style, or maybe practicing the strokes of calligraphy hand will work better for you. As with lyrics and poems, you want to be mindful of what you’re copying/writing as reading/writing it might have the opposite effect. After the January 6, 2021 uprising at the Capitol, I really wasn’t in the mood to work on Hamilton lyrics (which also has content about rising up, but against the British). Sometimes you may want to embrace the turmoil and heartache and other times you want to focus on sunshine and unicorns.
I write out the lyrics to the Hamilton musical when I want to practice handwriting and politics isn’t on my mind.
One of my favorite ways to unwind is concentrating on writing in typewriter font.
Another book that I’m writing out is The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.
Coloring
I don’t do this nearly as much as the stack of coloring books suggest, but coloring has experienced quite the boom over the past 10+ years. You can find coloring books for pretty much any theme out there - flowers, animals, Star Wars (is anyone surprised that I have a Star Wars coloring book?), biology, yoga poses, swearing, Breaking Bad, etc. I use color pencils but you can also use markers too (I haven’t tried fountain pens or FP ink on them yet).
I might be able to eke out another card or two before the holidays.
Swatching Inks
Aside from being a useful and helpful activity for any inkophile, swatching inks is something I enjoy because I end up with an end product that I need and use anyway and it is pretty mindless and repetitive, even with the multiple steps I take. Scribble the name of the ink, swatch on Col-O-Ring cards, rinse the back of the paintbrush, scribble on two Tomoe River books and a Cosmo Air Light notebook. Literally, rinse and repeat. If this is too mindless for you, you can put on some chill music, or watch a favorite show or movie while doing this.
There’s something satisfying and calming about swatching inks.
Take a break
Pens and stationery and all of that are great but sometimes it can create added stress or be too overwhelming trying to figure out what to do when you’re not in the mood to write/draw/etc. It’s ok to step away from pens or any other hobbies for a while. It doesn’t mean you no longer love pens; it just means you need to take a break and take care of yourself, which you should do in good times and bad. The pens will be there for you when you’re ready for them.
These are just some of the things I’ve had to do myself over the past couple of years, especially in the past several months, and again this week. I hope this helps those of you who need a little peace and comfort in your life. Take care of yourself, hang in there, and hug your loved ones just a little bit tighter.
