<img src="_img.jpg" alt="">I got a new pen.
It’s a Pilot Metropolitan which I read about in this post from PenAddict.com via TheCramped.com - which if you love pen and paper, you should certainly read the latter.
I’ve always enjoyed writing but my penmanship is just atrocious. I used to blame lack of fine coordination on being left handed - a little funny, a little true for those who know me (I have no left hand, but do everything else as left dominant) - but I’m starting to think its that I never developed fine control with modern tools.
Modern paper and modern pens are all fluid and fast. To build the muscles in yor arm and shoulders that helps you writer clearer, you need the resistance of thick paper and a scratchy pen.
Writing practice is part io a new morning ritual. I get up at about 5am to write and meditate - because if you don’t define what you are to do in the morning, you won’t otherwise form the habit. Then go to work. Or on weekends, read or dye rope. So it’s been a couple of days since I started and I find it remarkable how sore my fire arm gets in part because I’m trying my damnedest not to move my wrist. You write from the shoulder, the wrist shouldn’t move.
But, my penmanship is already vastly improved by slowing down and being more mindful of my hand, arm and shoulder. It’s nice to see improvement - the photo on the left is after a few days and with the new pen, the right is with a Sharpie Fine Point. I think the next step is discipline in practice. I need to practice all the letter, not just the cool ones.
Note that I’m also trying to add a little character to my by writing things in particular ways against years if habits, like all those lower case G’s up there.
It ain’t natural. But new things are good.
Also, still teaching myself to draw a little so I can take better sketch notes at work. I’m not forcing myself to take notes on paper while adding follow-up tasks directly to my digital task system. It feels much more natural.