Well hello, first birthday of the mnmlscholar blog
This weekend marks the first birthday of the mnmlscholar blog. I started this blog to share how I use analog and digital tools to find joy in the work I do. Or, as I predicted in my first post, “this blog is a record of my experiences with analog productivity in a digital world.”
This year has been a rewarding adventure. And a heck of a lot of fun. Thanks for taking this journey with me!
Big picture. Overall, I’ve shared just over 100 posts. Added up, I’ve written over 80,100 words. Whoa. That’s a lot of words.
50 of those posts share the revolving door that is my weekly currently inked pens. I am a deliberate personality by default. Sharing my thinking with you all has helped me to branch out into freer ways of choosing which pens and inks to use each week. Of late, I’ve let my more subjective self guide my choices. It’s led to surprising pen and ink combinations. Cheers for that.
I also published 50 weekly reflections, which I lovingly call ‘inked tines’ posts. These are reflections on what’s working within my day-to-day toolset — and what’s working less than well. I also share what I’m reading, listening to, and attending to within my weekly goings-on. We learn best when we share openly.
A growing community. I’m floored at how diverse our community is already. The site regularly has over 7,000 monthly page views. Folks from 54 countries across the world find their ways here each month — from Japan, to Russia, to Hungary, to Ecuador. The US, Canada, UK, and Spain sit at the top of the ‘most visited from’ list.
The wizardry of Squarespace also lets me look back at the posts you all found most interesting this first year. Ethical ink usage, building pen cases, and using stationery to support teaching were far and away the most popular focus areas.
More specifically, my first year’s three most-read posts were:
Inked Tines • July 24, 2021
Inked Tines • June 12, 2021
Inked Tines • February 20, 2021
Others have been generous enough to add their thoughts through comments on the site, and in emails. Hearing your thoughts on journaling, commonplacing, and what you’re reading and listening to has changed my habits for the better. Heck, a book suggestion in one of your comments led me into the Murderbot Diaries — my current science-fiction series. (Thanks again, Peter!)
I want to share a thanks to my first commenter: Mark. I’m grateful for your friendship on and off the site. You’re still right. The Kakuno is a great pen, especially at its price point.
Also, to my three most recent commenters: R.B., JHS, and Hannah. Happy to have you all here. Your positivity and curiosity are fantastic.
And thanks to everyone who emailed to chat or ask for stationery recommendations. I’m keeping your names confidential as you provided them to me for a one-on-one chat, not with permission to share. It’s been great fun chatting with you all.
Popular pathways. I’m flattered and thrilled by how warmly the broader stationery blogging community has welcomed my own writing. Many of the folks who I respect and thoroughly enjoy reading have been generous enough to share my posts with their regular readers.
The three most popular pathways into this site have been through the weekly link compilations at The Pen Addict, The Well-Appointed Desk, and Fountain Pen Quest.
To Brad, Ana, and Ray: thank you! The work you all do to elevate new voices within the stationery and productivity communities is much-appreciated — and opens us all to a wider, more diverse constellation of ideas.
Starting seasons of more focused posts. My first year ends while my first season of teaching and walkthrough posts begins.
Season One is underway right now. I drop a new introductory tutorial every Thursday evening (local time) for the duration of the season. Pop on over and check them out.
I’ll see you on the other side.
This week’s Inked Tines update is abbreviated, given the length of my anniversary reflection. It includes my most recent currently inked writing tools, changes to my collection, and what I’ve been reading and listening to.
Toolset
Pens. The Pelikan m805 is easily this week’s standout combination. I’ve taken fondly to pairing this pen with green inks since my friend returned the Pelikan to me a few weeks ago. The architect side makes long writing sessions, like journaling, fun and interesting. Multitasker nib worked great during Friday morning’s back-to-back meeting — it functioned as a detail note taker and headings accenter. Meeting notes, journaling, lesson plans. Only the feed is left.
Platinum 3776 (B) — Feed. Bold, wet pairing. Ran into some hard starts as the converter emptied. Skull & Roses’ sheen is well-suited to lesson plans and lecture notes. It’s easily read from odd angles.
TWSBI Eco-T (EF) — 1/5. Reverse writing provides an XXF line, quick dry times, and more prominent colorful undertones. A far more task management friendly arrangement. Regular writing then provides accents and headings in a pinch. Task management, detail meeting notes, lesson plans, scratch notes.
Narwhal Schuylkill (F) — 1/3 (to be emptied). Has grown wetter as more air exists in the ink chamber. Far more fun and usable this past week. Became a journaling pen, a lesson planning pen, and even a marking pen.
Nakaya Neostandard (B) — 1/3. The large Nakaya section is comfortable during long writing sessions. The round B nib does the same. Together, this pair is well-suited to long form journaling, teaching reflections, and manuscript drafting. I left this pen in my penvelope to avoid damage from hand sanitizer.
Kaweco Sport (EF) — 1/2. An excellent pocket carry combination. Warped Passages offers quick dry times on Stalogy paper. The EF nib is smooth and lays down a disciplined EF line. Great for fast writing, and briefly jotted writing tasks. Pocket notes, scratch notes, lesson plans.
Written dry. All six pens still write at week’s end. That said, two are feed only: the Pelikan and Platinum. One F, the other B. Talk about balance.
Newly inked. Drum roll, please: I remained faithful to my weekly six pen plan. Cookie earned.
The collection
Incoming / new orders. Four ink samples arrived in the mail Wednesday afternoon. They are from my good friend Dom’s (@fountainpenfanatic) personal collection.
Our local group reverted back to virtual meetings last month. In response, Dom offered our local pen group samples from a large collection of his inks. Good guy.
I settled on a trio of unsaturated colors and a bright sky blue to compare to my Monteverde Caribbean Blue.
Must. Remain. Patient. Must. Not. Ink. During 2021.
Longtime readers might recall that 2021 is the year of my ink buying embargo. My partner challenged me to only buy ink after I empty a bottle. For a whole calendar year. As a result, I’ve only purchased one new bottle this year: Sailor Ink Studio 223.
Event though these samples are gifts, I want to respect the spirit of the Great 2021 Ink Embargo. So, I agreed to accept Dom’s generosity. But I will leave the samples uninked until 2022. Self-restraint.
Outgoing / trades or sales. Aaron at Pentiques emailed Wednesday to confirm that my Parker Vacumatic arrived, safe and unsound, at his repair shop. He said I’ll hear again once the pen has been properly inspected.
I appreciate the quick note. It’s exciting to hear my first vintage repair is about to start. And it’s comforting to know the old timer made it to the west coast, safe and sound.
Currently reading and listening
Fiction. I finished Network Effect Wednesday afternoon. Hands-down, my favorite of Wells’ endings. The amount of heart she is able to squeeze into Murderbot’s sarcastic and paranoid persona is fabulous.
Now, I liked ART before. After finishing Wells’ fifth book, I feel I better understand what Diane was saying about the character in a comment a few weeks ago. Rock on.
Nonfiction. I read a moving short essay by Lindsay Crouse and Kirby Ferguson mid-week. They paired it with a similarly brief video essay. I revisited it again yesterday.
Crouse & Ferguson (2021) highlight that U.S. culture stigmatizes quitting. The cost of which is that folks can feel trapped by expectations that one must persevere, even when doing so is damaging.
They land on an interesting concept: being a “martyr to grit.” Clever. Worth more reflection.
Music. I found myself in need of more energetic soundtracking this week. Mammal Hands rolled their way back into my Spotify rotation Monday morning. They played on repeat every day but Friday.
A sax-forward instrumental trio. For a writing soundtrack that wants to constantly check in and make sure you’re still awake.
Thanks for one year of stationery and productivity nerdery!
