They say curiosity killed the cat… but I think “they” are just trying to scare us away from discovering new things we might actually love. 😼✨
And that’s exactly what happened to me recently.

In May 2025, I attended my very first fountain pen show. I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy it. After all, I wasn’t a fountain pen collector. But I am a stationery blogger, and a fountain pen show felt… on brand. So I went. 😅

I’ve always been curious about fountain pens anyway. The writer in me loves their elegance, and the artist in me is completely obsessed with how beautiful ink colors can be. 🎨💙
But I’d also always felt intimidated by them.

It felt like you needed a lot of knowledge to get into fountain pens. Materials, weight, nib sizes, flex, inks… I’m not convinced starting a wine collection would have been any less intimidating. 🍷😬

So I went to the show with modest plans: attend a few panels, walk around, soak in the vibes, take a few pictures for the blog. I also knew Esterbrook would be there with some exclusive TCMC merchandise I was hoping to snag. Priorities. 😉

What I didn’t expect… was to fall completely in love with fountain pens. 💘

I ended up buying a few pens and inks “just to try it out.” Very casual. Very reasonable.
And then they sat in their boxes for months because, honestly, filling a fountain pen felt scary. What if I didn’t like it? What if I messed it up?

But then our wedding happened, and I wanted guests to sign the guestbook with a fountain pen… so I had no choice. 😄✍️

And once I did it?
Instant love.

Now all my other thousands of pens are probably very mad at me because I suddenly have new favourites. LOL. 😂🖊️

I’m still very much a newbie in the fountain pen world, but I’ve already learned the most important lesson:

You don’t need to be an expert to enjoy something.
Sometimes, you just need curiosity… and a little courage to try. ✨