Happy New Year! Earlier this week (otherwise known as “last year”), I discussed five personal intentions for 2022. Today I’ll broaden the scope a bit, with a five-item wish list for the community at large. I know that we’re not supposed to “wish” for things that are entirely out of our control, but since all five of these are directed at the community (inclusive of myself), I’m going to call it fair game, as I’ll need to do my part to make sure these happen. Most of these build on themes discussed in my earlier post, so if you haven’t read that one yet, I’d encourage you to start there.
Restore Balance to Social Media. I’ll be honest and up-front here: much of this list is going to sound like a screed against social media, and while I’m not anti-social media in principal, the past year has only confirmed my belief that, as least as currently utilized, it’s NOT a positive force for our community and the world as a whole. Whether it’s allowing the easy dissemination of bad information made to look convincing, or fueling FOMO by promoting commercialized influencer content that is nothing more than undisclosed paid advertising, social media is changing the face of our hobby by largely determining which brands and taste-makers get the most hype and attention. Sure, those of us who have been around pens for a long time know to look past this, but many who are just discovering the hobby do not. We would all do well to remember this the next time you’re scrolling. By all means, go ahead and enjoy the content, but keep in the back of your mind that what you’re seeing is being determined by an algorithm set by a company with no stake in the health or success of our community, and that behind the scenes there are smaller makers, writers, and creators, who you are not seeing because they don’t pay to play, and/or insist on retaining full control over their content and opinions. What can I do? For my part, I plan to try to amplify more well-considered, long-form content as opposed to uninformed hot takes and obvious puff pieces.
Pay More Attention to the Makers and Doers, not Accumulators. Related to point one. Stationery social media has started to devolve into a “Gotta Catch ‘em All” or “Look What I Bought” brag show. We’re all guilty of this, myself included. This kind of content generates clicks and attention, it’s quick and easy to produce, and it’s a “strategy” that businesses are encouraged to foster to direct potential customers to their brands and shops. It’s also vapid and does little to foster meaningful community dialogue. There’s a wealth of creators who not only buy a lot of pens but do stuff with them, whether they’re a writer, artist, or just a thoughtful individual looking to share knowledge and ideas. Again, explore beyond what “the algorithm” puts in front of you.
Drop the Fixation with Reviving Failed Brands and Create Something New. OK, so this one is more of an industry critique, but I’ll say it anyway: Esterbrook did a good job, and it’s here to stay, but stop trying to catch lightning in a bottle by resurrecting more failed pen brands. For example, with Leonardo and Maiora both releasing pens containing Delta DNA that are arguably better than anything Delta ever made, do we really need Delta to come back as a stand-alone brand? (Not to pick on them, I hope they do well, but it’s just that I’d personally prefer to see this funding and energy go towards bringing more Leonardos/Maioras/Scribos into the world.)
Stop Encouraging People to Hoard Hundreds of Bottles of Ink They Will Never Use. There’s been a flurry of articles recently discussing how the modern economy is based on fostering addictive behavior, including through the use of FOMO (“Fear of Missing Out”). The stationery industry isn’t immune to this, with its seemingly endless focus on limited editions, “seasons” of ink, and subscription services that result in more mindless consumption. I enjoy ink variety as much as the next person, but when you see brands starting to duplicate colors (intentionally or otherwise), and reducing ink volume while increasing prices and adding fancier bottle designs, it’s time for a new approach. This past year I sold off a huge chunk of my ink accumulation, cancelled a couple of subscriptions, and started buying samples and using what I already own.
Save Smaller Shops. Once again, industry participants, and particularly retailers, find themselves staring into a potential void of shutdowns, cancelled pen shows, and generalized economic uncertainty. Beloved NYC shop CW Pencil Enterprise closed this past year, and anyone could be next. As many people continue to do most of their stationery-related shopping online, it’s easy to succumb to the trap of price-shopping, taking advantage of deep-discount clearance sales and loss-leader promotions to get a pen for essentially nothing, even if it’s not something you would normally buy. If you value what the smaller businesses bring to the table, especially if they’re active participants in the community, consider, for example, foregoing the purchase of five heavily discounted $10 pens in favor of one $50 item from a smaller retailer or maker who can’t afford to exist on a 10% profit margin. If there’s anything that’s going to stifle innovation and diversity in the community, it’s race-to-the-bottom business practices.
Maybe I’m starting to become one of those “get off my lawn” types who just can’t adapt to “new tech” and the “new way of doing business.” However, I don’t think that’s correct. I get plenty of that in my everyday life outside of this hobby, and what drew me here originally was the genuine feeling of community and the lack of overt commercialization - people were engaged because they were interested in cultivating a space where they weren’t being aggressively marketed to every minute of every day, and could enjoy the company of others with mutual interests in an analog-focused hobby where the barrier to entry, cost-wise, wasn’t all that high. I do have some concern that pens and stationery have been “discovered” and targeted as a new market for commercial exploitation, and while this could be positive in the sense that additional funding and attention might bring interesting new products to market, we need to be mindful that the “community” aspect does not get degraded by those whose only interest is monetary and who would view it as a way to profit without contributing in return.
Now, rant over, it’s time to cook some black-eyed peas and collard greens for good luck. Best wishes for a happy and fulfilling 2022!
Last year I decided to cut the cord on paid advertising and third-party sponsorship, and move T.G.S. in the direction of becoming self-sustaining so that I have more control over the direction of my content and the practices I’m encouraging. To that end, I launched the T.G.S. Patreon Program, which allows readers to support and engage with T.G.S. and other readers in a more direct way, as well as the T.G.S. Curated Shop, which lets me directly promote a select group of products that I believe dovetails with my core mission statement. Any support you can give us is greatly appreciated!