About Me: Nick

As a new member to the Pencils.com team, I wanted to properly introduce myself to our loyal fans and followers.

My name is Nick and I am the new brand manager for Pencils.com. I am an environmentalist, musician, photographer, and a fan of all things analog. I studied Environmental Studies and Geography, and I love to learn about how the world around us affects society and our individual lives. I also find it fascinating to learn about the origins and stories behind the products that I use everyday.  As an avid notetaker, I started becoming aware of how many plastic pens I would throw away, and I turned to refillable fountain pens to lessen my waste. Through that, I also picked up the hobby of fine writing with fountain pens, but more on that later. 

Music is also a big influence in my life, and playing music is one of the easiest ways for me to express my creativity.  As with most things for me, I am more of a “jack of all trades” hobbyist, so as soon as I learned guitar, I started playing other instruments, like ukulele, banjo, mandolin, bass guitar, harmonicas, washboard, and the list is continuously growing.

Another creative outlet is photography, and I would even say that photography was the start of my appreciation for analog.  I was given a Nikon N90, a 35mm film camera, and the cost of film and developing helped me take deliberate steps in improving my shots.  I quickly picked up a few more cameras, and started experimenting with different film types and brands to help me find the film for me. With film photography, I started to realize the benefits of being able to have a tangible representation of art and expression.

I got into the world of pencils through my love for fountain pens and fine writing tools.  I love sending friends postcards and writing letters, because it was a great way to add substance to my words, rather than sending them a text or instant message.

For the longest time, I preferred fountain pens because I found they gave me a better writing experience than with any pencil I’ve ever tried. That was until I was able to try out a Palomino Blackwing 602.  My eyes were suddenly open to the world of the wood cased pencil, and as I learn more about pencils, I get excited to share my discoveries with other pencil fans. 

My enthusiasm for pencils quickly reached my enthusiasm for fountain pens, and I also found it to be a more affordable hobby. The accessibility to pencils also made it easier for me to introduce my joy of quality writing materials to my friends, who would have otherwise been apprehensive about trying out an expensive fountain pen. I hope to share my enthusiasm with all of you and support the pencil loving community!