{"id":15307,"date":"2025-05-30T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/?p=15307"},"modified":"2025-05-30T08:22:46","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T12:22:46","slug":"instant-burst-happiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/instant-burst-happiness\/","title":{"rendered":"An Instant Burst of Happiness"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Brad Dowdy \u2014 AKA The Pen Addict<\/a> \u2014 posed an interesting question in last week’s member newsletter: Do you have any pens, pencils, or other stationery that gives you that instant burst of happiness, or a sneaky grin just for yourself? It was intriguing enough that I want to answer it in a post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honestly, this is precisely what I want my entire collection to be, both pens and ink. My goal is to get to a point where any pen I ink up gives me a burst of happiness. Of course, I’m still a ways away from that goal, especially with my inks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, I do have a couple of general things in my collection that give me extra joy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Fine lines<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Because I tend to write small, I love fine lines. While a medium nib is OK, fine, extra fine, and even ultra extra fine are my jam. The finer the line, the cleaner my writing looks, and the happier it tends to make me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oblique nibs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There is one exception, though, and that’s oblique nibs. I love italic obliques since they offer such nice line variation, even on smaller nib widths. The best kind of oblique, though, is one that manages to meld my love of fine lines (with ultra-narrow cross strokes) and my other favorite nib property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Uber-smooth nibs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I know many people love nibs with feedback, and when I’m in the mood, I like them too. But, I adore super-smooth nibs. The ones that glide across a page like a slice of butter on a hot pan. Some are so smooth that it doesn’t even feel like they’re touching paper, and they make me smile every time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And pens<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I can’t end this post without mentioning some of the pens that bring me that instant flash of joy. So, off the top of my head without looking at my pen collection, hats off to all of my Stanford Pen Studio<\/a> pens \u2014 although my Bumbledore one does also bring some sadness now \u2014 my two Namiki Yukaris, my Kurikara-Ken, my Iron Feather Creative<\/a> pens, and my ARTUS<\/a> four elements pens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are more, of course there are, but these are the ones that come to mind at the moment of writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

What brings you a burst of happiness? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks for reading to the end, I hope you enjoyed my post. Make sure to subscribe to my blog<\/a> or follow me on Instagram<\/a> so you don\u2019t miss any posts. I generally post at least once a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Attribution: The image I used in the share images for Instagram and Facebook is a modified version of an unnamed file<\/a> by Dzianis Vasilyeu<\/a>, on Vecteezy<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Pen Addict posed an interesting question in last week’s member newsletter: Do you have any pens, pencils, or other stationery that gives you that instant burst of happiness, or a sneaky grin just for yourself? I decided to answer it.<\/p>\n

Keep ReadingAn Instant Burst of Happiness<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15311,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[413],"tags":[449,201],"class_list":["post-15307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stationery","tag-questions","tag-tags-and-challenges","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/burstOfHappiness_featured.jpg?fit=288%2C288&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Z77k-3YT","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10888,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/micro-collection\/","url_meta":{"origin":15307,"position":0},"title":"A Fulfilling Micro Collection","author":"Rachel","date":"August 4, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Inspired by a Goulet Pen Co. video on YouTube, I'm sharing my thoughts on a 5-pen collection that will fulfill most fountain pen needs.","rel":"","context":"In "Fountain Pens"","block_context":{"text":"Fountain Pens","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/stationery\/fountain-pens\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pilot Custom 74 Orange","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Pilot-Custom-74-Orange.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Pilot-Custom-74-Orange.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Pilot-Custom-74-Orange.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Pilot-Custom-74-Orange.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Pilot-Custom-74-Orange.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Pilot-Custom-74-Orange.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11122,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/stationery-marvels-tag\/","url_meta":{"origin":15307,"position":1},"title":"Stationery Marvels Tag","author":"Rachel","date":"October 24, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"You know I love adapting tags from the YouTube makeup world, and since this one was so positive, I had to give it a go.","rel":"","context":"In "Fountain Pens"","block_context":{"text":"Fountain Pens","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/stationery\/fountain-pens\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/stationeryMarvles-featured.jpg?fit=288%2C288&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12565,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/stationery-ecosystem\/","url_meta":{"origin":15307,"position":2},"title":"Stationery Ecosystem","author":"Rachel","date":"February 2, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"A recent Gourmet Pens Club podcast episode got me thinking about a good descriptor for my stationery collection.","rel":"","context":"In "Stationery"","block_context":{"text":"Stationery","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/stationery\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/ecosystem-03.jpg?fit=288%2C288&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10774,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/21-pen-questions\/","url_meta":{"origin":15307,"position":3},"title":"21 Pen Questions","author":"Rachel","date":"July 28, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"I know, I know, I'm jumping on this bandwagon super late. But, I've finally gotten around to answering the 21 Pen Questions tag.","rel":"","context":"In "Fountain Pens"","block_context":{"text":"Fountain Pens","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/stationery\/fountain-pens\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Right Royal Pen","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/bumblePen-cutout.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/bumblePen-cutout.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/bumblePen-cutout.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/bumblePen-cutout.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/bumblePen-cutout.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15268,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/stationery-worst-enemy\/","url_meta":{"origin":15307,"position":4},"title":"Stationery For Your Worst Enemy","author":"Rachel","date":"June 20, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Your worst enemy wants to get into stationery, and they come to you. Get some ideas on what to recommend.","rel":"","context":"In "Fountain Pens"","block_context":{"text":"Fountain Pens","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/stationery\/fountain-pens\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Stationery for your worst enemy","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/worstEnemy_featured.jpg?fit=600%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/worstEnemy_featured.jpg?fit=600%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/worstEnemy_featured.jpg?fit=600%2C600&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15748,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/12-pen-person-questions\/","url_meta":{"origin":15307,"position":5},"title":"12 Pen Person Questions","author":"Rachel","date":"September 17, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm jumping on the #12PenPersonQuestions bandwagon! Some of these were easy, some took A LOT of thought. Read the post to see my answers.","rel":"","context":"In "Stationery"","block_context":{"text":"Stationery","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/stationery\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"final graph, Vendor 1%, maker 2%, and 97% hobbyist divided into 58% creator, 32% user, and 7% collector","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Slide5.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Slide5.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Slide5.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Slide5.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Slide5.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15307"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15307\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15319,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15307\/revisions\/15319"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}