Q & A with Amy Rodbumrung


1. First thing you do early in the morning?

Blink my bleary eyes open and check my IG account for juicy pen updates.

2. If you were trapped on an island, which pen and ink would you take with you? And, why?

Well, I’d need a sturdy pen and an ink that’s easily visible in bright sunlight—so probably my Duragraph and some darker ink, like Charoite (love my purple ink.)

3. Who would you say is your number one pen inspiration?

My number one pen inspiration is my friend who introduced me to the hobby!

4. What made you decide to start using fountain pens?

My brother got me a Lamy Safari (in Dark Lilac—woo!) for my birthday and it’s been full steam ahead ever since.

5. Do you remember your first pen memory?

First pen memory was filling up my pen and realizing how smoothly fountain pens write. It was definitely a game changer.

6. How many pens and inks do you have?

I think I have about 20 pens...and too many bottles of ink to count. Don’t judge me!

7. Favorite Conklin pen…

My favorite Conklin pen is my Duragraph; it’s got a beautiful green sparkle and a good weight which speaks to its quality. The nib writes very smoothly as well!...

8. Latest ink color you are using?

Recently filled up a pen with this nice, soft blue green color and it’s quite nice.

9. Coffee or tea?

COFFEE. 100%, no question about it.

10. Journaling or Calligraphy?

Journaling AND Calligraphy...though I’m decidedly better at journaling.

11. Life philosophy you live by.

Life is meant to be spent learning and exploring. We should be challenging ourselves every day!

12. Which pen and ink color would you like to get next?

I’d LOVE to try a Conklin Duraflex as soon as they are back in stock. In terms of ink color, I’d love to find a nice, soft rose color that’s not too peach-y.

13. What are your favorite pen accounts on Instagram?

Conklin Pens, Monteverde, Goulet Pens, Anderson Pens, JetPens, Adpenworx, and Goldspot Pens.

14. Any pen – ink trouble shooting tips?

I spent a long time filling up my converters directly from the bottle to keep the nib and body of my pens clean, but then I would always have terrible dry feeds for a long time. Fill directly from the bottle through the nib and feed—primes the feed and your pens will write smoothly from the very start.

15. What color ink would you never get and why?

I just don’t see myself buying highlighter colored ink...I don’t really see any practicality to it in a fountain pen because it’s illegible. I’m pretty open to any color ink, but browns don’t really capture my attention the way bright shades do.

16. Does your pen describe your personality?

There’s definitely a different pen for every mood; traditional ones when we’re serious, and bright colors for excited energy. I seem to have a lot of demonstrator pens, so maybe I’m very transparent and easy to read?

17. Would you close a $10M deal / contract with a $10 pen?

Yes, I 100% would sign that deal with a $10 pen—as long as it wrote well! The best pens are the ones we enjoy writing with, no matter their price.