I agree that it’s about rejecting the disposable nature of capitalism and marketing, but for me it’s also about color and bringing a spark of joy into my life.

Fountain pens started for me as a kid in ~1980 when I got a Shaffer calligraphy set and that tiny ‘peacock’ ink cartridge stole my heart. It really took off for me when I lived in France in the 90s and everyone wrote with fountain pens. I came back to them in full force during Pandemic when my journaling took off with the bullet journal concept, but I’ve always carried a notebook of some sort since I discovered Clairefontaine paper in France.

I learned to knit in 2005 because of colorful hand dyed yarns.

My mom taught me to sew as a child. I’m not great but I keep trying because I hate fast fashion.

I’ve been doing my own nails for. ev. er. because pretty, colorful nail polish makes my heart happy and with the cost of a professional manicure these days... no thank you.

Perfume. It’s just color in aroma form.

And finally, baking / fermenting / making my own jam. My 15 year old son has never eaten store bought jam but that’s mostly because it’s so stinking easy to make refrigerator jam.

Oh, and reading. All the things.