I write with a tool that hasn’t been in common use since my grandmother was in school. She never took research biology, nor did she document the contents of meticulous labs, but the one thing I have in common with a woman nearly seventy years my senior is that we both use a fountain pen.

Invented in the 1880s, the fountain pen uses the power of capillary action to draw ink from a small compartment known as the converter up into a metal nib. The fountain pens of my grandmother’s day and earlier were prone to leakage and inconsistency, but the modern ones I use glide over the page in elegant strokes that require much less pressure than a ballpoint. Though it certainly looks fancy swapping out utilitarian plastic pieces for a glittering metal nib, there’s more to the fountain pen than just a stylistic choice. In fact, the advantages it poses might even be worth making the switch yourself.

For one, fountain pens are much more environmentally friendly than their disposable counterparts— on account of reusability alone, while the average person goes through 4.3 ballpoints a year, a single fountain pen has been known to function perfectly for years or even decades after its production! For maximum sustainability, try a pen made of recycled materials such as the Pilot Kakuno or invest in a vintage pre-owned model.

If you’re a frequent writer, keep a paper lab notebook, or take thorough notes from each of your classes, this is for you: fountain pens, compared to pencils and ballpoints, put much less stress on your hand and wrist! Because of the mechanism of the nib, writing requires virtually no pressure: capillary action will handle the ink application for you. For long writing sessions, this effect prevents wear and tear that can cause hand cramps, pinched nerves, and a myriad of other conditions brought on by repeated and strenuous usage. The best combination for effortless workflow is a pen with a medium or broad nib paired with an “wet” ink.

Meanwhile, for the artistically inclined, the aesthetic options provided by fountain pens are nothing short of endless— flexible nibs can add a calligraphic sweep to your strokes; ink colors range from business black to vibrant neon and even boast duochrome, shimmering, and metallic sheening shades. Take it from someone who hates keeping notes: historically, my notes were nothing more than penciled scrawls in a half-used, beaten notebook swiped from a previous year’s English class. Since I switched to a quality notebook and a matching fountain pen, I’ve actually taken pride in my math notes, prompting me to— gasp— actually take them.

Under the academic pressure many Academies students are accustomed to, it’s easy to forgo simple pleasures in favor of the ‘grind’ of daily life. Investing in stationary has allowed me to revive my creativity without sacrificing my studies: in fact, it’s much improved my retention of difficult STEM subjects and encouraged me to keep up to date on my multitude of assignments. Is it easier? Not always. Is it the secret to success? Probably not, but if I’m going to spend three hours on a lab notebook… I’d rather do it with a pretty pen.

By Norah McCormick