From Overconsumption to Purposeful Expression: Exploring iroshizuku Ink Through Mindful Creativity

Sophia: I’d love to hear what inspired you to really slow down and appreciate the inks you already own. For many of us, it’s easy to keep collecting more - why do you think stepping back from that is so important?

Candace: Yes, absolutely! — I recall the moment when I decided to rethink my pen and ink habit and to focus on appreciating what I already had, and in all honesty, it was a purely pragmatic decision. I was running out of storage space for my ink bottles. That’s not to say that I had been collecting every ink ever released in the last however-many years — far from it! And although I had been quite selective with my purchases over the years, I had managed to build a ‘healthy’ collection with a good number of excellent inks. 

When I acknowledged to myself that I might need to another storage box for yet more ink, I decided enough was enough… because I didn’t want to continue acquiring ink simply for the sake of it — responding to a ‘want’ rather than a ‘need’ — because in all likelihood, if I persisted in purchasing every ‘want’ I would probably never see the bottom of any of the ink bottles currently in my possession. These thoughts ran through my head as I rifled through the boxes I already had before me, and I could see that there were more than a few inks that I hadn’t used for quite some time.

If I were running this same exercise with my clothing and shoes, I would have told myself at the outset that I must donate or discard any items that I hadn’t used for six months or more. Did any of these inks fall into that category? And then, amongst those thoughts, the phrase ‘choose quality over quantity’ began to play on repeat inside my head. I decided that this motto would serve as a guide to inform any future pen and ink pursuits, and thus help me to be more thoughtful about any acquisitions going forward. I confess to feeling rather liberated when I decided this.

S: And how did shifting to that “quality over quantity” mindset change the way you reach for and use your inks now?

C: The fountain pen is useful because it is, by design, a reusable, and therefore, handily (pun intended!) sustainable option. A fountain pen should be built to last and, if maintained and cared-for, should be with you for many and myriad ink-ventures.

Speaking of which, I’ve always been frugal with my ink usage. Thankfully, this frugality perfectly suits my pursuit of ‘quality over quantity’. In practice, this means that an ink makes a repeat appearance in successive pieces until the last drop in the pen coincides with the completion of an artwork. I allow myself to bask in the ink, savouring my chosen shade or combination. Rarely is my pen flushed to discard ink; the action is only employed to clean the recently-emptied pen in readiness for a new ink. Perhaps this is why I am able to make my bottles last for a long time. I enjoy my chosen ink the same as I would a prized perfume: it’s a precious pigment to be deployed on my page slowly, repeatedly and regularly.

S: I want to do that more, too - really take the time to appreciate what I have on a deeper level – experiment with different pens and paper; make personal notes…  I have friends that keep a spreadsheet! How do you keep things fresh and spark new creative ideas with the inks you already have?

C: This is the perennial question for me: how to unlock new creative potential, whilst ensuring that I make use of what I already have in my collection.

I always start with colour. Which colours do I return to time and again? Why not take a go-to and pair it with something used less regularly, and try that combination instead? (Confession: Sometimes, I simply shuffle the iroshizuku ink boxes like tiles and then close my eyes and pick one… or two.) But for now, how about a selection to suit the season? At the time of this post, I find myself contemplating the next few months of colder weather… and so I reach for ‘cool’ colours, such as yama-budo, fuyu-syogun and shin-kai…

The crisp air stings with each inhalation. The biting cold and chill wind bring a rosy flush to my cheeks. Overhead, the icy blue sky is threatened by approaching heavy grey clouds. The latter is represented by fuyu-syogun; when diluted, shin-kai serves up the former. Similarly, the normally rich-toned yama-budo yields to a delicate hue that would not look out of place on my cold-kissed cheek.

Thus the pattern I created using these three inks, plus the PILOT Hi-Tecpoint pens: comprising fine sparse lines (tree branches bare, almost brittle); multi-sized dots (in my world, the raindrops fall in a steady, rhythmic, and orderly manner).

S: That’s so beautiful! It sounds like you’ve found a great way to get into that creative flow, how do you keep that going?

C: My aim is to make art every day. That’s the intention, but I don’t always succeed, because let’s be real: life gets in the way. But my aim is to ‘practice' daily; if I miss a day, no problem — I’ll try again tomorrow. And in terms of using the ink that I already have, it’s easy with iroshizuku. Pick one ink, then decide whether to use it alone (go monochrome); or pair it with another, whether it’s a complementary colour or something analogous (adjacent on the colour wheel). I find working to a theme useful for staying engaged with the daily practice. Currently, I’m in my pattern era, so the possibilities are endless. I grab my MR3 mechanical pencil, draw a grid and go!

Before patterns, I loved making mandalas, and prior to that, I was in my faces phase. That meant googling black-and-white portraits, and then trying to draw a face using the pen and ink I had chosen that day. (I say ‘trying’ because I often found it challenging to achieve an exact likeness… but I enjoyed the exercise nonetheless.) It could’ve been anything really, botanical drawings, urban sketching, transcribing favourite quotes with fancy flourishes.

With the practice, daily or otherwise, remember that it’s your ‘Me Time’, no matter if it lasts for 15 minutes or half a day. If your effort doesn’t turn out how you intended, it’s OK. Think of the exercise as an experience, an experiment. Today’s effort is merely one step in a process that could comprise 10 steps or 1,000. Expect the unexpected and revel in the result, whatever it is. Before you know it, you’ve progressed through the entirety of your existing ink collection, rediscovered your old favourites… and perhaps found some new favourites along the way!

Candace’s journey with fountain pens and ink is a beautiful reminder that creativity doesn’t require more - just deeper attention to what we already have. From practical decisions to artistic revelations, her story is a testament to mindful creativity. Through intentional use and daily practice, what begins as a quiet moment of reflection becomes a meaningful path to rediscovery: of colour, joy and self-expression.

So open that drawer. Reach for the ink you haven’t touched in months. Make something - anything - and see where it leads. You might just find that contentment was waiting in a bottle all along.

Explore the full PILOT iroshizuku ink range - a collection of 24 colours, thoughtfully crafted with care, intention and an enduring appreciation for nature, beauty and the Art of Writing.

Colour play and the quiet beauty of slow creation are the lenses through which passionate creative Candace Milner sees the world. Her art, shared online @pensivecandy, offers a glimpse into her creative journey, where hypnotic geometric patterns emerge slowly and thoughtfully. Each deliberate stroke and stipple, a meditation in ink, pen and brush, reveals not just a finished piece, but the organic fusing of a life well lived and created with intention and a gentle, playful spirit.