About

Welcome to The Pen Habit!

I started my addiction to fountain pens in February 2013, when I purchased my very first fountain pen at the age of 34 from Barry, the Market Penmaker at Pike Place Market in Seattle.  Since that time, I have become a complete and total fountain pen convert/addict.  I continue to add pens and ink to my collection at an alarming rate.

There are a lot of videos, reviews, and more out there from people who are fountain pen experts.  I’m not one of those experts. I’m still learning.  But I wanted to have my own little corner of the internet where I could share what I’m learning, as I’m learning it. So, that’s why the blog and the YouTube channel.

A little bit about me:  I’m a former musical theater performer who quit the business in 2007 mainly because I was tired of being poor.  I moved up to the Seattle area shortly thereafter, started working for Microsoft, and went back to school to earn an MBA in project management.  I now work full-time as a Program Manager for a small tech startup in Bellevue, Washington.  When I’m not doing that, I also parlayed my training and experience on stage into voiceover work and audiobook narration.  I formed Open Book Audio, an audiobook distribution and production company, with my friend and business partner, Andrew, in 2009.

I live alone with my dog, a nine-year-old golden retriever named Luke the Dog™.  For fun, I do a bit of gardening, cook and bake, write a lot of letters, take Luke to the local 40-acre dog park, and play the occasional video game.  It’s a pretty low-key life, in a very beautiful part of the US, and I love it.

So, that’s me, and this is The Pen Habit.  Thanks for stopping by, and hopefully you’ll find something interesting here.

Matt Armstrong