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And it is true that I also live in Brooklyn, a true Artisanal City which, neighborhood by neighborhood, brick by brick, is being lovingly re-crafted by a thousand skilled gentrifiers, all working together to turn every bodega into a hand-milled denim boutique, every coffee shop into an antique cocktail apothecary, and every diner into a small-batch mayonnaise salon.
For, like the Buddhists and some other people, Rees knows that it is the most menial of tasks that are often most profound.
In a culture dominated by Internet snark and fatalism, David has always been unapologetically sincere.
After pencils, the most important element of my sharpening kit is my smock. A man wearing a smock, after all, is a man who means business.
I rarely use this sharpener on jobs; I keep it in my kit as a reminder of my business’s humble origins.
Once you use a toothbrush to clean a pencil sharpener, you should no longer use it to clean your teeth.
No point can serve all needs. The unsharpened pencil is, in contrast, an idealized form.10
In this respect, sharpening a pencil is no different from weightlifting, bungee jumping, or bull riding. All these activities require physical preparation and the constant monitoring of one’s bodily integrity.
Sharpening a pencil “the old-fashioned way” allows the modern enthusiast to reconnect with all those who have sharpened pencils in centuries past, and further sustains a rich tradition of pencil-pointing that would otherwise run the risk of disappearing entirely.
This is not to say that we should take imperfection as our goal. One of the dysfunctions of our age is the conflation of shoddiness with authenticity, and we must resist this confusion in our practice—especially in those circumstances where sloppy craftsmanship could diminish a pencil’s utility.
There is a unique pleasure to be had in renewing the dulled point of a pencil. The obvious analogy is that of polishing a gem so it may more freely shine and exhibit the perfection of its form.
A FEW WORDS ABOUT MECHANICAL PENCILS Mechanical pencils are bullshit.
Keep your blades sharp. Keep your burr cylinders clean. Keep your eyes on the task at hand. This will go a long away towards keeping your demons at bay.
If you look at the scattered remains and catch yourself murmuring, “No way will that busted-ass piece of shit ever sharpen a pencil again,” it’s a good indication that you have satisfied the Platonic ideal of its utility.
Investing in a few years of close study and meditation will reward you with a deeper understanding of this, the most important tool in your sharpening arsenal. You’ll know when you’re ready.
