After hearing Shoeman6’s thoughts on the charm of pen spinning, we now pitch the same question to UPSB researcher and moderator Nachoaddict.
Nachoaddict is currently studying electrical engineering and computer science at University of California, Berkeley. He is part of a group of social pen spinners who have held numerous six-monthly meet-ups at Le Brea mall in Southern California.
Here are his thoughts on the reasons people are drawn to the art of pen spinning:
“I think on the surface, a large part of pen spinning’s charm comes from it being relatively unknown to most of the world. It’s just such an obscure art that I think people are just amused when they see someone being able to take an everyday object and weave it between their fingers.”
“There are a lot of people who know one or two, maybe even three individual tricks, but when you’re able to do a wide range of tricks and link them together, the art gains a lot of complexity and depth, not to mention mechanical difficulty. I think what brings people together is the limitless variety of tricks, combos, and linkages people can create and share.”
“For me, pen spinning is one of those things where I feel compelled to share something I’ve learned or created with others, and I find joy in doing so and seeing what other people have to say about my, usually meager, accomplishments.”
“Pen spinners are constantly innovating – whether it’s finding new tricks, customizing and optimizing pens for maximum spinning performance, or even just adjusting the effects on their videos. It’s a small community but there’s a lot of creativity and inspiration being shared between people who would otherwise be complete strangers.”
We’ll hear from Nachoaddict again in future blogs, addressing different questions. But for now, here he is on YouTube, giving some insight into the process of ‘modding’ pens: