In an era where productivity is measured by how efficiently we can fill every moment, and digital devices blur the boundaries between work and home life, there is a growing trend of people seeking respite through the communication tools of yesteryear. These vintage methods offer a refreshing pause from the relentless pace of modern life.
Activities like letter writing, participating in typewriter clubs, and engaging in TikTok communities that celebrate calligraphy and wax seals are enjoying a renaissance. Far from being mere nostalgic indulgences, these pursuits offer enthusiasts a chance to minimize technology use, embrace more deliberate time management, and forge genuine connections with others.
For individuals like Melissa Bobbitt, a 42-year-old avid letter-writer from Claremont, California, the act of writing letters is deeply personal. With around a dozen regular correspondents and as many as 40 pen pals at one point, she describes these relationships as akin to friendships. “I feel as though my pen pals are my friends. I don’t think of them much differently than if I were chatting with a friend on the phone, in a coffee shop, or at another person’s house,” Bobbitt shared. She finds that truly focusing on and understanding someone’s words, while sharing her own thoughts, mirrors the therapeutic nature of a heart-to-heart conversation.
The enduring appeal of ink, paper, and traditional writing tools lies in their ability to connect people across the globe, just as they did in earlier times. Enthusiasts explain that the charm of snail mail lies in its tangible nature, and they offer tips for those interested in exploring this rewarding hobby.
Writing, for many, serves as an escape. In a world where being constantly connected is the norm, engaging in tactile hobbies like letter writing and scrapbooking demands focus and patience. The simple acts of putting pen to paper, sealing an envelope with wax, and arranging pages not only produce visually pleasing outcomes but also provide a much-needed opportunity for introspection.
In a society shaped by constant availability, hands-on hobbies like writing letters and scrapbooking require focus and patience. The act of picking up a pen, sealing an envelope with wax and laying out pages may yield aesthetically pleasing results, but it also creates a space for reflection.
Stephania Kontopanos, a 21-year-old student in Chicago, said it can be hard to put her phone and computer away, especially when it seems all of her friends and peers are on social media and her classes and personal life revolve around being online.
“There are times when I’m with my friends and at dinner, I’ll realize we are all on our phones,” Kontopanos said, adding that she tries to put her phone down at those moments.
Kontopanos also unplugs consciously by sending postcards to her family and friends, scrapbooking, and junk journaling, which involves repurposing everyday materials like tickets and receipts to document memories or ideas. She says going to the post office has become an activity she does with her mother back home in Kansas and includes sharing stories with the postal workers, people she would not have routinely encountered.
Nostalgia can foster community
Writing and sending letters is nostalgic for KiKi Klassen, who lives in Ontario, Canada. The 28-year-old says it helps her feel more connected to her late mother, who was a member of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, which represents mail carriers and other postal employees.
In October 2024, Klassen launched the Lucky Duck Mail Club, a subscription-based monthly mail service that sends participants a piece of her art, an inspiring quote and message. She says her membership includes more than 1,000 people across, at most, 36 countries.
“When I sit down, I’m forced to reflect and choose my words carefully,” Klassen said. “It also lends itself to vulnerability because it is easier to write down how you are feeling. I’ve had people write me back and I’ve cried hearing so many touching stories. I think for a lot of people paper creates a safe space. You write it down, send it off and don’t really think about it after.”
For Bobbitt, who has corresponded by mail for years, there is a “grand excitement” when she opens her mailbox and finds something that is not a bill or advertisement. “If we all filled each other’s mailboxes with letters, we would all be kinder and, at the very least, won’t dread checking our mailboxes,” she said.
Bobbitt says she first joined a pen pal club in second or third grade and later was connected to more writers through Postcrossing, an online project that partners people around the world to send and receive postcards. She says some of the postcards turned into letters as friendships grew between her and some other regular writers.
It’s a similar feeling of connection that inspired DJ Robert Owoyele, 34, to create CAYA, a monthly “analog gathering” in Dallas. Owoyele launched the event less than a year ago and has since organized evenings with letter writing, coloring, vinyl listening sessions and other activities.
“We live in a digital age that fosters a false sense of connection, but I think true connection happens in person,” he said. “When we are able to touch or see something, we are more connected to it naturally. These analog activities are a representation of that.”
How to get started
While writing letters and engaging in other vintage pursuits might seem accessible, it is not always easy to get involved. For many people, carving out time to slow down can feel like another obligation in a schedule filled with to-dos.
Kontopanos says she decided it was important for her to reprioritize her time. “The older I get, the more I realize how much time had been wasted on my phone,” she said. Creating space to explore allowed her to discover the hobbies she loved doing enough to make them a priority, she said.
There are many hobbies to consider, some of which don’t require expensive tools or hours of free time. Frequenting spaces where communities centered around these hobbies gather can be a way to learn about the different activities. For example, participating in typewriter clubs such as Type Pals, attending events like the Los Angeles Printers Fair hosted by the International Printing Museum in California, and engaging with social media communities like the Wax Seal Guild on Instagram and The Calligraphy Hub on Facebook.
Klassen says that based on posts she’s seeing on her social media feeds, reviving vintage writing instruments and small tactile pleasures might be on the verge of becoming trendy.
“The girls are going analog in 2026,” she said.
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