Blog post #2 My viewpoint on modding

" First I think I should make clear of what I think of modding.

Pen modding, undeniably, originated from pen spinning, as a way to make pen spinning easier and more diverse. But I don't think that modding should revolve around spinning, it should be able to expand upon itself. To become a way of expression of the mind, like any other art, instead of just being a tool.

It's like the difference between daily tools and classy art pieces. Art could originate from daily tools, but shouldn't be constrained by life. So are multi-purpose tools.

A metaphor that I always use goes like this:

"If you have 3 spoons infront of you,

A gorgeous, beautiful yet delicate hand-carved spoon;

A hefty spoon with a fork, knife, screwdriver built into it;

And a regular plain old tablespoon.

Which one would you use to drink soup?

Without any doubt it'll be the regular spoon.

Each spoon fulfills the need to be able to scoop up soup, but each are also different, striving in different directions."

People don't understand why I would ever make a mod that's not very good to spin. Even though it has a lot of other functions, or even good design, doesn't it defeat the purpose if it can't be used as a daily mod?

I don't think so. I think that this is a kind of evolution, a transformation from tools to art. A way to let mods shine outside of the manipulative art of pen spinning.

Many say that I can't be qualified as a modder, how can you be a modder if you are not a pen spinner? I'll admit, I might not be a so called "modder", these are afterall, only my personal thoughts, and I won't beg for recognition.

I am not a pen spinner at heart, but a designer,

A designer striving to create art out of daily life."

-- May 19th, 2017

Additional context for people who don't know how I came about pen spinning:

I was always a stationary guy, obsessed with different types of pens and funky stationaries. Our school has a CCA(Co-Curriculum Activities) program where we can set up our own lessons or classes on every Friday last period. And on the day where all the CCAs of that semester debuted, one caught my eye with posters of all kinds of mods. I, of course have absolutely no idea what those are, but shocked to see such beautiful pens, went to join the CCA. For that one semester I learnt the basics of pen spinning, some other knowledge about it, but it just wasn't exciting enough for me. And of course, me studying in China meant that, there's lots and lots of parts to buy online. So I started my way of modding, but I still learnt pen spinning on the way, so that I can get the general idea of what a mod is, which took me about 3 good years. And as such I DO NOT recommend newbies to go into modding if you're attracted by pen spinning itself.