"Learning" to use a pencil

I have never really been a pencil person. In my mind I feel like they are too scratchy but lets be honest it's probably some trauma from elementary school. Part of opening the retail space has been to fill in some gaps and pencils was definitely a gap. Good news! I have discovered I actually like pencils! As I structure my new professional life I have had to make time to test out new products to decide if they work for me...I truly want to be able to say I like and use everything I sell. It turns out having a nice cup of tea and using a pencil to "draw" what I see in not only grounding, it's enjoyable. I put draw in quotations because my artistic skills are lacking and I am not sure anyone could identify what I drew...but thats not the point. There is an art supply store in Astoria ( not too far away) and the owner there reminded me that it's not always the end result that is the goal, it's being in and enjoying the process. So, I really love the soft Blackwing wood pencil and the KuraToga mechanical pencil ( this one rotates while you write to keep the lead even!). My next pencil adventure will be to do a long writing session with a few kinds of pencils and see how I feel about those when doing more than just jotting something down or sketching something. Wish me more mind changing experiences!