
Writing in the Palmer Method
And so it begins!
One of my goals of the recent years has been to learn calligraphy, and maybe even become a professional calligrapher.
I used to love the act of writing and practicing my penmanship, but after typing on the keyboard for many years, my writing hand has become weak! This is the first step to become strong again, by practicing my ABCs like we all did when we were little. I took calligraphy classes back in junior high and high school and remember how fun it was. I took pride in my penmanship and would sit at my desk for hours just practicing my script and to sign my name, sometimes with little dotted hearts and flourishes. I’ve always been told that I have nice handwriting, in both script and print – at my first part-time job as a clerk/receptionist for a CPA, my boss would always ask me to fill out all of the clients’ 1040 and 1040EZ. He said “you should become a CPA just for your handwriting alone!!!” Haha.
Of course, when computers came into my life, I happily abandoned my pen & paper over the smooth, shiny surface of my keyboard and the warm, pleasant sound of *tap tap tap* only an Apple keyboard could make. ;) Over the years, I still held the art of writing very closely to my heart. I still have all sorts of pens, ink, gel, and whatnot, in many different colors and weights; a small collection of lovely writing paper (my favorite brand is Crane); I even bought myself a Calligraphy Kit a few years back which has been sadly sitting in my desk drawer.
But this year, I decided that it was time to dust off my quills and re-learn how to write again! The art of calligraphy is an age-old tradition that requires much discipline and patience, something I could really use. It’s almost the same type of “zen” I feel when I’m knitting. It’s almost like a meditation where my mind and my hands are working together to create something, and all the external thoughts and distractions are temporarily banished from the whirlwind in my brain. And wouldn’t it be nice to make something beautiful and get a little extra income on the side?
So there you have it, my little declaration to start doing calligraphy again. I’m going to try to blog my progress here when I can. Hopefully few years from now, I will look back at this and see how much I have improved.