These days, we type more than we write. Letters to friends, school papers, work reports, your favorite source for fun and uplifting news, and even shopping and to-do lists are done more and more by computer or on phones.
Going paperless is great when it comes to saving trees, but there's also something to be said for the skill of penmanship.
Most of us remember penmanship lessons from school, learning all the proper loops of cursive writing. Maybe you hated it, but maybe you liked being able to write with style and flourish. Maybe you marveled at how your fingers developed the muscle memory and you were soon penning cards and notes like a pro.
Handwriting is a skill just like drawing or playing a musical instrument, and it takes a certain degree of discipline and technique. But there's also something warmly personal about it. Getting a letter in the handwriting of a loved one makes you feel a little close to them than an email might. And some people even believe that a person's handwriting holds secrets about their personalities.
But if you fear handwriting is going the way of the dinosaur, don't! There are still people who love the hand-lettered look, and not only that, but they're elevating it to an art form.
Check out some of the amazing penmanship samples below, and use them as inspiration for your next greeting card!
[H/T: BoredPanda]
Cover photo via Flickr / liz west
Handwriting seems like a very basic thing, something that everyone does, and yet there's so much that really goes into it.
This skilled wielder of a pen broke their handwriting down into its components, and how it can be altered.
For those of us who took copious notes in school, it was a great way to simultaneously hone penmanship.
And there's something really satisfying about a perfectly neat and organized page of notes at the end of class!
And while crisp, clear print letters are satisfyingly functional, there's also something to be said for the refined flourishes that come with cursive and in hybrid styles like this one.
Of course, most people who take their handwriting seriously are proficient in both. And even with a simple ballpoint pen, they can make it work.
Other people like to look back in time and study the handwriting forms from the past. This style of cursive writing dates from the late 1800s, and has been reproduced using modern pens and paper.
This style is called Spencerian script, and was the standard for all cursive writing in the U.S. from 1850 to 1925.
It was so prevalent that the logos for Ford and Coca-Cola still bear this style of script today.
Other people like to take things way back, though, like this calligraphic style. This style takes from a variety of medieval writing styles, the kind you might see on an old manuscript.
Of course, great handwriting doesn't just appear on paper. Someone at this gym is quite skilled at writing on a whiteboard.
Others like to work in negative on a chalkboard, and in this case, they threw in a pretty stunning illustration, as well.
And great penmanship can also appear on the sidewalk…
And sometimes even where you might never expect it, like on your morning coffee cup!
A neatly printed to-do list not only looks nice, but it can help you organize an otherwise hectic day into easily managed sections and avoid stress.
This person, who lives with anxiety and depression, uses lists to make sure they're remembering their health and to keep from getting overwhelmed.
Other people use their handwriting as an expression of closeness. After all, it takes a lot of time and energy to create a one-of-a-kind letter like this, which the writer wrote to greet her boyfriend after a long trip.
Other people practice penmanship as a hobby. It can be meditative and a way to unwind. This writing is a transcription of Oscar Wilde's The Ballad of Reading Gaol.
Of course, while penmanship is usually associated with the literary arts, it can also make science notes look great. Extra points for perfect little diagrams!
And sometimes, you don't even need words to create a beautiful example of penmanship!
And great penmanship transcends any language. This writing is in Vietnamese.
And sometimes, a single word is all it takes to be so pleasing.
Handwriting doesn't have to be classic, even, or traditional to be striking. In fact the beauty of writing by hand is that it allows you to get really off-beat and creative!
Handwriting is something that we often overlook, but it can really make such a difference in how we read something, and even how we think of the person writing!
The next time you write a note, see what your handwriting style is!
Please SHARE if you think good penmanship is an important skill to uphold!
