Ink & Inspiration: Scribes Open Up About Their Creative Journey

Hey there, lovely readers!

I’m super excited to kick off a new topic today. I want to reach out to all of you amazing scribes and ask you to share your personal experiences. We want to hear all about how you got started on this wonderful journey, what motivated you, and any other captivating details you’d like to share. If you’re up for it, I’d love to publish your stories right here, with a bit of a twist. I’ll schedule them randomly, so you’ll have a pleasant surprise every time you visit. Don’t be shy, dear writers, let your creative spirit run wild! Can’t wait to read all your incredible tales.

Without further ado, here’s the first one, a post from my apprentice, HL Astrid Esbjornsdottir. (And just so you know, both her arms are fine.)

Ever since I can remember, Mom drew, painted, sewed, created, and lettered. Oh, so many splendid things. I guess when I was small when she was painting or lettering, I would try to help. I guess I would lay my hand on hers and do strokes with her. Her calligraphy was fun. When I was able to control a pencil, I would draw the outline of a letter and crayon in the body. Mom wisely didn’t trust me with ink yet. Later, she let me use her precious pen nibs to start on the path of a calligrapher. I haven’t looked back. Thank you, Mom.

When teaching calligraphy, I start out with practicing very basic key strokes. Kinda boring, but it helps to train the muscles. After that, to repeat what so many others have said, practice, practice, and more practice. After all, you are teaching yourself.

If you find something that interests you, go for it. For a calligrapher, you will have missed words, bad slants, a sneeze at a crucial time, or frozen ink. It happens, and it’s cruddy, but it works out anyway.

After the practice, after you are done with a project, afterward, sit back and take a deep breath. Ya done it, and it’s good. Above all, have fun.