Calligraphy is a marriage of art and writing where you carefully design and draw letters. It has been practiced since time immemorial and has been constantly practiced today. Traditionally, calligraphy has been practiced with brushes and pens, allowing for broad and thin strokes.
But now, calligraphy is no longer confined by the inkwells, brushers, and pens; there are different types of calligraphy (not just ink-based ones) that allow you to use all types of materials, such as chalk markers or even highlighters, basically anything you can write with. If you wish to go for a more paperless approach, digital calligraphy is something you may want to consider.
Practicing calligraphy doesn’t only grant you a new talent or hobby, but also a couple of other benefits you may not know about. So, let’s take a look at the advantages you would get from calligraphy:
Meditation and Relaxation
Practicing any craft has been known to have a therapeutic and de-stressing effect. So, whenever you had a bad day or just want to take your mind off something that’s making you anxious, go practice calligraphy. The focus and coordination it takes to practice calligraphy can be a form of meditation, as you work on strokes and widths one letter at a time.
Calligraphy takes time and effort; therefore, finishing a card or even just a few words with calligraphy can provide a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment, just like when finishing a painting or a cross-stitched portrait.
Mental Health Benefits
Calligraphy requires a considerable amount of focus, hand-eye coordination, and patience, which makes it an effective and inexpensive form of mental workout. Additionally, practicing a new art or craft such as calligraphy contributes to neuroplasticity, which is the ability of the brain to form new connections in response to new experiences and learning. It’s the same concept as training and improving your brain when you learn a new language.
Creative Freedom and Outlet
Some people are intimidated by or disinterested with calligraphy due to the belief that it’s highly technical and obliges one to follow specific strokes and widths. But once you nail the basics and get the hang of it, you can go beyond the practice book’s instructed strokes and customize calligraphy as your own. It’s like when practicing toning and strokes in art; once you’ve mastered or at least sufficiently grasped the concept, you can go bend the rules and make it your own. This gives you creative freedom and an outlet for self-expression.
Save Money and Impress at Weddings and Other Events
Whenever a reunion, a wedding, or some other event comes up and there’s a need for envelopes, invitations, or place cards, you might end up commissioning someone to print or hand-make them, which would cost a considerable amount of money. But if you’re able to personalize and make them on your own, you can save money and wow other people when they realize that you have hand-made their invitations and cards.
Calligraphy is an old visual art that’s still being practiced today. This craft knows no age limit, requires no special training—just practice, and doesn’t require a lot of resources. So, why not step into this ancient craft of calligraphy and reap the advantages that it offers.
