In a world where typing is the norm and the only reasons we write anymore is to answer an essay question or make a quick shopping list, the craft of calligraphy or hand lettering is very much still alive.

With a very lovely help from instagram, artists everywhere are able to show off their designs or connect with other creatives to get inspiration or advice on the technique of calligraphy. So what is it exactly?

Calligraphy is pretty much the art of producing beautiful writing with a specific style and using tools such as a special pen or brush. It can be traced back as early as 600 BC for Latin script and has been used all around the world including countries throughout Europe and Asia. Considered one of the highest artforms of its time, calligraphy was used as a means in which to reproduce texts such as the Holy Bible as well as to document and maintain numerous alphabets from different cultures and was only taught to those who worked in Churches or were apart of Monarchies that required calligraphers to document significant events or to create books and laws and contracts.

After the artform slowly was replaced by regular handwriting and the typed word, it has since had a resurgence in a decorative use, often on wedding invitations or stationary. It has also been developed into a more modern, colourful form, with many artists and calligraphers creating and posting designs online as well as tutorials for those of us beginners. I first got to know a little bit more about Calligraphy from watching Lucie Fink’s video on 5 days of Calligraphy, where she went through the stages of learning the technique of drawing letters as well as how to hold and use the writing tools she had.

Something that was clear early on was how it really is an exercise that requires time and practise, but can also be very fun to master and experiment with. I always loved writing things by hand at school and even at home when I wanted to brainstorm ideas for a blog post, write out plans or simply make little notes or reminders. Even though computers have just about become the most popular way in which to write and take notes, it’s nice to see these trends coming back and encouraging us to use our hands to be creative and learn a new skill like this.