Creativity cultivates calligraphy

Calligraphy is coming back on the scene as a need for personalized touches gains momentum. Technology’s influence on the art scene has created a niche for hand-written or handmade items.

The progress in technology doesn’t impede traditional arts such as calligraphy, but rather helps it, Dallas calligrapher Natalie Grace Wilson said. She believes technology multiplies opportunities to create and share an artist’s creation.

“Creating beauty is satisfying,” Wilson said. “The fast pace that technology brings has also encouraged the pendulum swing back to handcrafted beauty, as many people crave quality and meaning.”

It’s a timeless trend that has stuck around and will keep coming back, English senior Alexandra Long said.

Long had a fourth grade teacher who hand-picked students to teach calligraphy, but she wasn’t one of them. She regretted not learning earlier, because it would’ve been a handy skill to have in the creative industry, she said.

Calligraphy adds elegance and a personal touch, Hallmark sales associate Yulissa Cortinas said. Cortinas used it on her own graduation party invitations last year. “It takes a lot of patience,” Cortinas said. “I didn’t want to just mass print something and send it out. I wanted to make it my own.”

She believes the large variety of tools used in calligraphy have attracted new admirers, because different styles of pens and inks are available.

Wilson credits social media to calligraphy’s popularity. For example, when planning a wedding, a bride scours through Pinterest for inspiration on every detail, and calligraphy is needed to complete that detailed look, she said.

Wilson teaches calligraphy classes in Dallas. Students learn the tools of calligraphy and how to use them. There are a few reasons why students take her class, Wilson said. Some people want to do calligraphy for their own wedding or other event. Some want to cultivate an artistic hobby or just want to take a fun class, she said.

Wilson believes that people do not need a background in art or even have great handwriting to be good at calligraphy.

“Having a discerning eye is helpful in creating beautiful letters,” Wilson said. “But the surest indicators of a budding calligrapher are correct use of the pen and willingness to practice.”

Creativity cultivates calligraphy

Source: www.theshorthorn.com