We all need hobbies and creative outlets to help our minds take a break. Calligraphy has been such a release for me! When I started learning calligraphy back in 2015, I had no idea what the art would open up for me. Calligraphy is an outlet for me during times of stress or sadness. (Read how I got my start as a calligrapher here!) It really helps me process feelings, and sometimes those feels can inspire me to create things I never thought I would create.

Maybe you’re considering picking up a pen and learning calligraphy. Maybe something’s holding you back. You don’t have all the answers to your calligraphy questions and you don’t know where to start.

Friend, I know exactly what you’re feeling because I’ve been there! It can be tough trying something new, and I was honestly on the fence about learning calligraphy because I didn’t know where to start.

I wanted to address some of those fears or questions you may have in this post, and share with you 5 things you might not know about calligraphy. These are things that I wish I would have known before starting calligraphy. I probably would have started sooner if I knew these things earlier! So here are 5 things you may not know about calligraphy that you NEED to know:

1. You don’t have to have nice handwriting.

I don’t know about you, but my handwriting gets pretty messy. Letters run together and sometimes you just can’t read what I write! One of the greatest things about calligraphy is that you don’t have to have nice handwriting.

Calligraphy is so different from handwriting! It’s actually more like drawing letters than it is just writing them out. Our handwriting is meant to be functional, while calligraphy is intentional. Handwriting is typically sloppy or not as “neat” as we would prefer because we’re using it for simple communication. Our grocery lists don’t have to be fancy. We just need something fairly legible to remind us to grab milk and eggs!

Calligraphy is slow, focused, and intentional. That’s why anyone can learn calligraphy – literally, ANYONE! So if you have “sloppy” handwriting, don’t be discouraged. As long as you’re committed to slowing down and learning something new, you can do this!

2. It’s relatively inexpensive to start.

Different hobbies can cost a lot of money to get started with all the tools you have to purchase. That’s one of the top reasons I recommend learning calligraphy as a great creative hobby to start because the supplies are pretty inexpensive! Nibs cost $1-2. A good starter holder can cost $9-12. The ink is around $9 per bottle and lasts for a long time! In total, you’ll spend around $30 to get started with calligraphy.

Choosing a quality instructor to learn from can add to the amount that you’ll spend, but the start-up is so much cheaper than other creative hobbies. Last year, I got into watercolor and the paints alone cost $9-10 per tube of paint! I ended up adding them to my Christmas list, but the total was around $100 just for the paints.

All you need to get started are a few simple tools that won’t break the bank.

Want to know exactly what essential calligraphy supplies I use? Grab my free guide The Essentials here!

3. There are TONS of different styles.

From Copperplate to Spencerian to modern calligraphy, there are so many different styles! With more traditional styles like Copperplate and Spencerian, there are specific rules to follow when forming letters. With modern calligraphy, the sky’s the limit! While it can stick to general guidelines, each calligrapher really has a chance to express their personal style through modern calligraphy. I got my start with modern calligraphy because I enjoyed not having a set form to follow. The rules of scripts like Spencerian seemed restricting to me, and I loved the freedom that came with developing my own style.

While my first love was modern calligraphy, there is definitely a time and place for traditional scripts! In April 2019 I jumped into learning Spencerian calligraphy from an online course taught by Laura Hooper Calligraphy. Since I’m completely self-taught otherwise, it was nice to get instruction and feedback on my work, and it was also so helpful to learn the rules that accompany Spencerian. The rules helped me pay attention to the details in my own style and refine it. Spencerian is also just a beautiful script to learn, so it was fun to dive into it!

4. Learning calligraphy isn’t complicated. 

I know it might look complicated, but I promise, it’s fairly simple! It definitely takes practice and the right tools to start well, but there are so many resources on the internet that make it simple to learn calligraphy. I decided to break down learning calligraphy step by step in a beginner pointed pen calligraphy course called the Pointed Pen Course! It makes it easy to learn calligraphy at your own pace and gives you the opportunity to learn with a little help along the way. I also offer free printable practice worksheets every month that make it easy for you to practice without having to spend money! (Search for printable worksheets under the “Calligraphy Education” section of the blog!)

5. Calligraphy is art, and YOU are the artist.

As a calligrapher, YOU are an artist. That’s right. An artist. If you would have told me when I was younger that I would be an artist when I grew up, I would have laughed. I had ZERO artistic abilities and actually had an art teacher laugh at my artwork in high school. No way could I ever be an artist!

But calligraphy really is art. It’s so much more than writing your name in a visually appealing way. It’s taking words and making them into art. It’s adding your style and personality to the words to evoke feeling and meaning in those who see it. It’s carefully crafting each letter in a way that makes people stop and pause. It’s adding beauty to the ordinary. Calligraphy is art, and as a calligrapher, you are an artist.

 

So are you ready to start learning calligraphy? Are you ready to overcome the hesitations you have and gain the confidence to start learning and to start well? Check out the Pointed Pen Course to get started, or grab my Essentials Guide below to start with the right supplies!