Handwriting Part 2

The Magic of Handwriting

A few days ago I was talking with my mom in the midst of the afternoon shuffle. She was carrying her classic batch of items - coffee in a to-go cup, glasses and a watch cap, and a bundle of books. As she stood I noticed one particular book in her arms, ‘WHAT is that??’ I asked her. ‘Oh darn,’ she said, as it was meant to be a surprise. She handed it to me so I could see its title, ‘The Magic of Handwriting.’ She told me the author, Pedro Corrêa do Lago, had just given it to her, and because of my recent Substack post on National Handwriting Day, she thought I would love to see it. 

Can you believe that? Just the title itself, ‘The MAGIC of Handwriting.’ If you have read any of my posts or spoken with me in person, you know that ‘magic’ is a word I use often, one of our best, I think. Thank you so very much to Pedro for creating this incredible book and sharing it with my mom, and thank you to her for sharing it with me. Now, in case you haven’t seen it yet for yourself, I will share it with you!

This generous book was created with Taschen, and is filled with beautiful examples of natural handwriting from manuscripts, documents, letters, sheet music, etc, all from Pedro Corrêa do Lago’s personal collection. He is an art historian and curator from Brazil, and his collection was actually on exhibit at the beloved Morgan Library and Museum in 2018.

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The accompanying book is beautiful, so much fun to explore, and is separated nicely by section: Art, History, Literature, Science, Music, Philosophy, Exploration and Conquest, and Entertainment. There is also a lot of supplemental writing in the book, background on each person included and details about the context of their handwriting example. The book opens with two beautiful introductory pieces, Tangible Time by Brazilian artist and photographer Vik Muniz, and Of Love and Magic by Christine Nelson of the Morgan Library. (Here is her blog) Reading about Christine, I would like nothing more than to be her friend and ask her a laundry list of questions. She wrote books like, The Brontës: A Family Writes, and has curated major exhibitions on artists and writers like my dear Henry. The opening words of her introduction read, ‘Magicians and conjurers. They summon what is hidden - a coin or a scarf, or even a fluttering bird - with a flick of the wrist and a word of incantation. They are also concealers. They guard their secrets and (if their tricks are good and our hearts are open) leave us questioning and marveling. There is no magic without our complicity. So it is with the handwritten page. Its magic derives from its capacity to conjure the human being who once marked the paper; its mystery lies in all that remains indecipherable or simply unuttered.’

Holding this book in my hands, toting it around with me the last few days, it feels like a new friend. I suppose with all these words from our beloved figures, it’s more like a host of new friends. There is a spirit and warmth emanating from this book that just makes me feel excited and content. I can physically feel its essence of inspiration and guidance, comfort and familiarity. Seeing the handwriting of our favorite people from the distant past is sort of like seeing their gravestones in the cemetery. Something about it makes them real, as they transition from an imagined character, to a real person, flesh and blood like you and me. They lived and they died, they wrote and they thought. They had unfinished works, ideas that never came to fruition, they had a rich and beautiful inner world that nobody else could have truly known, a world they would escape to whenever they needed, for refuge and guidance, to be still in the quiet of themselves. This book brings to life the energy of these individuals, just as my own collection of personal notes, letters, cards, set-lists, chord charts, drawings, and postcards from loved ones. A part of them is there. The ink being manipulated and shaped by their very own hand, little mistakes and spelling errors. There is no delete button or autocorrect, instead either left without notice, or scratched out with extra ink, an even more wonderful thing to see. Human moments, real between us, sharing process without hiding.    

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A friend shared with me yesterday that in this day and age, we ‘watch ourselves’ at about 80% and ‘be ourselves’ at about 20%. She said how in different decades and eras in the past, these percentages were reversed, maybe watching ourselves only 10%, and being ourselves, experiencing ourselves at 90%. She shared about how some of this is positive, watching our health, our mental well being, taking care of ourselves fully (this part has fluctuated through the thousands of years and differs between parts of the world as ancient medicine is extremely high level and we still draw from it today), but we talked about the other side of the constant ‘watching.’ Feeling the pressure to be performative at all times, watching ourselves on a screen, hyperfocused on the details of how we sound, how we look, how we might be portrayed in the eyes of someone else. Watching instead of Being. She asked me, ‘what is the future? Will we just become watchers? 100% watching without ‘being’ at all?’ 

I’ve been thinking about this a lot this morning, about the nuance and details of these ideas. I think this was referring mostly, if not fully, to social media and mirror screens themselves, but I started wondering, is typing on the screen the same as watching? I am watching my thoughts leave the ether of my mind and become visible things, watching my words take shape before my eyes. Is it the same with handwriting, with these letters and documents, sheet music and drawings, all these beautiful words and shapes from other times? It’s not the same, because this is where the beautiful balance and harmony is found, an example of where watching and being exist in tandem in the most important and beautiful way. Watching is important just as being. Input is important just as output. Our inner world and that world we share with others. The words we say outloud and the intentional moments when we choose to remain silent. All of it is deeply important, and there is a need for both. It’s truly about self awareness and maintaining a harmonious balance both within ourselves and in relation to others. It’s also and most definitely always about intention. 

 What do you think? What is ‘being’ for you? When do you feel the most still and at peace? What is an example where ‘watching’ and ‘being’ co-exist together? When can watching and being create a magical harmony together? On the other side, what is an example where ‘watching’ becomes something draining and exhausting for the spirit? Are there any ways you can find a more harmonious balance in life?   

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I’m thinking now of David Chang, a beautiful calligrapher based in NYC who combines meditation and mindfulness with calligraphy. His website reads, ‘His masterful study of calligraphy is driven by a passion for “bringing the essence of a word or message to life.” Chang's calligraphic mark —vacillating between traditional scripts and contemporary abstraction— issues statements of personal, cultural, and spiritual awareness while retaining a formal beauty full of urgency and redemption.’ <3 I am eager to know more of his thoughts on this all - handwriting and the written word. On the spaces of ‘watching’ and ‘being,’ and on that space in between, where the harmony and balance can be found and experienced fully within a practice - artistic, spiritual or otherwise. 

A calligraphy meditation from David Chang. Thank you <3

One of the things I am moved by and deeply appreciate about David’s work is how he honors the process and shares the experience and nuance of it all so fully. Honoring the process. Doing, Watching, Being. A harmonious balance between patience and action. A moment of still energy contained in the most powerful way.

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This is deeply important to me, and has become more important than ever as product becomes more celebrated than process. I love these two examples of pieces from David, product/object/tangible item of artistry which also honors process and experience. And I love this book, The Magic of Handwriting, as it strikes that balance too, sharing a product that is also made from the most unfathomable amount of human to human interconnectedness and collaboration. There is the clear collaboration between Pedro and the Morgan Library, between them and Taschen, and there is the unseen wild web of collaboration behind every person’s handwriting honored in that book. These collaborations we cannot ever know fully, that exist behind the intention of their handwriting, the project it was meant for, the inspiration that drove them to write, the piano the sheet music was composed on, the recipient on the other end of the letter. This book is a magnificent finished product/object/tangible item, and it also honors and celebrates ‘process,’ as it shows examples of these figures developing their skills and becoming masters of their crafts - doodling on a page, brainstorming ideas, becoming who they are. 

There is so much here to discuss, within these topics, and within the magic of this perfect book. I would love to hear all of your own thoughts, reflections, ideas. What inspires you, scares you, excites you, and brings you joy. Please share anything you like in the comments and I would love to read them. About process, your craft, this book, the exhibition, handwriting, anything you like. I also started a new thread in our Chat (this link shows how to join if you haven’t already) where you can share pictures too, as I would love to see examples of handwriting that resonate with you - from a public figure, someone from the past, or someone from your own life, someone close to you, or even from yourself. 

Thank you everyone for reading and have the most wonderful day.