I absolutley am intrigued with people's handwriting. I find myself often watching my people's hands when tgey're writing. The way they hold the writing utensil in their fingers, which hand they write with, the pace at which they write, how small or big their letters are, whether they write in cursive or print or in some cases all capitals. I always am envious of the people who write in perfect lines on unlined paper. I could never do that. My handwriting on unlined paper tends to flow upwards or downwards, never in straight lines across. Every time I saw my grams handwriting on her letters to me in the mail it made me happy. Her handwriting was always so neat and unique to anyone elses I ever saw. It almost looked as if flowers were blooming from the beginning and ends of her written words with how she flung the beginning letter and ending letters upwards and rounded them out.
Your basketball injury experience takes me back to mine actually. When I was in elemetary school in gym class I was playing basketball and I had tripped and fell onto the court floor and as one of the other students was dribbling the ball by me, they bounced it right on top of my fingers on my right hand as I was trying to push myself back up off the floor. I immediately felt pain in my pinky finger and started crying and got brought to the school nurse. The nurse said I broke my pinky and she wrapped my pinky finger and ring finger together so my pinky would heal correctly and not be disformed. I remember having to keep it taped like that for 2 weeks. They never brought me to my doctor about it, stating there was nothing they could really do as I was still real young and growing. Still to this day my right pinky finger is bent a little outwards unlike on my left hand, so the taping did nothing lol. I still continued to play basketball and still do for recreation nowadays well into adulthood, but always am mindful of being aware of where the ball is if I'm on the floor lol.
Beautiful post. I remember always being taken by my mom’s elegant handwriting growing up- like an energetic signature. Its flow must have rubbed off on me in ways that words alone lack the visual context to transfer.
This post brought back memories to me... I too passed notes in class.. I remember one time in the 9th grade I tried to change my hand writing and my Spanish teacher failed me on a test because she said I did not write the answers. When I asked her who wrote it, she didn't have any idea. LOL.
This reminds me of my handwriting class during my kindergarten days. Then I believed that to be a leader, scientist, Doctor or even president you need to have very beautiful handwriting, only to grow up and realize that so many Doctors have very terrible handwriting.
Nevertheless, the early years really made me conscious of my handwriting till date, I can discard a 1000 words notes just because the writing is not legible enough, it’s just me.
I am viscerally impressed with your work, Jesse! I have spent my whole life deeply in love with the hand and the pen, and what they can do. I began as a child, copying documents such as the Declaration of Independence and medieval manuscripts. More recently I was commissioned by the director of the Eugene Islamic Center to teach Arabic handwriting to his children, Sadly, that project ended with the pandemic.
Do you know this website? It features very writing system known to man, including un-deciphered scripts like Linear A, and literary creations such as J.R.R. Tolkien's elfish script.
I lost my mum many years ago but every time I see an envelope with my name on it ( l saved several letters) my heart leaps and l feel happy, sad and then memories of mum come flooding in like a huge hug 🙏
Loved this - I come from a long line of elementary school teachers - handwriting was such an important skill, that they certainly stressed.
My older sister was quite the letter writer, her handwriting was elegant and clear. She was nearly 20 years older than me and spent a lot of time with my grandparents who were born in the 188Os - she picked up their beautiful style of handwriting. It's a skill that you need to practice.
Sadly my handwriting looks like the rushed product of a hyperactive chimpanzee. Actually that's a disservice to chimpanzees - with the right training I'm sure their handwriting would easily top mine.
This is a beautiful post and thank you for bringing to my attention there’s a national day for handwriting. I think handwriting is so important. This morning as I was writing my Morning Pages in longhand I did dwell on my own handwriting and as I continued writing I noticed I was writing with an orange pen - the orange same as Substack logo - so a sign for me to start on Substack ... And as happens with the synchronicity of things, I keep getting prompts for my first article like this. Thanks for the inspiration.
when you delve into something it truly is a deep and loving dive i suppose my own handwriting is an impatient scrawl one word seeking to jump over another like impatient nervous jostling of a crowd waiting to purchase last tickets for a sold-out concert ...well back in the day perhaps before all the on-line options made that event more or less obsolete? ha
Thank you, Jesse, for sharing your inspirations with us. I find the topics you choose to explore always give me much to think... and feel... about! I love hand writing and can sit and doodle letters contentedly for hours. My preferred pen is a fine tipped roller ball. I find different styles of handwriting can transport me to different worlds and ignite my imaginative spirit. And... your post was extra auspicious, as it was sent at 11:11! Thank you, Jesse. 💛
Jesse, your post about handwriting came at the right time. There's a font festival here in April, which I'm really looking forward to. Thank you so much for your inspiration.
Dear Jesse, I remember a time when I was experimenting with pen and ink myself. And it makes me want to do it again. I own two ink fountain pens that I write with and I love green ink. But I also have ink in blue and deep orange. And most of all I like the beautiful inkwells. So thank you for your (as always) inspiring post. I love it. And I love your mom's handwriting. She signed one of her books for me last year. Unfortunately, I only had a pen with me at the time and no ink.
I absolutley am intrigued with people's handwriting. I find myself often watching my people's hands when tgey're writing. The way they hold the writing utensil in their fingers, which hand they write with, the pace at which they write, how small or big their letters are, whether they write in cursive or print or in some cases all capitals. I always am envious of the people who write in perfect lines on unlined paper. I could never do that. My handwriting on unlined paper tends to flow upwards or downwards, never in straight lines across. Every time I saw my grams handwriting on her letters to me in the mail it made me happy. Her handwriting was always so neat and unique to anyone elses I ever saw. It almost looked as if flowers were blooming from the beginning and ends of her written words with how she flung the beginning letter and ending letters upwards and rounded them out.
Your basketball injury experience takes me back to mine actually. When I was in elemetary school in gym class I was playing basketball and I had tripped and fell onto the court floor and as one of the other students was dribbling the ball by me, they bounced it right on top of my fingers on my right hand as I was trying to push myself back up off the floor. I immediately felt pain in my pinky finger and started crying and got brought to the school nurse. The nurse said I broke my pinky and she wrapped my pinky finger and ring finger together so my pinky would heal correctly and not be disformed. I remember having to keep it taped like that for 2 weeks. They never brought me to my doctor about it, stating there was nothing they could really do as I was still real young and growing. Still to this day my right pinky finger is bent a little outwards unlike on my left hand, so the taping did nothing lol. I still continued to play basketball and still do for recreation nowadays well into adulthood, but always am mindful of being aware of where the ball is if I'm on the floor lol.
Beautiful post. I remember always being taken by my mom’s elegant handwriting growing up- like an energetic signature. Its flow must have rubbed off on me in ways that words alone lack the visual context to transfer.
I am so surprised that Emily Dickinson's handwriting was so illegible. Thanks Jesse.
Thanks for reminding me of my feelings about seeing my mother and father's handwriting after they had passed
This post brought back memories to me... I too passed notes in class.. I remember one time in the 9th grade I tried to change my hand writing and my Spanish teacher failed me on a test because she said I did not write the answers. When I asked her who wrote it, she didn't have any idea. LOL.
This reminds me of my handwriting class during my kindergarten days. Then I believed that to be a leader, scientist, Doctor or even president you need to have very beautiful handwriting, only to grow up and realize that so many Doctors have very terrible handwriting.
Nevertheless, the early years really made me conscious of my handwriting till date, I can discard a 1000 words notes just because the writing is not legible enough, it’s just me.
Also, you or someone you know may benefit from my weekly updates on substack if: Post-Doc, PhD or MSc student or aspiring one. Please subscribe and share: https://gradinterface.substack.com/p/over-43m-grant-for-researchers-160
I am viscerally impressed with your work, Jesse! I have spent my whole life deeply in love with the hand and the pen, and what they can do. I began as a child, copying documents such as the Declaration of Independence and medieval manuscripts. More recently I was commissioned by the director of the Eugene Islamic Center to teach Arabic handwriting to his children, Sadly, that project ended with the pandemic.
Do you know this website? It features very writing system known to man, including un-deciphered scripts like Linear A, and literary creations such as J.R.R. Tolkien's elfish script.
https://www.omniglot.com/
Writing by hand is special. It’s sensory.
I lost my mum many years ago but every time I see an envelope with my name on it ( l saved several letters) my heart leaps and l feel happy, sad and then memories of mum come flooding in like a huge hug 🙏
Loved this - I come from a long line of elementary school teachers - handwriting was such an important skill, that they certainly stressed.
My older sister was quite the letter writer, her handwriting was elegant and clear. She was nearly 20 years older than me and spent a lot of time with my grandparents who were born in the 188Os - she picked up their beautiful style of handwriting. It's a skill that you need to practice.
Sadly my handwriting looks like the rushed product of a hyperactive chimpanzee. Actually that's a disservice to chimpanzees - with the right training I'm sure their handwriting would easily top mine.
📝
Hi Jesse, a delightful way of saying hi. I'll send you something separately. XXXGerard
This is a beautiful post and thank you for bringing to my attention there’s a national day for handwriting. I think handwriting is so important. This morning as I was writing my Morning Pages in longhand I did dwell on my own handwriting and as I continued writing I noticed I was writing with an orange pen - the orange same as Substack logo - so a sign for me to start on Substack ... And as happens with the synchronicity of things, I keep getting prompts for my first article like this. Thanks for the inspiration.
when you delve into something it truly is a deep and loving dive i suppose my own handwriting is an impatient scrawl one word seeking to jump over another like impatient nervous jostling of a crowd waiting to purchase last tickets for a sold-out concert ...well back in the day perhaps before all the on-line options made that event more or less obsolete? ha
Thank you, Jesse, for sharing your inspirations with us. I find the topics you choose to explore always give me much to think... and feel... about! I love hand writing and can sit and doodle letters contentedly for hours. My preferred pen is a fine tipped roller ball. I find different styles of handwriting can transport me to different worlds and ignite my imaginative spirit. And... your post was extra auspicious, as it was sent at 11:11! Thank you, Jesse. 💛
Jesse, your post about handwriting came at the right time. There's a font festival here in April, which I'm really looking forward to. Thank you so much for your inspiration.
Dear Jesse, I remember a time when I was experimenting with pen and ink myself. And it makes me want to do it again. I own two ink fountain pens that I write with and I love green ink. But I also have ink in blue and deep orange. And most of all I like the beautiful inkwells. So thank you for your (as always) inspiring post. I love it. And I love your mom's handwriting. She signed one of her books for me last year. Unfortunately, I only had a pen with me at the time and no ink.