Ep 2: 'People of WE THE EARTH' — stories from our community

I grew up surrounded by art but always have a certain fascination with typefaces. I would spend more hours on Microsoft Word to create different WordArt title page for an assignment instead of the actual content itself. As I grew older, my parents wanted me to do a commerce/business Bachelor degree. I stopped practicing art when I got into University but my Uni notes were always really neat and beautiful.

After some considerable time away from any creative endeavours, in 2012 I established an event and wedding planning business. I had many clients complimenting me on the chalkboards that I lettered for their event – so that’s when The Articulate became a predominantly lettering business. I picked up the nib and ink around 2013 inspired by a lot the works of Calligraphy masters. I fell in love, hard – and the rest is, as you say, history.

How has your calligraphy style evolved over the years, and what influences have shaped your work?

I started my calligraphy journey by learning modern calligraphy – the more loose,  forgiving form of it. There wasn’t very many calligraphers showcased in social media at this time. However, upon discovering the more traditional styles by the masterful Penmen, I was attracted to the meticulous and meditative, almost monastic-like, practice they showcase with their calligraphy. Thus, began my exploration with the more traditional style of calligraphy.

What’s your go-to strategy for staying balanced and focused amidst the demands of your creative work?

There is no magical solution of finding that balance between work and play. I invest time in myself for self-care such as pilates, eating good well-balanced diet, less screen time, spending time with my loved ones, and many more. What I also found effective is to try your hands in other creative medium just for fun! I enjoy going to art workshops to learn painting, needle felting, embroidery, riso printing, letterpress, screen printing. I also found cooking very therapeutic and always do a weekly meal-prep so I have one less task to do during the working week.

I truly believe that self-care equals discipline although often times we’ve mistaken self-care with self-indulgence. By being discipline and taking care of my being, I am creating my best self therefore I can give the energy and the focus that the work needs. I don’t always succeed in this but I always try my best!

Great question, especially as calligraphy is known as being ink and paper based! This is speaking from experience…

In the first few years in starting calligraphy, I was very easily distracted with buying new calligraphy tools, inks and papers instead of really focusing on finessing my techniques with the tools that I already have with me. This is when art practices leaned towards wasteful – the amount of unused materials I have (and still trying to use up) is enormous, especially considering I now also create digitally.

Throughout the years I’ve learned to simplify and realised that I only need a handful of materials to create beautiful things. So instead of buying more, I am focusing in refining my technique and only buying when it seems necessary to do so. I often also use the papers from my calligraphy practices for wrapping gifts – it adds a certain je ne sais quo and individuality to the presents.

I really enjoyed working on personal client projects, especially those that tugged on the heartstrings. I penned quite a few of wedding vows, poems and quotes for clients marking a significant life milestone – and it’s always wonderful reading what they wrote. Hard to not get teary-eyed writing them.

Another type of project I really enjoyed doing is my own personal project, where I get to explore and create for my own enjoyment. It doesn’t happen often and not all of them come out beautiful but it’s always good for the soul.

Can you share any memorable collabs or commissions that left a lasting impact on you as an artist?

One of the most memorable was a collaboration that I did with West Elm, where they invited me as an artist to do live calligraphy in their store to display in their beautiful picture frames. I penned a particular quote from Beethoven’s infamous love letter “Ever thine, ever mine, ever ours” which caught the eye of a customer passing by.

She told me that her husband was terminally ill and they don’t have a lot of time left. This quote reminded her of their vows to journey this life together, no matter how hard it may get and to cherish how ever little time they have left. She cried, I cried – I ended up gifting that piece for her as I feel like it really was meant to be with this couple. I sometimes think of that customer and hope that she is well.

I personally think it’s great that there’s a rise of digital calligraphy as social media gives a lot more people awareness to what calligraphy is and avenue/access to learn it in a more ‘forgiving’ way. I, myself, use iPad a lot for creating digital lettering pieces. It’s particularly handy when I’m travelling as it’s easier to carry (I have spilled ink in my suitcase before…)

However, nothing beats the feeling of putting ink on my nib and writing on actual paper. The actual practice of calligraphy with traditional tools teaches you so much more than just the calligraphy itself. It teaches patience, good posture, breathing and mindfulness – it’s also good to rest our wary eyes away from the screen. Slow living, ftw.

Finding a good balance between both digital and traditional world is key for this vast old-school practice to integrate in an evolving world.

I’d like to be completely honest here – I’ve not been focusing on my personal calligraphy journey in this past few years due to conflicting commitment with my demanding corporate career. What I hope to do in the next season of my life, is to be able to make more time for conscious calligraphy practices, in order to be more fulfilled in in both of my passion and career. I have so many ideas brewing in my head of more calligraphy offerings, but I know that’s the first step that I have to do.

So, yes, I hope to be able to give focus on my calligraphy more in the coming years.

I always stretch before doing calligraphy! It’s no joke, but calligraphy is physically demanding especially to your posture and wrist, so it’s very important to warm up your body before diving into it. I can get lost for hours in my own world when I do calligraphy, and have had experiences where my hand is actually shaking from writing too much so I break for stretches. A nice cup of coffee and podcast/audiobook help too.