at calligraphy. I could see that it
didn’t look quite the way I wanted
and it was frustrating. I had a hard
time choosing words to practice so
one year I decided to hand calligraph all the addresses on my
Christmas cards. It took a lot of time
and I ended up throwing a lot of envelopes in the recycling bin, but in
the end I learned so much from the
exercise and it helped me push past
the block I was having. As a surprising bonus, many of the friends I sent
cards to sent me pictures of their calligraphed envelope hanging up next
to the card because they thought it
was so beautiful!
We hear all the time that practice makes perfect and it’s true! In his book, Outliers,
Malcolm Gladwell shares his theory that it takes 10,000 hours of work to become an expert at anything. Practice is what it’s all about. Before Van Gogh painted Starry Night with
its vivid colors and deep movement, he started out painting with varying shades of brown.
He didn’t find his style and really blossom until he’d made a lot mediocre work. Not everything we do or make is going to be beautiful or perfect but the more we do it, the more we
find a voice that is unique to us.
An exciting thing about living in the world right now is how easy it is to share our voice
with others. Instagram, Twitter, Periscope, Pinterest, and blogging are just a handful of
ways to share our creativity with the world. It’s easy to find people who already have a
well-honed style but there are also loads of people happily sharing their learning process
and it’s fascinating to watch their skills develop. Don’t be afraid to share your own work.
It’s the best way to connect with others and develop supportive friendships with people
interested in the same creative endeavors. These friends can become a great resource for
feedback and are the perfect place to go for answers to questions about different aspects
of your work.