Handlettering 365: Inaugural Post

The moment I read about Lisa Congdon's year-long hand lettering project, I knew it was for me. I've been dabbling in design for the past six months, taking out books on hand lettering and design from the library, signing up for Skillshare classes on calligraphy and Illustrator, and dreaming of the day I could make something spectacular enough to share. The beauty of Lisa's project? It celebrates the process rather than just the end product. Instead of waiting and wishing and hoping one day I'll make something I'd want to show off, I realized I need to be in the muck of it, practicing and getting my hands dirty, every day. I practiced some calligraphy on Monday night, and all day Tuesday at work, the small indent on my right middle finger, black from ink, was a reminder of the work I'd put in to get better at a craft I'm passionate about. I'm often guilty of forgetting to put in the work necessary to get where I want to be, and this project is one way that I'm shedding that guilt and getting down to it.

Today, the first day of a year lifetime of hand lettering, I bring you something simple. I was thinking of two specific friends when I drew these words: Katharine, who precedes every interesting story with "Y'all" to get your attention, and Nabila, who loves cats.

The idea is that I will slowly but eventually get better at this. Some days will be simple like this, other days I'll take on more of a challenge. The point is to make it a daily habit. Let's do this, shall we?