A Life with Curves
Since the beginning of the year I've written my Morning Pages and some sort of journaling every day. I can't remember when I've spent so much time putting pen to paper. Yes, I write all the time but usually I'm doing so on my laptop, tapping the keys and editing on the fly. Actually pushing a pen across the page, having to cross out words instead of deleting them, drawing arrows to show continuation of thought instead of cutting and pasting to move things around, is unusual for me. And I'm loving it.
I learned from one of my coaches that different creative parts of the brain are involved when you use your hands to write or draw than when you use a keyboard. I didn't really believe it at first but I'm starting to. I don't know that it's scientifically proven (I don't know how the brain works, believe it or not) but I can attest that my mind works at a different pace and feels more deeply when I'm writing with a pen on paper.
When I sat down on New Year's Day and made my first journal entry, I loved all but one aspect of the experience. I was appalled at how bad my handwriting was. It wasn't illegible but it wasn't... graceful. The letters were small, sort of crammed together, and there was no curvature to anything. It was all angles and straight lines and it looked like if you leaned into it, you would take out an eye.
According to the people who study what our handwriting says about us, my handwriting was telling me I was introspective (small letters), feeling tense and restricting myself in some way (pointing, loopless letters). I suppose that could be true. I remember feeling excited about the new year but not at all sure how I was going to accomplish everything I wanted to. Excitement can feel a lot like tension when you have no idea what's in store for you.
Today, I was just noticing my handwriting again (and thus, this post was born). My letters are now of average size, evenly spaced and visibly more appealing. All my g's, j's, y's and the like have elegant curvy loops that look a bit like flower petals falling on the page.
According to those handwriting people again, I'm feeling adaptable (average sized letters), more spontaneous, relaxed and sure of myself (big loops) and have an open mind and enjoy trying new things (full letters).
In the past five weeks, I've joined a hiking club and a writing group, registered for a photography class and a painting class, and registered for four additional classes aimed at increasing my creativity. I would say I am feeling much more adaptable, spontaneous and up for new things, too.
Now, whether my new outlook has really changed my handwriting, I don't know. I think a great deal of the change had to do with the fact that I barely wrote more than a grocery list before January and with practice, it has just naturally improved. But it was interesting to learn that the two could have a correlation. I have no intention of stopping my daily writing practice so I'll have to monitor it and see if I notice any more changes.
What about you? Do you like your handwriting? Do you think it speaks to how you're feeling on the inside?
classes, handwriting, journaling, pen and paper, writing in About My Day 
Reader Comments (3)
Oh, OF COURSE the gs, js, and ys have loopy curves like petals, Petal! They are finally reflecting your true personality!!! *heehee* xoxo
I totally adore this post. In Karen's post, I was totally taken with how artistic her hand is. Even her to do lists were lovely, creative, and visually appealing. My handwriting is not like that, and I have to say that has been one of the more unattractive parts of this journal. I have a beautiful journal, I'd love what I put into it to be beautiful too. I agree that hand writing changes things, those. You simply can't write as quickly as you can type, so you have to be more deliberate and have to slow down to keep pace with your hands. I like that aspect. I will say, though, that my handwriting looks different every day. I think I need to get a writing desk. I'd love somewhere to sit and work that wasn't a chair, or my bed, or my work desk. :) Your enthusiasm for this process rubbed off on me, and I'm very grateful to have caught the contagion. :)
Interesting. I have to say, I've always been satisfied with my handwriting and think it's pretty nice. So full of myself! I've never thought of their being a correlation between it & my emotional state, I'll admit. I'll have to take a look next time I write when I'm not feeling my best.