Andrea Hunter - A blog about daily life

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Portfolio

Three Things About Handwriting

quote

14 Jul
Two open journals, pages filled with handwriting.

A lot has been studied and written about handwriting. Is it relevant in our digital world? Should we bother teaching it in school? What are the cognitive differences between typing and writing things by hand?

Nothing against digital forms of writing which are obviously useful and necessary. And typing, of course. But here are three things about handwriting, which seems to need defending from time to time.

aesthtetic

Handwriting necessarily includes a level of personality that’s difficult to achieve on a digital platform. There’s connection to the person who’s hand touched the page and formed the letters.

The photo above is of my husband’s grandmother’s diaries. One of the journals is a Letts of London, a company which still makes beautiful and high-quality notebooks.

These handwritten diaries are such a personal and beautiful legacy of family history.

Scientific

The following is very science-y. Summarized as handwriting being vital in establishing pathways in the brain, and being important for spatial and planning development, and memory.

Handwriting is a unimanual and idiosyncratic visuomotor activity that involves recalling spelling from memory and translating thought into an autonomous graphic mark by gripping a writing tool and moving it on a surface, that provides friction and natural sound as cognitive feedback, and where the writer must plan ahead spacial requirements, such as linearity, spacing and velocity of the text. Handwriting connects the visual with the writing surface and the premotor cortex in the brain with Broca’s expressive speech area, Exner’s graphomotor area and Wernicke’s processing of spoken words area in adults. In children, and despite their incomplete laterization until the age of ten or eleven, handwriting activates an adult-like pathway when they see the letters or words that they have produced by hand and allows them to memorise them better.

“Is Handwriting relevant in the digital era?”

Visionary

Is that too strong a word?

Writing is really a way of thinking – not just feeling but thinking about things that are disparate, unresolved, mysterious, problematic or just sweet.

Toni Morrison

I love this quote. I find a lot more freedom in taking pen to paper. Having a whole page to work with, rather than sequential characters in s prescribed row. Something about seeing my words on a screen makes me want to spend more time re-arranging and editing and correcting and re-formatting … rather than thinking and getting my ideas down.


P.S. I’m considering ordering a Letts of London notebook, just for the sake of nostalgia.

tags: quote
Previous Post: « Making Some New Washi Sampler Cards
Next Post: I Made Some Mini Sketchbooks »

Primary Sidebar

Hello lovely people, how are you? Welcome to a quiet, conversational, and pretty space on our screens. I hope it provides a little lull for us, where we can find some nice things and learn a few useful tidbits. Thanks so much for being here. xx

Recent Posts

  • Not an End Of Year Post
  • Taking Notes on Chronic Illness
  • Hiking Diaries: Kortright Conservation Area
  • Typewritings 14: Facts About Sweetgrass
  • Trying to Regain a Rhythm

blogging handmade migraine notebooks photography projects quote reading stationery typewriter

Image Credits

All lovely images in these posts are created by Andrea Hunter, unless otherwise attributed, and may not be used without permission.

Hello lovely IGers. I’m here briefly to celebrat Hello lovely IGers. I’m here briefly to celebrate the launch of this incredible book which I’ve had the privilege of collaborating on as a writer and editor. I’ve written more about it in a blog post, link in my bio.
.
.
.
Also I’m mortified that some of you may have had a pop up notification that I’ve posted something, since it’s been so long. I’m so sorry.
.
.
.
#thecarbonalmanac #factsconnectionaction
A retrospective journal spread for 2020...these ar A retrospective journal spread for 2020...these are some blank pages in the back of my planner and I’m flipping back through the months and weeks to document the things I started, finished, loved or hated, was blessed with or overcame.  I’ve set up space for 20 things (because 2020) but if I feel like turning the page and writing more I will. There are no rules to journaling. Wishing you all a lovely few more days of this year. 🤍
.
.
.#stationery #stationeryaddict #collage #paper #paperlove #journaling #journalpages #journalspread #analog #ephemera #wellbeing #selfcare #mindfulness #takecareofyourself #stayhomestaycreative #20goodthingsin2020
is saying “thank you to all of you lovelies for is saying “thank you to all of you lovelies for letting me share this letter-writing journey with you since March. I appreciate all of you so so much!”additionally, cosy = British English and cozy = American English... what’s a Canadian girl to do?
.
.
.#handwriting #handwritinggoals #letterwriting #snailmail #happymail  #stationery #stationeryaddict #collage #paper #paperlove #journaling #journalpages #printablestationery #digitalpaper #analog #ephemera #wellbeing #selfcare #mindfulness #takecareofyourself #stayhomestaycreative
#afterthepen #asmr #afterthepen #asmr
is thinking the last month of this year will be an is thinking the last month of this year will be an incredibly bittersweet time, but prepared to fill this spread with lots of good memories 🌲
.
.
.
Happy first day of December 2020 my friends ✨
.
.
.#plannergirl #planneraddict #monthlyspread #decembermonthly #stationery #stationeryaddict #collage #paper #paperlove #journaling #analog #ephemera #wellbeing #selfcare #mindfulness #takecareofyourself #stayhomestaycreative
“Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolat “Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of community.” - bell hooks
.
.
.
Earlier this year I made a commissioned piece for a virtual healing circle.  I was honored to contribute to such a beautiful and necessary event.  It’s now many months later ... but in the midst of pandemic and holidays and lockdown, it’s still important that Black lives matter.
.
.
.#collage #paper #paperlove #journaling #journalpages #printablestationery #digitalpaper #analog #ephemera #wellbeing #selfcare #mindfulness #takecareofyourself #stayhomestaycreative #guidedjournaling #healingcircle #showyourwork #commissionedart
Lest we forget. This beautiful poem was by Canadia Lest we forget. This beautiful poem was by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. Swipe right to see a copy of his original handwritten version. 🌺
.
.
.#handwriting #handwritinggoals #snailmail #happymail  #stationery #stationeryaddict #collage #paper #paperlove #journaling #journalpages #printablestationery #digitalpaper #analog #ephemera #wellbeing #selfcare #mindfulness #takecareofyourself #stayhomestaycreative #remembranceday #inflandersfields
is writing about November, Netflix, and an Inuit w is writing about November, Netflix, and an Inuit word.  Wishing you all a lovely weekend ahead 🤍xx
.
.
.
#handwriting #handwritinggoals #snailmail #happymail  #stationery #stationeryaddict #collage #paper #paperlove #journaling #journalpages #printablestationery #digitalpaper #analog #ephemera #wellbeing #selfcare #mindfulness #takecareofyourself #stayhomestaycreative
© 2022 ANDREA HUNTER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED