Handwritten Letters on National Handwriting Day

It was back in 1977 when pen lovers and writers alike celebrated the first ever National Handwriting Day. Home computers had just been introduced, and cell phones were only in their infancy. More than 40 years have passed, and now, in our constantly plugged-in landscape of laptops, tablets, and smartphones, celebrating handwriting is more important than ever.

In the modern day of digital communication, writing with pen to paper is a refuge for our individual expression. Our personal style and flair shows itself in our handwriting, and the way the words appear on the page are a nod to our emotions and how we feel. 

Handwriting reminds us that we are more connected to our world than we realize. Our handwriting is the most intimate way to communicate our thoughts, our emotions, our feelings for others. We leave a little bit of ourselves on every page we write on. 

National Handwriting Day is celebrated every year on January 23^rd, the birthday of John Hancock – a man with a very recognizable signature. Our handwriting is a bit like our personal statement. It is the most recognizable way to communicate and show who we are. When more of us share the experience of handwriting, the more we get to engage in meaningful expression and conversation in writing.

Handwriting from Near and Far

Recently, we announced a special Handwriting Contest on our Instagram. The rules were:

1. Handwrite one good deed planned for 2019
2. Snail mail it to our Soho Tampa studio
3. Winner receives a copy of Michael Sull’s American Cursive Handwriting Workbook

 The response was amazing.

More people than we realized were hungry for a chance to send written correspondence. Throughout the past week, new letters with a personal touch would arrive at our bungalow, and everyone here was always eager to open it and read what good deeds people had planned for the new year.

 Letters came from all over: Kansas, North Carolina, California, Washington State, the list goes on. It was such a thrill every time we saw how far a letter had travelled, and held the same paper that a friend a thousand miles away had written on.

North Carolina, Washington, and California

Some came on beautiful stationery, with cute touches of stickers, washi tape, or lettering.

Many of the deeds we read were inspiring, thoughtful, or just plain cute! 

Our cowgirl Amanda loved this card from Kevin and Linda in Kansas. The nephew of their chef in their little restaurant came into town, and their good deed was to give him a makeover, teach him English, and get him a girl!

 A letter arrived from California, and we were stunned to find near-flawless Spencerian script on the inside.

We hemmed and hawed, delighted with all the beautiful letters, but conflicted on who should win. Finally we settled on a winner. With beautiful envelope artwork, an amazing and selfless deed for 2019, and the best handwriting we had seen, Jennifer in Maryland was our winner!

We can’t say enough thank you’s to those who joined in on this little contest of ours. It was such a fun experience getting to read every single one of your letters. Be sure to check your mailboxes for our thank-you gift for participating :)

We hope you enjoy yourself while you do something handwritten on this National Handwriting Day.