Every time I receive a hand-written letter in the mail, I feel like I am about to open a very special gift. Given their rarity, hand-written letters ARE a gift. Created by the writer, uniqueness is built-in, as is this message: I was fully present when I made this for you, and took the time to do it because I care about you. A handwritten-note’s effect is usually WAY more than the effort it took to make it, both personally and professionally.
The majority of my personal collection is made up of artwork from friends and LETTERS, whose very personal hand-wroughtness makes them artworks in my mind. Sometimes they are a mix of the two, like the condolence note (above) Isabel Rower made me, and the letter her father Holton sent me MANY years ago from Sweden. He attached a feather to a piece of cardboard on one side…
…on the other, with brush and paint, he inadvertently wrote the nickname — “Golly” — that I would come to think of as my true name.
For some serious, handwritten or illustrated letter inspiration, check out the Smithsonian’s 178 Hand-Illustrated Letters. We what Gio Ponti did with simple ink:
And we’ve always loved Andy Warhol’s stationary; the letterhead was said to have been hand written by his mother and then printed to make his stationary and business card:
Handwritten thank you notes are also a great tool for getting work, or entrée to someone you want to talk to. Improvised Life’s assistant Mira Keras‘ charming handmade thank you note, written in quirky handwriting and stamped with a colorful circus stamp made me know that she REALLY wanted the job. She got it!
She shared her formula for the charming handwriting: quill pen and ink.
She recommends Speedball 6-Nib Calligraphy Lettering Set and Higgins Black Magic Drawing Ink
They make the act of letter writing a pleasure for the recipient AND the writer.
