Calligraphers and Lovers of Lettering Arts, Read below and see where you are. This is my humble view of the journey…

Stage 1 : The Seduced

The Seduced

You are fascinated by the letter forms. There is something in every letter that makes it very attractive to you. You are seduced by the calligraphic stroke. This attraction entices you to know more and to try… you grab a writing tool and you toy with it… you copy and imitate what you see … The more you try and experiment, the more you love the letter shape. You are hooked. You are compelled to know and learn more…

Stage 2 : The Intimidated

The Intimidated

To your delight, you discover that there is a whole world out there doing exactly what you love. People, publications, associations, guilds, workshops, retreats, conferences… you enter in this world with a big heart and a ton of enthusiasm.

Your enthusiasm is short lived when you realize that this is going to be a tedious journey. You feel intimidated by so many rules, principles, tools, techniques and more. But your love of Calligraphy is strong and you are determined to pursue this journey…

Stage 3 : The Frustrated

The Frustrated

Finally you start to see some progress. You have acquired some fundamentals and practiced enough that you can “impress” people around you, mainly family and friends. But you are far from impressing yourself. You see a lot of things that you don’t like in your letters and you don’t seem to quite get how to go about it. Progress is slow. Many times it feels that you have reached your plateau. It is frustrating, but you have decided to continue studying and practicing…

Stage 4 : The Apprentice

The Apprentice

The hard work starts to pay off. You can make some nice lettering, and when something is not “right”, you know what it is and you can work on fixing it. You start to learn more hands. Now that you have a good  foundation and practiced enough, things are moving slightly faster. You are at a good pace to learn more and start to develop solid calligraphy skills…

Stage 5 : The Critic

The Critic

Your skill level is above average. You have developed (consciously or unconsciously) a critical eye. You have something to say on any calligraphic work you see. You might become opinionated and sometimes vocal : This tool cannot be used for this. This should be done like this or like that. This ink is the only one you should use. That brush is not good. That paper doesn’t work. You cannot hold the pen like this…

You might stay in this stage for a while or move on very quickly…

Stage 6 : The Master

The Master

After exploring and studying many hands, tools and techniques, you focus on creating your own style, usually quite distinguished from the rest. It is a signature of your own creation and a testimonial of your life work. You also continue exploring, developing, researching, experimenting. You try new ideas. Calligraphy is less of a beautiful art form and more of an expressive journey in Art…

Stage 7 : The Wise

The Wise

You have reached the Summit…only to realize that you are exactly where you started. Your journey has led you to a full circle. Your calligraphic mind is rich in history, skills and mastery. Your heart is bigger than ever. But you are delighted and fascinated by the letter as in day 1. You are enchanted by the letterform and you don’t seem to be bothered by irregularities or odd shapes. You find strength in a hesitant writing. You see power in a shaky stroke. You see life in an evasive hair line. You are seduced by a blot of ink. Calligraphy has built your mind and soul and you are enjoying every moment in life…

Your journey continues…