From quickly jotted notes to old fashioned letters, like beautiful little works of art in their own right, there's something special about handwriting that words on a screen just don't compete with.
Let's explore some inspiration around handwriting with this month's mood board and creative prompts.
There's a mixture of prompts that you can do at home or out and about - they're yours to run with, cherry-pick from and use to help you be more creative day to day.
You can download a higher resolution version of the moodboard (for personal use) here: Handwritten Moodboard
Here's our Top 6 Creative Prompts for this theme
In the same way that a handmade mug is so much more satisfying than a mass-produced one, handwriting is so much more personal, and a wonderful way to spark creative ideas.
Pick one or two of these to try, or inspire other creative ideas for you -
- Look for your favourite pieces of handwriting at home - your Granny’s fruit loaf recipe, the wee note your other half left you, the letter from your favourite Aunt; could you display them arranged in a picture frame, so they’re always around you? (Best pop it out of the way of direct sunlight so the ink doesn’t fade!)
- Try journalling; if it feels weird to begin, start with the words, ‘I want to tell you about…’ and see what flows out. This is just for yourself, you don’t need to share it with anyone or keep it afterwards. Try to write at least two pages, with no preciousness about what the words say; sometimes things will pop out that surprise you or give you the clarity that you’d been looking for.
- Who would you love to write to? Living or passed, famous or close friend or relative - and what would you love to say to them? Why not write that letter? (You don’t have to post it!)
- Create a word roll on a day out; take a strip of paper with you, rolled around itself to create a scroll. When you’re out for the day, every time you see something that resonates with you, jot down a word or two onto the scroll, starting at the top. It could be the colour of a tree, a piece of signage you liked, the smell of fresh oranges… When you head home, you’ll have a little memory of the day, with everything that inspired you in chronological order.
- Visit an antique shop and look out for old letters or postcards. Choose one and imagine the person who wrote the letter. What was their life like? Where did they live? How did they spend their days?
- When we spend more time writing - or creating - we’re more aware of our incredible hands. Have a good look at yours with your creative eye; the shape of them, the way the light falls across them, the lines your individual fingers make against each other. If you like drawing, look at one hand while drawing the lines you see with your other; you don’t need to draw your actual hand (tricky even for artists!) but to capture the lines that you like on paper.
I hope you have fun with these prompts!
